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Big Steel: 1941
Nov. 1941. Etna, Pennsylvania. "Blast furnaces and ore at the Carnegie-Illinois Steel mills." View full size. 4x5 Kodachrome transparency by Alfred Palmer. My Hometown These were gone by the time I was born in 1961. My grandfather was a ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/03/2012 - 10:34pm -

Nov. 1941. Etna, Pennsylvania. "Blast furnaces and ore at the Carnegie-Illinois Steel mills." View full size. 4x5 Kodachrome transparency by Alfred Palmer. My HometownThese were gone by the time I was born in 1961. My grandfather was a blacksmith for Spangs steel mill in Etna. I believe these may have been along the banks of the Allegheny River. Etna is about 8 miles northeast of Pittsburgh. Farked Againhttp://forums.fark.com/cgi/fark/comments.pl?IDLink=3762127 This is Art!Most of these photos can be described as "documentarian." This is the first one I've seen that has a really interesting composition - that I'd be willing to hang on my wall! (The Gallery, Kodachromes, Alfred Palmer, Factories, Farked)
You Say You Want to Take a Shower: 1943
The Control Room: Servicemen getting towels and soap from an attendant in the enlisted men's shower room at the United Nations service center in Washington. December 1943. View full size. Photograph by Esther Bubley. More here. Good cl ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/07/2011 - 9:40pm -

The Control Room: Servicemen getting towels and soap from an attendant in the enlisted men's shower room at the United Nations service center in Washington. December 1943. View full size. Photograph by Esther Bubley. More here. Good clean funJust time for a quickie Fark. (The Gallery, Curiosities, D.C., Esther Bubley, Farked, WW2)
Migrant Mother (colorized): 1936
I'd been wanting to colorize the Mother of All Dust Bowl Photographs, by Dorothea Lange, for some time and finally got around to doing it for a contest on Fark . View full size. Mesmerizing! This colorization is absolutely stunning a ... 
 
Posted by ban_sidhe - 02/01/2010 - 5:35pm -

I'd been wanting to colorize the Mother of All Dust Bowl Photographs, by Dorothea Lange, for some time and finally got around to doing it for a contest on Fark. View full size. Mesmerizing!This colorization is absolutely stunning and in fact, so good that I joined this site just to comment on your work. I've long been a fan of this picture (the original) and teach it every semester in my high school journalism classes. I may just have to add your picture to my line-up, if nothing else, to show the wonders of photography + editing. Thank you for sharing this. (Colorized Photos)
Hollywood & Vine: 1963
August 1963. Here I am at world famous Hollywood & Vine, or in this case, Don't Walk & Vine. Hint: I'm not the one in the green skirt and heels. View full size. Great! These are wonderful. Please post more! More recent phot ... 
 
Posted by tterrace - 06/24/2009 - 5:04pm -

August 1963. Here I am at world famous Hollywood & Vine, or in this case, Don't Walk & Vine. Hint: I'm not the one in the green skirt and heels. View full size. Great!These are wonderful. Please post more! More recent photosYes, I would also like to see more photos from the '50s & '60s. I like the old stuff but it's nice to revisit scenes of our youth too. For more recent photos...... check out the Member Blog. I notice the stuff there doesn't get as high a hit count, so maybe some people are overlooking it. Been a bunch of great color slides posted recently. Auntie MameIs that Auntie Mame at the theater across the street ? Please, Sir, can I have some more?When I was in L.A. in the early 90's it didn't look as pretty as this. Awesome 1959 Ford station wagon driving with the back window open (you'd get a ticket for that today). The lady with the matching shoes & handbag has got great style, you should've gotten her number. What type of camera and film were used for this great shot? As I've been trying to get this exact 'period' kind-of look... CoffeeI noticed the Farmers Brothers logo on the wagon. In the 70's - 90's when I was in the coffee business, Farmer Brothers stood for the cheapest crappiest coffee one could buy and always competed for the business on lowest price, regardless. I had always wondered if there was a time when it was good. Maybe 1963 was it? Green Skirt and HeelsWell it's too bad you're not the one in the green skirt and heels - how incredibly chic she looks - especially with the contrast of the old ladies on the right. Nonetheless, you're still a looker! Period kind of look photosThis was shot with the Kodak Retinette 1A that I got in late 1962. The slide film was something Montgomery Ward marketed under their brand name. Not sure who actually manufactured it, but either due to its inherent characteristics or the Ward processing service, most of it has acquired a drab yellowish tint that's been corrected out here. Unless it was Kodachome, most vintage color film is going to present problems today. Kodacolor negatives pre-1953 have faded to uselessness, and the prints yellow. Ektachrome only got stable around 1962. You ought to see what my Hudson shot really looks like, or me hanging from the tree. All purple. I can generally correct most of it out, and then the skilled technicians at Shorpy Labs apply their expertise to the final product. Most Excellent!Thanks for posting. I wish I could jump right in that photo and live out the rest of my life! Cheers. MoviesOn the bill at the theater across the street are "Auntie Mame" with Rosalind Russell (the good version) and "The Day They Robbed The Bank Of England" starring Peter O'Toole and Elizabeth Sellars (and Aldo Ray, although his name isn't on the marquee). "Auntie Mame" came out in December 1958 and "The Day They Robbed The Bank Of England" in September 1960, so that is definitely not one of the higher end theaters in Hollywood. Comments by JM Berry "In the 70's - 90's when I was in the coffee business, Farmer Brothers stood for the cheapest crappiest coffee one could buy and always competed for the business on lowest price, regardless. I had always wondered if there was a time when it was good. Maybe 1963 was it?" Excuse me, but who did you work for and please state why you are such an expert on coffee? [I would imagine that being in the coffee business and having drunk a lot of awful Farmer Bros. coffee qualifies J.M. as an authority on the subject. And yes, Farmer Brothers coffee is bad. Really bad. - Dave] Blistered tourist?I wonder if the grandmotherly-type lady in the stripes has worn a blister onto her heel with a Hollywood walking tour. It appears that she may be protecting her skin with a Band-Aid where her shoe was rubbing. Oh, and are you by Fred Waring's star? (My parents loved him...they vacation near his Pennsylvania home each fall.) Farmer Brothers CoffeeMy neighbor across the street drives a Farmer Brothers Coffee truck. Wonder if it's still bad, or if he thinks so? Fred WaringGlad to see that there are still people out there that remember Fred Waring. I was a member of the Pennsylvanians in the 1970s, and spent many wonderful years in the Poconos, specifically at FW's headquarters in Delaware Water Gap, Penn., and at his Shawnee-on-Delaware, Penn., home. By the way--Fred is one of only a handful of performers to have 3 stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. He is recognized for his work in radio, television and recordings, and one of his stars is right on the corner of Hollywood and Vine, right next to the special star placed there for the Apollo 11 astronauts. If your parents have Internet access, they might want to visit the Fred Waring's America web site. The special collection of all things Waring is housed at Penn State University. Just type in "Fred Waring's America" on Yahoo! or Google and take it from there. The site has CDs for sale of many of the classic Waring recordings. Pete Misiak That girl in the green skirtThat girl in the green skirt has a striking profile resemblance to Jennifer Tilly, one of my favorite character actresses. At least, I trust it's her acting skills that provide the character part. Otherwise, I'm keeping my distance. Comments by JM Berry re. FB coffee You have no clue as to what you are saying. The best coffees in the world can taste like crap if the brewing cycle/temp/water quality, etc. are not correct. To make a statement such as yours just shows your lack of knowledge about coffee, period. [Sounds like it might be time for someone to switch to decaf. - Dave] Don't Walk indeedGreat pic. I love seeing the old traffic equipment in these photos. In this case the star (aside from the author of course) is the Econolite exposed tube neon pedestrian signal. Installed from the mid fifties to the late sixties, they stayed in service in many parts of California until just recently. Fred WaringI remember Mr. Waring clearly. I shook his hand (after going through his band "bodyguards") at a concert in Concord, New Hampshire. I last spoke with him as my father and I came off the ninth hole at his golf course at Shawnee on the Delaware. He had a table set up with a single rose in a vase. He was cheerful, and happy to watch the golfers putting out. He died not long after that. Fred Waring was a class act, from what I could perceive looking in from the outside. He brought us beauty and pride in our country. May his tribe increase, and his memory persist. Pastor Tom Fowler Told ya!Remember how I said my parents were fans of Fred Waring? Well, "Pastor Tom" is my dad! I had no idea he'd met Fred Waring on two different occasions ... to think I learned of that on Shorpy! Oh, and to Mr. Misiak, thanks for the heads-up on the Waring sites. It must have been a blast to so fun to tour with Fred Waring & the Pennsylvanians! (Just read your bio on WJR.com, and you've had a fascinating career so far!) Shorpy rocks. When does Shorpy get a star on Hollywood & Vine? Me tooJust to bring this full circle, I, the Hollywood & Vine striped shirt person, remember watching Fred Waring on TV in the early 1950s, too. I also recall being astonished to find out that he was the Waring of the Waring Blendor. Waring BlendorI was aware that Fred Waring was involved with the Waring Blendor, not as the inventor but as the principal investor and the manufacturer. I have to wonder if he made more money out of the Blendor than he did from the music business. Kiss my CoffeeNot to jump into the coffee fray, but seriously: If a specific coffee has to be handled with kid gloves, kissed, massaged, and lastly, blessed by the Pope in order to be palatable, it ain't good coffee. My Favorite FarkThe flashing "Dork" sign. Photoshop & VineThe ultimate accolade. Your photo has been Farked. What a great sport!You rock, tterrace. Not only have we enjoyed your photos, on Shorpy and elsewhere, but now we can enjoy what those scamps over at Fark can do TO your pictures! Oh, and according to the homepage, it looks like the Fark gang are tackling these boaters. DORK!!I really enjoy navigating these photos. It reminds me of happier times. The "Dork" photo made my day! Keep up the great posts, tterrace!! Fellow DorkI had the twin of that shirt in 1963! When I first saw the photo I thought "Hey, did somebody snap my picture one day while I was standing at Hollywood and Vine?" Then I realized that, no, the guy in the photo is way too beefy and well-muscled to have been me. Thanks for the reminder of how scrawny I was at 18! (Or maybe I was there when the photo was taken, but I'm hidden behind one of the poles?) L.A. WomanA nice Asian girl but maybe a little old for you. She looks so much like my mother. Who was quite a hottie back in the day! Girl in the Green SkirtI mentioned the girl in the green skirt down in the comments below somewhere. But I forgot to ask...do you recall noticing her after all these years? We're about the same age, and I'll admit to having not just a few standout moments where a fine-looking female captured my full attention at a particular moment, and inexplicably every so often pops into a pleasant daydream of days gone by. You do have the advantage of an actual photo to stimulate the memory. But I have the advantage of going on pure memory which can be altered to great effect over the years. Like they say, the older I get, the better I used to be. +51Approximately the same view in 2014. (ShorpyBlog, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Farked, tterrapix)
Dymaxion House: 1941
May 1941. "Diamaxion [Dymaxion] house, metal, adapted corn bin, built by Butler Brothers, Kansas City. Designed and promoted by R. Buckminster Fuller." Medium format negative by Marion Post Wolcott. View full size. Deafening in a hailstor ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 03/28/2014 - 3:06pm -

May 1941. "Diamaxion [Dymaxion] house, metal, adapted corn bin, built by Butler Brothers, Kansas City. Designed and promoted by R. Buckminster Fuller." Medium format negative by Marion Post Wolcott. View full size. Deafening in a hailstormAnd I thought Fuller's geodesic dome designs were peculiar! HybridFuller was the first to demonstrate what happens when you cross a corn bin with a traffic signal. Museum pieceOn display at the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn is "the only surviving prototype of Fuller's dream home." Easy to imagine one is walking through a spaceship when touring the Dymaxion house! DymaxiaThere are two in New Jersey, visible from the public road in the winter, can't be seen in Google Street View (summertime, overgrown), but the 1979 aerial on HistoricAerials.com is good. Coords are 40.269486, -74.083348. This particular aerial view is of Naval Ammunition Depot Earle, in Monmouth County, built starting in 1941. I am certain that these buildings were erected there in 41/42. I wonder, could these possibly have been the actual first two that the Navy purchased? They were used as shelters for radio communication and testing purposes during WWII. They are now abandoned, and have not been in use for at least 20 years. I will try to get a photo from outside the fence, and hope I don't get shot or arrested as a terrorist! Homegrown Fuller in PittsburghAvailable if anybody is interested! http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10016/1028372-30.stm Good Old BuckyHe sure had a great sense of humor, didn't he? Its Fuller, but not DymaxionAs an amateur student of Fuller, this is his design for an easily produced house for the masses, but it isn't the Dymaxion. This is a term often applied to many of Fuller designs, but would be inappropriate for this particular house. The Dymaxion concept was one that was "stressed" for rigidity, and did not rely on gravity to hold it together. The Dymaxion house was characterized by a central pillar with cables radiating from the top to the ground that were pulled tight and stressed so that floors and walls could be attached to them. The load bearing elements of the structure were not the walls, floors and ceilings but the stressed cabling. [You would seem to be rather mistaken (see above). Also, you've started off with a bad case of dangling modifier. - Dave] While I might not be a scholar on the subject, I think my description is correct. Dymaxion is a combination of the terms "DYnamic - MAXimum - tensION" per the Fuller Institute, which would indicate a stressed structure. ["Dymaxion" is the coinage of PR men. Whatever definition the Fuller Institute came up with would seem to be a back-formation: "Its name means nothing you can put your finger on, Mr. Fuller says. He says the same men who invented the word 'radio' invented 'Dymaxion' to express his philosophy after talking with him for three days and deciding that he spoke mostly in four-syllable words." It was Fuller himself who applied the word Dymaxion to the structure in our photo. - Dave] "Dymaxion Deployment Unit" at MOMAClick floor plan for details, or click here. FacilitiesI don't see a bathroom in the cutaway plans. Anyone know where those were located? [Left side of the drawing. Note toilet seat. - Dave] Butler bins.I worked at the old Butler grain bin plant in Kansas City for a few months when I was just out of high school. Butler's grain bin division was bought out by Brock Grain Systems in 1997 and the plant is still operating under the new name. The manufacturing operations that go into these things (grain bins or grain bin homes) are pretty simple. Shear, roll, punch, stack and next piece. The corrugations are added as the side pieces are rolled into arcs. Always two people working together because of the size of the pieces. I can imagine rain on the bin/home's tin roof would quickly drive you to use earplugs. A hail storm would quickly drive you mad. They're everywhereWe've got these things all over Monmouth County, NJ. The one below is in Wall Township on the former site of Camp Evans. There's also one on a sports field I drive past everyday. I suspect that they store groundkeeping materials in it. A third one is on top of the Army's Communications & Electronics Lab on Fort Monmouth. It can be seen from the Garden State Parkway. I'm sure I've seen plenty of others around here but I usually don't pay them any attention. Lustron HousesFrom roughly the same era, Lustron Homes were also designed as affordable, metal construction, prefabricated, low maintenance housing. While plentiful compared to the Dymaxion with about 2,500 examples built, they're still quirky though much more conventional in design. A handful still exist, many in the Midwest, and there are two examples within a couple miles of me. They're a treat for the eye and built sturdily, often not requiring any painting or roofing replacement even after 50 or 60 years. http://www.lustronpreservation.org/ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lustron_house Fuller DDUs in NJThere are DDUs at Camp Evans in Wall Township NJ. See http://www.infoage.org/html/ddu.html They have been primed and repainted since we posted the photos. They were transferred by the Army in March 2009 to our care and stewardship. And here in San DiegoEven this would sell for half a million. Unfurnished. Without corn cobs. Check out the Henry Ford MuseumA more elaborate version of the home has been restored and is on view inside the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, Michigan. Chez FarkFarked again! (Technology, The Gallery, Farked, M.P. Wolcott)
Heel: 1942
Sheffield, Alabama (Tennessee Valley Authority). Kenneth C. Hall, his wife and daughter rowing on the Tennessee River. Photograph by Arthur Rothstein for the Tennessee Valley Authority, June 1942. View full size. Worried ? I think they ... 
 
Posted by Ken - 08/09/2012 - 12:33pm -

Sheffield, Alabama (Tennessee Valley Authority). Kenneth C. Hall, his wife and daughter rowing on the Tennessee River. Photograph by Arthur Rothstein for the Tennessee Valley Authority, June 1942. View full size. Worried ?I think they look worried, and with some reason. Trying to get back to the river bank fast. It seems that their boat is filling with water, the father has some to his ankles, the daughter looks at the river with grim expectations, and the dog has already decided to try his luck swimming. Not WorriedLooks like the sun is shining in their eyes (thus the squinting) and the mom and girl are both looking at the dog. More concern for the pup than themselves. Rowing?I'd say they are paddling. Rowing requires two oars that one person pulls at the same time, sitting with his/her back to the direction in which the boat is going. (Unless you are part of a several-person crew in a special rowing shell.) This is paddling, as if they were in a canoe except the boat is square and flat and.....umm...well, maybe there's some special Alabama word for what they are doing with those wooden things in their hands. RowboatMy grandfather had a flat-prow wooden rowboat that he used on the Delaware River to get from his place to the nearest town to do his shopping. It always had water in it, no matter how much tar he coated the bottom with. You can see the bailing can between the paddlers. Essential boat equipment. PFDs!Get them folks into PFDs! (And no, for fellow Alaskan readers/viewers: not "Permanent Fund Dividends!" Those go into the bank; or get you to Hawaii for two weeks.) Denny Gill Chugiak, Alaska Dog PaddleGood swimmer for a beagle. But then I guess he didn't have lot of choice. Farked AgainFark contest results for these boaters. All hands to bailing stations We were immensely pleased when our dad bought an all aluminum skiff, replacing the old 'two ton' row boat. The old boat, while unsinkable, leaked like a sieve and took two men and a boy to launch. The new craft, manufactured by Grumman, who no longer had to make B-36's for the war effort, was a symphony of lightness and non-leakitude. We hooked up a five HP Evinrude and taped a broom handle to the steering arm, so as to move our lightweight butts to the front, and proceeded to push the skiff onto plane and hit 30 or more mph! (The Gallery, Arthur Rothstein, Boats & Bridges, Dogs, Farked)
Joe Cooler: 1942
February 1942. "Ask the man who repairs one, and he'll tell you to turn the freeze control back to normal after quick-freezing ice-cubes or ice cream. If you leave it on high, foods will freeze and you'll waste electric current." Medium-format nit ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/23/2012 - 3:40pm -

February 1942. "Ask the man who repairs one, and he'll tell you to turn the freeze control back to normal after quick-freezing ice-cubes or ice cream. If you leave it on high, foods will freeze and you'll waste electric current." Medium-format nitrate negative by Ann Rosener, Office of War Information. View full size. The Iceman ComethWhat a lucky and well-heeled family in 1942 during the war years to have a fridge. I didn't know anybody on our street who had a refrigerator. We all had iceboxes and waited for the iceman to walk up the steps with a block of ice every week. It wasn't until after the war in the fifties before many families could afford to buy a fridge. Did everybody have a fridge in the early forties or were we just poor? Well groomed!Joe is sporting the finest example of comb furrows I have ever seen. Defrosting!Oh my goodness! Every time I look at one of those old fridges, even tho they look cool, I can only think of the ordeal of defrosting them, especially in the summer, when it's so hot and muggy! Peekaboo!I think that rascal likes what he sees. I want that shirt!Great shirt. Love the satin-face pinstripes. Even the collar would still work. But I don't think I'd roll the sleeves all the way up to the shoulder. FreezerThis brings back memories, for sure. I wonder how many of today's young housewives have interacted with a freezer as small as those old refrigerators featured. Step 1: Open doorYes, your refrigerator experience just isn't complete without a thorough mansplanation ... That fridge!My wife and I just bought a fridge very like this one — a GE from 1946. We got it to supplement our GE Monitor Top from 1934. You'd be surprised — defrosting them isn't that bad at all. Seems like in the past the process was to empty out the fridge entirely to do it. That's totally unnecessary. We just put a pan under the evaporator and turn the fridge off for a couple hours. The fridge warms enough for the ice to basically fall off the evaporator, but still stays cool enough to keep the food safe. Then you just wipe down the evaporator and turn it back on. Easy. It's a small price to pay for the pleasure of using these beautiful examples of American craftsmanship. They truly don't make them like this anymore! The Ice ManUm, yeah. Repairman is not so much looking at what he's meant to be repairing. I can't imagine turning the freezer DOWN after the ice is frozen... I guess people only used ice intermittently? Shallow Freeze"Ice cubes OR ice cream" is right. The freezer is too small to do both at once. With most current refrigerators, the freezer compartment volume alone exceeds what the Mrs. had in total back in '42. And today's freezers self-defrost. As a kid, that was my job. I always spilled the hot water on me, the floor, everything. Ugh. 40's IceboxDon't get paranoid, Doreen. We had an icebox in the 40's, and the ice man would come regularly to put a block of ice in it. The ice was in the back of his open bed truck covered with a tarp. He would haul it out with huge tongs and tote it on his back into the house. So clean and handsomeWhat an orderly fridge with those covered glass refrigerator dishes, what a well-dressed happy "repairman" and neat, wholesome housewife, both looking so happy to be doing what they are doing in life. This is a feel-good picture that makes an old fossil wish he could go back there and visit a spell. Yes, WW2 was on, but people seemed to have a lot more personal dignity and appreciated everything they had. Butter and eggs were rationed, among other things, but the more kids you had, the more stuff you could get so I would guess this pretty lady had dependents. You can't help but like these people. Thank you Shorpy for the nostalgic trip back to 1942. DefrigerationWe had one like it back in the '50s. One day my mother was using a knife to "get something out" of the freezer and punched a hole in the coils. I think they carried ammonia or something like it. We also got a new fridge that day. Metal ice traysThose metal ice trays were the worst. Man, I could NEVER get those things to work properly. It was either run some water over them or use a small hammer and gently "coax" out those pesky cubes. I wouldn't mind having a few around for old times' sake, though. Bigger than a BritboxAfter having lived a year in London, I can assure you that this refrigerator is still larger than most in Britain. The ice man, part II Seeing this photo reminds me of that old play on words: "Every husband has his wife but the ice man has his pick." If you're under a certain age it won't make any sense. If you're older than that, it's pretty funny! More Fridge Advice>> Ask the man who repairs one, and he'll tell you to turn the freeze control back to normal after quick-freezing ice-cubes or ice cream. Also, shut the door and chat elsewhere. My fridge!Or close to it, anyway. I bought a 1947 GE model ND-8-DC back in the early '80s and it's still chugging along nicely. I had to have the cold control replaced about ten years ago and I replaced the gasket a few years later. My freezer is slightly bigger - it has one more shelf and it came with four metal ice trays. (When I was a kid we called those trays "fishbones" because of the way the inserts were articulated.) The enameled fruit and vegetable bins have glass tops and there's a wire basket for butter and cheese under the top shelf. And Jazznocracy, this is the easiest refrigerator to defrost! I turn it off, open the door and point a fan at the freezer. Dry, cool air is the secret. The ice just drops into a pan. 5, 10, 15, 25Regarding old iceboxes, when you needed ice you put a sign in the window telling the iceman what size block you needed -- a cardboard placard with "5," "10," "15" and "25" written on it, indicating pounds. Placed with the amount you wanted in the "up" position. My friends and I, all of us in the 3-5 year age range, enjoyed picking up the slivers from the floor of the ice wagon, on those hot summer days. The slivers came from the ice man using his pick to split off the proper-sized chunk. IceboxesFor those of you who had iceboxes, do you remember how big the ice block was, and how long did it last? Just curious. Cougarssure looked different in 1942. Young guys, however, have that certain timeless look. Same now as then. Somehow...He reminds me of Eddie Haskell. Fark fodderThis is totally going to get Farked, I think, but Farked or not, I like this shot. Mrs. Hausfrau's head tilt is an example of textbook overacting, but the young man's smile seems genuine enough and is certainly pleasant. He looks like he's about to put his arm around her shoulder and call her "Ma." Those covered glass containers in the fridge are lovely. 'Twas once upon a time, just before Tupper and his ware come on the scene. I apologize in advance but....this is a blonde joke waiting to happen. [Or a gray-haired housewife joke. - Dave] Caption"Wait a minute...you're not from Verizon!" Butter and eggsEggs were not rationed in the United States and butter was not rationed until December 1942. (How many of us remember our mothers breaking the capsule of orange food coloring and mixing it into the margarine?) Mighty miteI inherited my aunt's 1939 General Electric refrigerator that she got as a new bride. Looks and runs like new. Do not underestimate the might of that little freezer. It's called planning. I have the original entertainment booklet that tells you how to plan a sit-down dinner party for 14. What others failed to mention is that there is a glass tray under the freezer unit and anything you place in it freezes rock hard. The booklet explains how to start making your ice for the glass tray in advance. How much frozen ice cream, mousse, or sherbet you need to make, where to chill the ice cream dishes, place your cold drinks, salads etc. Today people have a freezer the size of Manhattan and can only produce instant micro nuke-and-puke dinners. I just looked in my freezer and it contains 48 ice cubes in trays, ice cream made two hours ago, in the glass tray is a pack of tilapia, chicken breasts, buffalo sausage and a pound of butter. In the freezer box along with cubes and ice cream is bag of peas, box of spinach, mixed vegetables a large can of frozen punch mix, with room for few more boxes or bags of vegetables. In this house we are never out of ice or something good in the freezer. Running on sulfur dioxide gas, the most thermo efficient coolant known. If this one ever dies I will be on eBay in a heartbeat seeking another refrigerator from the 30s 40s or 50s. No more frost-frees for me. Frost-free units use four times as much electricity as these older units do. Yep, they sure do not make 'em like that anymore. Private CoolerHow many more weeks after this photo was taken before Joe Cooler, able-bodied young advertising model, got that smile wiped off his face by a drill sergeant? The Old Ice BoxWe didn't order ice by the pound from "Tony the Ice Man." It was ordered by the price; a 10-cent piece on weekdays and a 15-cent piece on weekends. "Be sure and empty the basin under the icebox and keep the door shut before the baby's milk goes sour" was the daily warning. (The Gallery, Ann Rosener, Kitchens etc., WW2)
Shiny Datsun: 1971
August 1971. A car that today you'd most likely see as a rusting hulk in a junkyard or vacant lot, and clothes in a Goodwill. My brother and sister-in-law pose with their 1967 Datsun Bluebird parked on my father's garage ramp on Walnut Avenue in L ... 
 
Posted by tterrace - 09/29/2011 - 6:49pm -

August 1971. A car that today you'd most likely see as a rusting hulk in a junkyard or vacant lot, and clothes in a Goodwill. My brother and sister-in-law pose with their 1967 Datsun Bluebird parked on my father's garage ramp on Walnut Avenue in Larkspur, California. All kidding aside, I think they're both pretty snappily dressed, and her expression is pricelessly inscrutable. My Kodachrome slide. View full size. Easy GuessI think you could classify that expression as "resigned"; she knows that the picture has to be taken and will be taken! Desert boots!I must have worn out 10 pairs of those crepe-soled, ankle high boots with the soft brushed leather. Most comfortable footgear I ever owned until they began making running shoes that were light and flexible. Haven't seen a pair for years, so I doubt they even make them any longer. LeMans San BernardinoThat dealership brings back memories. Meet the Swinger ...... Polaroid Swinger. For some reason this reminds me of that insidiously catchy jingle. Suddenly it's gonna dawn on you... Datsun saaaaves!I went to hear folk singer Greg Greenway tonight. He mentioned buying a used Datsun 510 wagon "mostly orange, with a 2.5 Briggs and Stratton motor." It's a rare day when I encounter a "Datsun" reference twice in a day. I think she's amusedI think she's amused actually. I sense a definite "That's my brother taking the picture" type feeling from her. With that in mind, I would guess she's a bit older than her brother. [The photographer is the girl's brother-in-law. The guy in the photo, her husband, is his brother. - Dave] Re: Desert Boots!It's suede, and they haven't stopped making them. I used to wear desert boots during college in the '80s. http://clarks.zappos.com/n/p/dp/42711682/c/231.html ClarksLike most things these days the new Clarks are not the same as old. Manufacturing moved to Asia for the past 10+ years and the quality has taken a hit. [That's too bad. Former Wallabees wearer myself. - Dave] TwisterActually her expression may be one of bemused pain, as it looks like he's got her in a solid arm lock. Meanwhile, America is still recovering from the 1970's. I totally love that car. I totally love that car. Then again, I drive a Mini Cooper. My first Datsun: 2001What 30 years of cheeseburgers will do to you. Datsun jingleActually, I feel the title of my post "Shiny Datsun" should be sung to the tune of "Tiny Bubbles" (which has been popping unbidden into my head since submitting it). Incidentally, it's shiny because I had probably washed and waxed it for them earlier in the day. I was always a fan of shiny cars, and this was back when I still enjoyed doing it. Back around 1960, I took a series of shots of our 1956 Rambler, all sparkly, parked in this very spot, freshly Turtle Waxed, chrome polished and with whitewalls scrupulously SOS-ed. A year after this shot, this spot became the roost for my own first car, also a Datsun. Big Bro's BlingmobileThe DATSUN nameplate is gold. It came that way from the factory? Mona LisaI'm surprised nobody's compared your sister-in-law to that other inscrutable beauty. Bemused pain?Check out her Vulcan Death Grip on T-Bro's trapezius that Mr. Spock would envy. Rumor has it that it can turn hair prematurely gray, it's that painful. All I can say isI am totally digging the funky patterns on those super funky clothes. Car and DriverWow, she's a hotty. Looks like Minnie Driver!! Car washingMen do spend a lot of time washing and polishing their cars. I first noticed this when I was a kid in the 1930s. I thought what a waste of time and effort so I now buy white vehicles and wash them every 6 months or so even if they don`t need it. That 70's LookLet's face facts. Guys from the 1970s come off looking infinitely worse than the ladies. Regardless of how quirky the girl's clothing may look today -- peasant dresses, bellbottoms, granny glasses, overly long untamed hair, funky hats, etc. -- the overall appearance can still come off as, well, sexy. But the guys -- sheesh!!! The hair, the glasses, the shirt, the belt, the jeans -- yikes!!! Can you say "dork"? I would be very interested to see what these two people -- contemporaries of mine (and yes, my old photos from that period show my wife in sexy miniskirts, black turtlenecks and patched jeans, and me in just hideously awful things) -- look like today. That GirlShe's gorgeous! How is she doing these days? Did the marriage last? Texting while driving.What's the book on the dashboard? Tech TipsWhat do you use to transfer your slides to digital? Re: Texting while drivingIt looks like a wrapped present, although the present may well be a book. Reminds meOf the 1969 Toyota Corona, my first car. Bought it used for $100. I treated it so badly, and ultimately totaled it. Now I have to see what they are selling for these days. The book on the dashLooks like one of those "Reader's Digest Condensed Edition" anthologies. Inscrutable? In the 70s?Chemically induced, I would say. Not that I have any such experience... The more things change....Funny thing is that those clothes and hair would fit right in with today's hipster kids. It's the belt!Check out the Hippy belt slid over to his left. How cool to be to the "Grove", hair and all. Design by Pininfarina The Datsun 411 here was styled by the Pininfarina studio in italy. It does have a bit of an Alfa Romeo vibe. A pretty litle car, but was eclipsed by the Datsun 510, a more modern and powerful car, and a real looker as well. The meaning of archivalKodachrome rocks Datsun Dash MysteryI'm virtually certain it was a box of Kleenex. In answer to the slide scanning question, see here. She's Absolutely GorgeousI would like to see more pics of her. Dang She is HOT!Dang She is HOT! It's no Nissan Figarobut the Datsun has a certain homely charm. B210In 1977 I decided to buy a commuter car. I paid $2700 for a B210 coupe special edition called the Streamliner. It was a great little car and got good mileage. I liked it so much that in 1981 I bought the introductory model of the Maxima. The car cost $11,000. fully loaded with among other things a voice warning system. The only factory extra you could get was a luggage rack. I sold it in 1987, it had 128,000 miles and the only major repair was for a malfunctioning sun roof. Those were the days when an American new car dealer told you to write down any problems with the car when it when you bring it in for the 1,000 mile checkup. The list would have at least 6 items on it and they probably didn't fix them the first time. The Japanese competition caused the U.S factories to start building more reliable cars but they never caught on or caught up. The DatsunI purchased a new 1970 Datsun 510, bright orange in color, at Annex Motors in San Rafael, near Larkspur. I was stationed at Hamilton Air Force Base in Novato, just up the road. It was a great car priced at $1,750 and it's a beautiful area of Northern California. It's only fair.......to run a present day photo of these two......if possible? ...Please TrailBlazersYou had to be a major trend setter to buy a Datsun in 1971. I imagine that this car attracted more attention at that time than a Mini Cooper or a Smart Car would today. I would also guess that if they ever drove this car to within 100 miles of an American auto assembly plant that they received a lot of negative attention and possibly some threats. I would have been terrified to drive this car around at a time when all the other cars weighed two tons, had 300+ horsepower and four wheel drum brakes. What goes around...Add either a chunky belt or fun necklace (not both) and I would wear her outfit tomorrow, shoes and all! Datsun Copy CatI hate to say it, but this little car shows the Japannese pention for ripping off other designs. It is almost an exact copy of a 1967 Alfa Romeo Guilia Sedan which I used own. The styling is so identical that the cars are almost twins on the outside. Unfortunately, the Datsun didn't have the all alluminum dual overhad cam engine that that the Alfa had. Hence about 40% less horsepower. [Those overhad Japannese pentions were always breaking! - Dave] American MuscleAm I the only one here who would NOT buy a Datsun/Nissan? Never AGAIN. I had one of the God-awful things back in the '80s. My DH is an automotive technician and he won't have one either! Give me American muscle ANY day (says the owner of an '06 Chrysler 300C WITH a Hemi)! Just curious, Tterrace, what is your brother driving today? I see him in any of the following: a Volvo, Lexus SUV, a VW (probably a Jetta), or a BMW. How far off am I? That Datsun GalWell, my sister-in-law seems to have a fan club here. Here she is in a very 70s mode, smiling enigmatically again, in a shot I took at a crafts fair in Santa Cruz, California in 1974. You can also see her here, here, and here. Still asking...Tterrace, did you see my post about your brother's car? (the "American Muscle" post is mine). What's he driving today? Brother's Other Cars"What's he driving today?" His most interesting car was a Fiat X-19. His most boring car was a Fiat station wagon. He doesn't have a car anymore. Not that I'm a stalker....But since I live pretty close to this neighborhood, I drove by to see if the driveway was still gravel. Well, I couldn't quite figure out exactly which house this was, but I didn't see any houses with gravel driveways anyway. Did you live next to that super long and steep set of stairs that run down to Magnolia? I bet those where fun to run up and down. I bet you know exactly how many steps there are too. To the driveway stalkerrgraham, the gravel in the photo is actually the shoulder of Walnut Ave. Our "driveway" was the wooden ramp, since replaced with a concrete one. The northern tip of it was truncated a couple years ago to make room for a carport for a new house on the other side of the long flight of stairs, which is actually Arch Street, an official city thoroughfare. So today, what was our garage/driveway is now the second one immediately to the south of the top of Arch St. Below, our garage and Arch Street in 1955 Ektachromes by my brother. Ok, maybe a bit of a stalker.So here is what it looks like today. The stairs are looking down instead of up, and the basic garage hasn't changed. Cool neighborhood. Rust rust rustI had two Datsuns in the 1970s, a 1974 610 wagon, and a 1978 510 wagon. Both were reliable cars but they rusted like crazy. Nevertheless they were a good alternative to the Detroit small car offerings of the era, the Pinto and the Vega. The body of my '78 was about 20 percent Bondo when I junked it with 146,000 miles ten years later. Fark the CarFarked again. (With apologies to your sister-in-law.) Good Grief...The Farkizations of this photo are hilarious! (Well, except for one certain B&W shot.) A Hot Wheels-style Mustang? Herbie The Love Bug? Spinners? Getouttahere! What would/does Sis-In-Law think? Shiny, shiny / bad times behind meThis image inspired the last part of a lengthy and rambling blog post I wrote a couple of days ago: http://women-and-dreams.blogspot.com/2009/10/last-summer-of-kodachrome-i... It's part of a longer series about Kodachrome. My thesis is that Kodachrome -- despite being around for ages and being very long-lived -- has had a surprisingly small impact on the collective consciousness, in part because it has always been a formal film aimed at the kind of professionals who do not produce images that are meant to last. News photographers very rarely used it and it wasn't all that popular for family snapshots as far as I know, at least outside California, because it was expensive. I just made that up, although it sounds plausible. I would need to have solid figures that detail Kodachrome's sales figures globally compared to other slide films and films in general. Was Kodachrome unusually expensive in California in 1971? Was there an alternative, or was it the default choice? Was it hip? [If I may interject a few words: For many years, Kodachrome was the most popular slide film in America. It accounts for billions of 35mm transparencies (by one estimate, 35 billion) of birthdays, vacations and weddings. Just my parents and grandparents alone have dozens of carousel trays holding thousands of Kodachrome vacation and holiday slides. Multiply that times a few million other families. - Dave] My sub-thesis is that Kodachrome was thus used mainly for posed formal family portraits rather than snapshots, and that the subjects tend to look uncomfortable because of this, although in this case the people nonetheless exhibit character and appear to be real human beings with lives and a sense of fashion that would be perfectly natural in a world where The Flaming Lips were the dominant cultural force. Not our world, not yet. Posed formal portraits date badly and do not grab a mass audience; they grab the people who read Shorpy, but we are not a mass audience. On a tangent, my Theory of Woman: The 1970s includes a timeline that begins with Marilyn Lange - Miss May 1974 - and ends with Farrah Fawcett. The lady in this picture is clearly at the earlier end of the scale. Was it that this kind of look was popular at the time, or were women different then? Where did they go in the 1980s? Kodachrome assumptions in "Shiny Shiny..."Wow, talk about way-off assumptions - of which there are many more in the person's blog. Just briefly, and as I'm sure many here are aware, it wouldn't be even remotely reasonable to expect that my brother and sister-in-law, or anyone else in these circumstances, would be giving the slightest thought to the kind of film in my camera. 15-20 years earlier people might wonder "is it color or black-and-white," or maybe they'd be interested to know it was going to be a color slide rather than a print, but being concerned over whether it was Kodachrome? Come on. Another head-shaking contention is that color slides in general were always merely a niche product. I'd like to send this individual back in time and make them sit through some random person's slide show of their vacation last year. It is the wig I love!It is especially the wig terrace's brother wears that I like. My car -- almostImagine my surprise when I clicked on this page and saw my old high school ride -- almost! My Datsun 411 was a maroon colored wagon. It served me well through two years of high school and two years of commuting to college in the late '70s and early '80s. I'm so glad to see this shinier sedan version a decade earlier. I'm sure these folks enjoyed this baby like I enjoyed mine! SighYour sister-in-law appeared to be living the life we all aspired to in 1971. Cool, confident, stylish, beautiful and such a handsome husband. Brother-in-law sold separately. (ShorpyBlog, Member Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Farked, tterrapix)
Song Catcher: 1916
February 9, 1916. "Mountain Chief of Piegan Blackfeet making phonographic record at Smithsonian." The interviewer is ethnologist Frances Densmore . National Photo Company Collection glass negative. View full size. Frances Densmore w/ au ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 10/27/2019 - 3:28pm -

February 9, 1916. "Mountain Chief of Piegan Blackfeet making phonographic record at Smithsonian." The interviewer is ethnologist Frances Densmore. National Photo Company Collection glass negative. View full size. Frances Densmore w/ audioMinnesota Public Radio did a story about Frances Densmore's life work. [Fascinating. I added a link to the caption. - Dave] InterviewsWere there a lot of these interviews done? Are they available anywhere? [Good question. This one was recorded on a wax cylinder. - Dave] Wax CylindersI would hope that the Smithsonian would go through and make digital copies of these recordings. Song CatcherWe are here admiring the work of Ms Densmore. I served with some Native Americans in the Army in the 1950s. They were just happy to get the 3 squares a day and look to survive until they could retire on a minuscule pension and then go home to some semi comfort for the rest of their lives. I wonder what happened to them after Korea and to the younger guys after Vietnam. Some were drunks but most were survivors. They were good company and in many cases good story tellers. I was a kid from the Bronx and they were as alien to me as Martians. Like a lot of other Americans they had legitimate beefs. Frances DensmoreSome of the original wax recordings were made available in limited quantities as audio cassettes in the 1970s. The Smithsonian published a bulletin of her research in its ethno series. In her long life, Frances focused mostly on Ojibwe [Chippewa] but also collected song material from several other tribes. OMG.Robin Williams! Densmore RecordingsAvailable on the Smithsonian's Folkways label. CD, tape, or digital download. http://www.folkways.si.edu/albumdetails.aspx?itemid=733 http://www.folkways.si.edu/albumdetails.aspx?itemid=805 Mountain ChiefMountain Chief appears in the very good novel "Fools Crow" by James Welch, a Piegan writer. It's fiction, but a good account of what was happening to the Piegan and Blackfeet at the end of the 19th century. Photoshop the ChiefCheck out the Fark Photoshop contest for this image. (The Gallery, Bizarre, D.C., Farked, Native Americans, Natl Photo)
Texanna Loomis: 1921
December 31, 1921. "Miss Texanna Loomis." Mary Texanna Loomis, founder and proprietor of the Loomis Radio School in Washington, D.C. National Photo Company Collection glass negative, Library of Congress. View full size. Love her boots! ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/11/2011 - 8:06pm -

December 31, 1921. "Miss Texanna Loomis." Mary Texanna Loomis, founder and proprietor of the Loomis Radio School in Washington, D.C. National Photo Company Collection glass negative, Library of Congress. View full size. Love her boots!Talk about narrow feet! TexannaShe's clearly a confident gal who is passionate about her work. But, oh my golly, those shoes. Before the popularity of tennis shoes as everyday wear, we certainly were a nation of sore feet. Extant Woman "Boss"Washington Post, March 15, 1931 Mary Loomis "Bosses" Air Students to High Success Cousin of Dr. Loomis Has Varied Arts; Master of Etheric Science Among the folks in history count Miss Mary Texanna Loomis, the only extant woman "boss" of a radio college for men. Miss Loomis, who is a regular octopus when it comes to having embraced different lines of activity, is the proprietor and founder of a well-known radio school. She is a cousin of Dr. Mahon Loomis, who is said to have obtained a patent on a device for sending messages without wires in 1872, some years before Marconi first announced his discoveries. Many men successful in the varied fields of the radio industry got their first tutelage at the hands of Miss Loomis and she has high hopes for members of recent classes that graduated from her school. A textbook, "Radio Theory and Operating," now in its fifth edition, is one of Miss Loomis' proudest accomplishments. The work is in use in many schools, both government and private, all over the country. Intense in all her pursuits, Miss Loomis had sports as her first interests in youth –- strenuous ones such as swimming, skating, horseback riding. Later she took a course in voice culture and became a talented soprano. Succeeding this she went to an art school and became adept at sketching. In swimming, particularly, she gained much note, and though she must be nearing middle age, her figure today has the lithe lines of the expert swimmer. Born in Texas -– her middle name is taken from the State of her birth –- she later moved with her family to Rochester, N.Y., and there she received her early education. Not until the stirring early days of the war, when she was doing Red Cross work, did Miss Loomis get the radio "bug." From then on she devoted herself, body and soul, to learning all she could about this fascinating new wrinkle, and her judgment in selecting that field has been vindicated by the enormous development that method of communication has gone through in the last decade. In 1919 the Department of Commerce issued a commercial radio operator's license to Miss Loomis, and this marked her first triumph in her chosen field. A year later she opened her school. Since then, she has turned out hundreds of men of all ages who have helped to meet the industry's demand for men trained in all its varied branches. As a child she demonstrated a precocious skill with tools and quite often today she is seen with wrench and pliers working over the intricate machinery of Station WYRA, which is the official station of the school which bears Miss Loomis' name. Although much of her time is taken up with the executive matters of her school, she is frequently to be found in the laboratory making experiments with the elusive spark. Administrative matters have usurped much of the time of the dynamic tutor of recent years, and this factor has forced her to abandon lecture work at her school. This fact she regrets very much, for she took a keen interest in vocally expounding her knowledge of the radio art. Sensible shoesWell, in all fairness to Ms. Loomis, this is long before "sensible shoes" became a euphemism, and decades before the word "lifestyle" entered the OED. At least she didn't fuss with shoe buttons. Nonetheless, she seems like a woman who was quite comfortable with the life she led. Perhaps her school was "men only" because she didn't need the distractions. Spark gap? or?Is that some sort of spark gap transmitter for morse to her left? or? The two electric motors imply rotation -- perhaps it is a higher frequency "anderson alternator" than the one shown in wikipedia? 73 de KG6HAF VanityThat is a powder compact, isn't it? If so, I love that she's touching up her face while wearing stained overalls. Attention to beauty rituals mixed with mechanical competence -- my kind of gal! Fuente de alimentación.No exactamente. Se trata de un convertidor AC-DC. Una fuente de alimentación de voltaje variable para utilizar en el banco de pruebas. GreaseWho knew you could get your coveralls so greasy working on radios? [Those splotches are mostly the emulsion going bad. - Dave] Thanks for the information. You have to admit though that to someone who doesn't know about the state of the source material they do look like grease stains. [They certainly do. Although if you look really close you can see they don't stop where the overalls do. - Dave] Mary Loomis, 1880-1960It seems she lived to the ripe old age of 80. http://us.share.geocities.com/w8jyz/3ya.pdf The times (and the Post), they are a-changin'I loved this bit of the Washington Post article: ... though she must be nearing middle age, her figure today has the lithe lines of the expert swimmer. I doubt you'd see that in the Post today; the first part because we are no longer sensitive about publicizing a lady's age, and the second because we have become sensitive about describing a woman's figure. Funny how times change. These Boots Were Made for Teachin'Those shoes look to me as if they were 20 years out of style in 1921. Let's face it--Ms Loomis was not a typical lady of the day and old-fashioned shoes might have been as much part of her choosen self-presentation as overalls, heavy sweater, and powder on a face otherwise innocent of makeup. Motor-GeneratorThe unit could also be a AC motor driving a DC generator. The vacuum tubes would require a higher amperage than was available from a transformer circuit for same size. As I look at the unit with the step points, rheostats and meters it looks like a 1920's variable power supply. Filament voltageMotor-generators (a AC motor driving a DC generator) were used to power the filaments of the tubes but the amperage wasn't the issue -- it was the fact that in those days the filament was used as the cathode and if AC current was used to heat them it would induce hum in the signal. This is also why early home radios used batteries despite the availability of electricity (which was usually AC by the 1920s). In the early 1930s they developed indirect heated cathodes where the filament was not a part of the signal circuit and it was then possible to power the filament from alternating current (through a transformer), eliminating the need for direct current from generators or batteries. Transmitters also used motor-generators for the plate voltage supply until mercury vapor rectifiers were developed. [You took the words right out of my mouth! - Dave] Introduction of indirectly-heated cathodesDevelopment of a tube using an indirectly-heated cathode (for AC power) began in September of 1926. Westinghouse submitted working samples of their UX226 two months later. Commercial production began in early 1927, and the tube was announced for sale in November of that year. (Tyne pg. 319) Ref: Tyne, Gerald F. Saga of the Vacuum Tube ISBN 0-672-21471-7 (hard), 0-672-21470-9 (soft) Fark FodderFarked again. Radio Education: $3.50Google has recently collaborated with Popular Science and Popular Mechanics to publish their magazine archives on the global network of tubes. Here's a 1927 ad from Mary Loomis' radio empire. Money Making Opportunities Press and public concede it to be the best ever produced. "Radio Theory and Operating" by Mary Texanna Loomis, member Institute of Radio Engineers, lecturer on radio, Loomis Radio College. Thorough text and reference book. 886 pages, 700 illustrations, price $3.50, postage paid. Used by Radio Schools, Technical Colleges, Universities, Dept. of Commerce, Gov't Schools and Engineers. At bookdealers, or sent on receipt check or money order. Loomis Publishing Company, Dept E, 405 9th St., Washington D.C. Advertisement: Popular Science Monthly, Nov 1927 Great-Aunt MaryShe is my great-aunt. Her sister Helen Loomis Wise was my mother's mother. More on the Loomis FamilyYou can learn about the Loomis family in America at our website www.loomis-family.org and we would like to hear from any of our extended family members who would like to connect with their family heritage. (The Gallery, D.C., Education, Schools, Farked, Natl Photo)
Now Hear This: 1937
June 9, 1937. Washington, D.C. "Congressional hog caller. The Capitol Plaza reverberated with sounds of the barnyard today as Rep. Robert L. Mouton of Louisiana went into serious training for his coming hog-calling contest with Rep. Otha D. Wearin ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/26/2012 - 11:45am -

June 9, 1937. Washington, D.C. "Congressional hog caller. The Capitol Plaza reverberated with sounds of the barnyard today as Rep. Robert L. Mouton of Louisiana went into serious training for his coming hog-calling contest with Rep. Otha D. Wearin of Iowa. The contest, which will take place on the Capitol steps sometime in the near future, is the result of an argument between the two solons as to the abilities of the hog-yodelers from the respective states. Judging from his demonstration today, the cameraman is willing right now to place the mantle of champion on Rep. Mouton." Harris & Ewing glass negative. View full size. Sheep shotAs a hog-calling expert, it is funny to think that the very name of Rep. Robert L. Mouton of Louisiana actually means "sheep" in French. Eh, La Bas! Washington Post, Jun 13, 1937 Congress' Rival Hog-Callers Charged With Dodging Issue. By Sidney Olson. A sinister rumor is rife in the halls of Congress that the two hog-calling artists of the House are dodging a showdown. Representative Robert Mouton, of Louisiana, exponent of the Bayou Bawl, and Representative Otha D. Wearin, of Iowa, producer of the Prairie Shout, have been avoiding the direct issue of face-to-face contest, the cynics say. While each is willing to strut his stuff separately, neither has emitted a time-and-place challenge. Already the whisper is heard in the cloakrooms: "Wearin and Mouton are phonies! Neither one could call a hog across the street, even with corn-cobs hidden in their pockets." Papers Demand Truth. Sneers are observed in the faces of some members when the subject is mentioned. Others, holding the honor of the House is at stake, have begged that the matter be dropped. Newspapers, however, probing the truth, continue to insist on the showdown. Wearin and Mouton, at the invitation of the National Broadcasting Co., displayed their wares on the Capitol Plaza yesterday for the delectation of a crowd of tourists and the radio audience. Mouton, whose opened mouth resembles a gaping satchel, has a warm, alluring bellow which must be highly attractive to any sensitive hog. His old Cajun cry, "Eh, la bas!" (Hey, you down there!) rings forth in a rich vibrato that flutters the ear-drums of everyone in a two-block radius. Mouton Makes Bet. Wearin, of slight, almost fragile build, bespectacled and studious in appearance, has unexpected physical reserves, with a window-rattling roar that makes his whole frame shimmy while he produces it. He begins with a low, seductive repetition of "piggy, piggy," shifts rapidly into second for a tremendous hoot and then swings into his final smashing blast, a call which his backers claim can start up a medium-sized dust storm on the spot. He closes with a soft "Coo-ee," which is supposed to keep the pigs, who have responded to his thrilling barytone from climbing up his leg. Mouton has bet two pigs that he can out-clamor Wearin. Wearin says his only present worry is where to put the to pigs he wins. But still no time has been set for the colossal conflict. People are beginning to talk. Washington Post, Jun 17, 1937 Rep. Wearin Wins Hog-Calling Contest But Pigs Disappear. Representative Otha Wearin, of Iowa, exponent of the "S-oo-o-ie," hog call of the Corn Belt, laid claim last night to two pigs, whereabouts undetermined. The pigs were the State of Louisiana's bet that the Cajun dawn greeting call of "Eh, la bas!" had the hog call licked for carrying power and tonal quality. Wearin pressed his claim for the pigs after Representative Bob Mouton, official Louisiana representative in the scheduled contest, suddenly announced he had withdrawn. Calling this a "victory by default," Wearin said that he was "willing to let it go at that, as long as Louisiana acknowledges the superiority of Iowa hollerin'." Then Wearin learned the pigs were missing. Wearin said Mouton kept them in his office for several days, but a clerk there denied any knowledge of their whereabouts. As said to Marge Simpson"I know you don't think you're good enough for me, but believe me, you are. Hell, I've done it with pigs ... real no-foolin' pigs." IronicallyThe Congressional Representative's name, Mouton, means "Sheep" in French. Ah, what memories "hog calling" conjures up. When we we kids when we went shopping (or practically any place else for that matter) with my Dad, when he was ready to leave and we weren't to be seen would holler "HELLIONS!!!". We knew we'd better get there quick before he started yelling "SOOIE, SOOIE, SOOIE!!!!", a-la a hog-caller. It was all in fun but SO embarrassing! I suppose it could have been worse if Monsieur Mouton had been our Dad. On the spotJason Powell devotes his blog to locating spots seen in old photos (many of them familiar to Shorpyists), and photographing the photo against the contemporary backdrop. Here is Rep. Mouton, in situ: http://jasonepowell.com/?p=145 Uh huhAnd they haven't been able to get the hogs out of congress ever since. HearteningIt is heartening that American politicians - then as now - had a laser like focus on the vital issues of the day. Wearin outCongressman Wearin's loss in this contest began a streak that ultimately returned him to Hastings, Iowa. After three wins in a historically Republican district, Wearin was talked into challenging an incumbent Democratic senator, Guy Gillette, in the 1938 primary by New Dealers who viewed Gillette as too independent of Roosevelt. WPA Administrator Harry Hopkins' endorsement for Wearin backfired; Gillette beat Wearin handily, and someone else claimed the nomination for Wearin's house seat. He then lost two more U.S. Senate primaries and one for the Iowa Senate, before he found something to which he could win election - the Cowboy Hall of Fame. Mr. Smith Goes To WashingtonI wonder if this image was the inspiration for this scene from Mr. Smith Goes to Washington: It seems to meCan't fool us today. This guy is auditioning for the Lion in the Wizard of Oz movie, coming out in two years. Somebody has to say itPork. It's called pork, and for a reason. Hog CallingMy understanding is that this was the kind of thing we lost with the coming of television. Best Background Yet!He's almost life sized on my screen. Representative Mouton will keep everyone away from the computer. Fark! Hark!Farked again! (The Gallery, D.C., Farked, Harris + Ewing)
The Experiment: 1923
Washington, D.C., circa 1923. "Woman scientist." National Photo Company Collection glass negative, Library of Congress. View full size. Caution! What a dangerous combo! (The heels and stepstool, I mean.) On today's installment ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/07/2012 - 2:43pm -

Washington, D.C., circa 1923. "Woman scientist." National Photo Company Collection glass negative, Library of Congress. View full size. Caution!What a dangerous combo! (The heels and stepstool, I mean.) On today's installment of "Natural Anomaly"......we have a truly rare sighting for you: the elusive Homoscientistus brachiadulcis feminilis, in layperson's terms, the "Woman Scientist." Note that despite many years of oppression, this particular specimen has evolved, developing a hardened exoskeleton of self-confidence and such finely-tuned adaptive skills as stepstool-toting, saggy-stocking wearing and evil-eye glaring. What bears greatest notice with regard to these adaptive skills is that they were developed with a speed previously unheard of relative to the normal rate of biological evolution. It is now believed that such rapidity was necessary to prevent immediate threats to the specimen's survival such as: 1) an environment rife with objects of exaggerated height, 2) a practice common among the socially awkward males of the genus Homoscientistus known as exposed ankle ogling, and 3) a phenomenon even more common to the male, even more offensive to the female, scientifically known as ocularis up-and-downis (commonly, "elevator eyes"). When the male's examination finally reaches the face of brachiadulcis feminilis, the practice of evil-eye glaring acts as an instant rebuff to the offender. Only time will tell if this rare breed will survive, though with such an uncanny rate of adaptability, the future looks bright for "Woman Scientist." Thank you for joining us today on "Natural Anomaly." ***"Natural Anomaly" is brought to you by Ironic Picture Caption Commentary Productions, by generous contributions from Dave, and from viewers like you. Thank you. Not a Step!Obviously before this caution was put on ladders. Love the pose!She looks like a conquistador claiming the land of Science. RowrShe reminds me of the fiancee Katharine Hepburn saves Cary Grant from in "Bringing Up Baby." Very stylish.Lab workers have certainly learned to dress down over the decades. Dr. Joan HathawayThis is, of course, a rare photo of Dr. Joan Hathaway, whose younger sister Jane went on to fame as the secretary of Milburn Drysdale, president of the Commerce Bank of Beverly Hills. Miss JaneMy wife wondered what I was laughing at. T.U.M., your comment re Jane Hathaway is a winner. LOL! Thanks!! [Believe it or not, my dad was friends with Miss Jane (Nancy Kulp) back in the 1940s. - Dave] FarkeryFarked again: http://forums.fark.com/cgi/fark/comments.pl?IDLink=4067558 Mother (of all) FarkersI am not too knowledgeable about the Fark thing. All I know is that when there is a link to a Shorpy picture there is a wonderful gift awaiting. The variety of Farked alternate lives for this woman is staggeringly funny. Is it possible to include a menued link to all Farked Shorpys? (I'm an ole feller and glad to have lived long enough to reference "Farked Shorpys" and have it actually mean something interesting). [You can find them by using our Search box. - Dave] (The Gallery, D.C., Farked, Natl Photo)
Supertramp: 1915
"Untitled circa 1910-1917." Who is this boho hobo -- a tramp with a literary bent who did well in track and field? We do know that he's standing outside Bryan's Lunch Room (George F. Bryan, proprietor) at 101 B Street S.E. in Washington. Something ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/23/2012 - 3:29pm -

"Untitled circa 1910-1917." Who is this boho hobo -- a tramp with a literary bent who did well in track and field? We do know that he's standing outside Bryan's Lunch Room (George F. Bryan, proprietor) at 101 B Street S.E. in Washington. Something else we know: Bryan's had a duckpin bowling team in the Capitol Hill league. Harris & Ewing Collection glass negative. View full size. Mystery Tramp or Napoleon in Rags?I'll bet once upon a time he dressed so fine and threw the bums a dime in his prime... SimilarityReminds me a lot of Liam Neeson. Distant cousin maybe? First pictured use of FlairWhat you see here is the first example of a store cashier being forced to "wear flair." Since he has more than 13 pieces, he will be fine. Just chillinHere we see an early example of what we today call "indie," or in real world terms, "poor but telling the world to flicker off." Prominent indie historians cite this photo to be one of the earliest uses of pack buttons in a prominent fashion. Note the stylish mustache, proving that trends are indeed cyclical, as the above lip display comes in and out of fashion every few years of late. The sweater is a wonderful example of early grandpaism, where hand-me-downs become central items in one's wardrobe. However, the ill-fitting and wrinkled pants do not fit convention, being too baggy for ironic office attire, and too tight to be "I didn't change out of my pajamas." Indie historians urge the outside community to take part in the search for the identity of this true pioneer of fashion and lifestyle. Dire StraitsWe can tell this poor soul has seen better days, and so has the sole of his left shoe. I hope his life improved. Excellent One!...from Mr. Zimmerman. On the RoadJohn Kerouac, Sr. Cap Hill locationIf I'm not mistaken, this would be about where the Madison Building of the Library of Congress now stands (opened 1980), on what is now known as Independence Avenue. This we knowHe purchased his clothes by the pound and collected medals, of which he was very proud. Looks Like ...Kurt Russell in "Tombstone." Eb W.Ebenezer Wahlberg, Mark's great grand-pappy. Pride in one's selfWhat this picture shows us is absolute class. Something even a fancy new pair of shoes won't buy ya. FarkeeMy 15 minutes of Fark. Welcome back KotterGabe Kaplan 1970? Just before he made it big. (The Gallery, D.C., Farked, Harris + Ewing, Portraits)
IM Me: 1924
"Howard M. Gore. February 26, 1924." Mr. G, secretary of agriculture in the Coolidge administration, was later governor of West Virginia. And evidently kind of a geek. View full size. National Photo Company Collection glass negative. H.M. ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/23/2012 - 10:51am -

"Howard M. Gore. February 26, 1924." Mr. G, secretary of agriculture in the Coolidge administration, was later governor of West Virginia. And evidently kind of a geek. View full size. National Photo Company Collection glass negative. H.M. GoreA geek with deep pockets, I'd say. All that stuff couldn't have been cheap. The set he's plugged into appears to have three empty tube sockets at the top. Cool aerial, though. [Those would be government radios. The deep pockets are yours. - Dave] RadiosThe sockets at the top of the set are for coils that let the radio tune different wavebands. Herbert Hoover was Coolidge's Secretary of Commerce and he was instrumental in setting up the Federal Radio Commission (forerunner to the FCC) in 1927. HighwaymanH.M. Gore's Agricultural Department was also instrumental in helping to create another web: the US numbered highway system. Geek indeed. http://wwwcf.fhwa.dot.gov/infrastructure/numbers.htm Any chance...he's related to Al? Could be titled "An Inconvenient Double Chin". Deforest D-7A RadioThe large radio displayed by Mr. Gore is a Deforest D-7A. The shelves are full of various models of Paragon radios, notably several single-tube RD5 models manufactured by the Adams Morgan Company (no connection to Adams Morgan , a trendy D.C. neighborhood.). Information HighwaymanI believe this is one of Al Gore's predecessors working on a prototype of the Internet... I know, but I couldn't resist. Wanted: More Such Geeks! I would point out that radio was "the Internet" in 1924. How many politicos today could claim comparable familiarity with the technology we rely on in the 21st century? According to the West Virginia State archives, "As governor, Gore improved the state's agricultural programs and acted on requests from rural areas for reforms in handling state funds. Through a bipartisan commission, he was able to disburse more tax money to counties and municipalities. In addition, his support of road construction earned Gore the nickname 'road building governor.' " Eighty-four years after this picture was taken, couldn't we use more technologically savvy, infrastructure-aware leaders? To the Bat-Radio Receiving Set!I couldn't help but think of the old Batman series, and Batman's obsessive compulsion to label everything in his lair with giant signs. Office Furniture: Doing Its PartOK, all that radio equipment is cool, but it's literally being supported by the office furniture, the same kind of modular units seen in the Office Girls: 1925 photo and commented on there in my... er... comment. Here on the left we have a two-door cabinet with a top, and on the right, an assembly consisting of a wide-drawer unit (suitable for large maps or charts) over a glass-door shelf compartment. The versatility of this system derives from its uniformity of design and user-configurability, providing a wide variety of filing and storage solutions to accommodate the latest and most advanced requirements in both the private and public sectors. Office furniture: it's not just for holding your blotters anymore. Farkagehttp://forums.fark.com/cgi/fark/comments.pl?IDLink=3772353 The holesThe holes at the top of the front panel are not empty tube sockets nor are they for coils for other wavebands. In 1924, the shortwave bands were not exploited yet commercially so no other coils were needed, and in fact this set used a large diamond-shaped loop antenna for its main tuning coil. The holes are for observing the brightness of the filaments of the tubes inside the case. The filaments had to be illuminated just the right amount, not too much, and this was adjustable by a rheostat on the front panel. You can barely see the glass of a tube in at least one of the holes. Radios identifiedAs was said before the radio with the loop antenna is a deForest D-7A and the three holes are tube viewing holes. The small center knob is the crystal detector adjustment knob. On the first shelf above the deforest is a Adams Morgan Paragon RD-5 and matching A-2 two stage amplifier. The next shelf up sports a Tuska dual panel 225 which was a 224 receiver and a 226 two stage amp in one cabinet. To the right of the Tuska is a Crosley X. THe next shelp up has a Crosley VI surrounded by what appear to be RCA Aeriola sets based on the closed boxes. Probably an Aeriola Senior, an Aeriola Junior and a Aeriola two stage amp. These sets all used the same box so it is hard to tell what is inside. Cheers, Alan Yeah, but can it sayDrrrrrroid. (Technology, The Gallery, Farked, Natl Photo)
Radio-Vitant: 1920
"Walter Reed physiotherapy story." 1920 or 1921. Burdick Cabinet "Radio-Vitant ray" therapy. View full size. National Photo Company Collection glass negative. And Your Little Dog, Too I feel almost like this could be an outtake from "Th ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/21/2012 - 2:25pm -

"Walter Reed physiotherapy story." 1920 or 1921. Burdick Cabinet "Radio-Vitant ray" therapy. View full size. National Photo Company Collection glass negative. And Your Little Dog, TooI feel almost like this could be an outtake from "The Wizard of Oz." Deeply disturbing! Beam Me UpThe caption says Walter Reed, but this looks like a scene from "The Invisible Ray" now playing at the Leader Theater. The four dials must be for Low, Medium, High and Shermanize. Essential RaysAccording to Enoch Mather, M.S., M.D., of Mount Clemens, Mich., in the March 1916 edition of National Eclectic Medical Association Quarterly, "Thus we see that people who are unable, due to their vocations of life, to receive the requisite amount of sunlight, must therefore resort to artificial means of obtaining these essential rays of light. We thus find our hospitals and sanitariums of today equipped with great outlays of various lights. In my own practice I have found light therapy an interesting study and of great benefit in my practice. I have a room on each floor of my sanitarium equipped with various lights, among which are the actinic rays, radio-vitant rays, deep-therapy lamp, ultra-violet rays, the solar therapeutic arc lamp, and others, besides mechano-therapeutic apparatus such as the electric vibrator, high frequency current, static machine, the therapeutic traction couch, etc." Light-Bath CabinetsSome info on the Burdick Cabinet Company in Mr. Burdick's obit here. Mr. Burdick was a pioneer in the field of light therapy and electrical current as adapted to therapeutic uses. He had a conviction that light therapy was the natural way of relieving pain and suffering and spent the greater part of his life proving this theory to be correct. The company, which operated under the name of Burdick Cabinet company until 1921, started by building a light bath cabinet. Various items were added until at the present time the corporation produces a complete line of physical medical equipment. The name was changed to the Burdick Physio-Clinic corporation for a short time and in 1926 became the Burdick Corporation. Clever of themto place little windows next to a thermometer in the cabinets so that you could tell if they were done to a nice golden-brown or not. Floating handDid anyone else notice the floating hands at the right-most box? And of course, the crutches to the left? Shrunken HeadsOne way or another. Moe, Larry, & CurlyNow I know where the Three Stooges got their ideas. re: re: Beam Me UpDrat! the peril (I almost said perils) of Monomania! re: Beam Me UpI remember encountering the term Shermanize on an old menu in Atlanta circa 1962. I have traced the term as far back as a poem by L. (Lucy) Virginia French, published in The Southern Poems of the War, Collected and Arranged by Miss Emily V. Mason, John Murphy & Co., Baltimore, 1867. It seems Miss French was a poet and diarist of some note and, doubtless, your use of the term Shermanize was intended to call attention to this unjustly neglected daughter of old Tennessee! [In this context, "Shermanize" is coffee-brewing slang. - Dave] Farkeryhttp://forums.fark.com/cgi/fark/comments.pl?IDLink=3781159 (The Gallery, D.C., Farked, Medicine, Natl Photo)
Trade You for an iPod: 1979
It's a sobering thought that this accumulation of consumer audio gear, though approaching high-end levels but not all that esoteric for the period, may look as archaic to present-day eyes as those examples of enormous, steampunk-like telephone and ... 
 
Posted by tterrace - 06/30/2010 - 12:43am -

It's a sobering thought that this accumulation of consumer audio gear, though approaching high-end levels but not all that esoteric for the period, may look as archaic to present-day eyes as those examples of enormous, steampunk-like telephone and radio contraptions we've see here on Shorpy. Maybe if it was all black enamel rather than brushed aluminum it wouldn't look so old-hat, er, I mean retro. Of all this stuff all I have left is the turntable; a visiting friend recently took out his cell phone and snapped a photo of it in action, then emailed it to his daughter. He said she'd never seen a record playing. Lest anyone think that some form of perverse, fetishistic self-absorbtion inspired this as well as Beam Me Up, I took these photos as a status update for a fellow audio and video enthusiast friend who had moved out of state sometime previously. A Kodachrome slide which, in keeping with the theme of nostalgic technological obsolescence, was processed by Fotomat. View full size. Ripping a CD --- 1,411 kbps>> my kids laugh when I tell them they should rip/download everything at 320 kbps for best available audio quality Top Geezer, if you're ripping a CD, for best audio quality you should simply copy the native .WAV files off the disc, which is 1411 kbps. There's a setting in iTunes to let you do this. I can't let go eitherI still have most of my LPs, though I did sell all I could part with when I moved from California. Still Have my Linn Axis Turntable, My Wharfedale Diamond speakers from 1983 are barely broken in, but my NAD receiver bit the dust just last week. All this is up in the library along with my Nikon FE and my Rolleicord Twin-lens reflex. I think I'll go cry now. Jewel case #1When did you get your first CD player, and what was the first CD you ever bought? What did you think. tterrace: An Audio OdysseySome curiosity has been expressed, so here goes: I got into reel tapes because of what I hated about LPs, primarily tracking-induced distortion, particularly inner-groove toward the disc center, the grab-bag aspect of pressing quality, and of course the ticks, pops and inexorable deterioration. I got out of reel tapes because of what I hated about them: hiss and inconvenience. Hiss* was mostly taken care of by Dolby encoding, but that came during the format's final death throes and then new releases totally dried up with the advent of the CD. My first was in 1985, and I have to say I haven't missed in the slightest all the things I hated about tapes and vinyl. Tapes all went when I moved into a place too small to house them. LPs lingered because I missed the window of disposal opportunity when they still had some value, plus I was lazy. What I've kept have either nostalgia value - what was around the house when I was a kid, and some of my own first purchases c.1962 - or things not yet on CD, plus the aforementioned quads. I have to admit that I retain a certain fondness for the ritualistic aspects of playing physical media, but were it not for inertia - physical as well as mental, both undoubtedly age-related - I'd probably jump whole hog into hard disc storage, computer-controlled access and data-stream acquisition. And I'm not totally ruling out the possibility of getting there yet. *Desire to suppress tape his was the main reason I chose the Phase Linear 4000 preamp with its auto-correlator noise reduction circuitry. It kind of worked, but not transparently; I could hear the hiss pumping in and out. But it also had an SQ quad decoder that I eventually took advantage of when it was discovered that the audio tracks of some recent films on laserdisc and videocassette carried, unbilled, Dolby Stereo matrix surround encoding. By adding another small amp and two more speakers in back I amazed friends with Star Wars and Raiders of the Lost Ark in surround sound well before it became a home theater mainstay. BTW: my advice is to use the Apple Lossless Encoder when importing to iTunes if you want maximum quality. Like FLAC, it's a non-lossy compression scheme, so there's no quality difference vs. the CD original, and you use less hard disc space. The past is the future which is nowHa! I still have my Pioneer PL-400 turntable, the same one I've been spinning on for the past 30+ years. Would love to have a tube amp, but honestly I can't beat the convenience of my early 90s Sony digital receiver. Eight functions/inputs, of which I use seven. To wit: phono [for the PL-400]; AM-FM tuner [built-in]; CD [Kenwood CD player - I don't even use it anymore]; DAT [Tascam TC-222 - has in/out so I can burn directly from vinyl to CD - and what I use to play CDs]; cassette tape [again, Tascam TC-222], video 1 [Sony DVD/SACD player - US region only]; video 2 [cheapo all-region DVD player]; and video three [MacBook or iPod]. My dad was an engineer for Motorola, and a ham radio and audio geek so I come by it honestly [thanks, Dad!] What I would give to have the reel-to-reel deck from our old living room! My kids are mp3 only, they think me a dinosaur, and laugh when I tell them they should rip/download everything at 320 kbps for best available audio quality. "It doesn't matter!" they say. I've worked in the independent record biz for 25+ years, and yes, it DOES matter. And only a house full of vinyl to show for it. The weirdest thing to me is the cassette revival these days. And some are doing it right, producing beautiful sounding reel-to-reel cassettes - metal reels, chrome tape, screwed plastic shells. Anyhow....not bragging or anything, just wanted to share. What a great photo and post! Thank you! Re: RippageThanx, Anonymous Tipster. I've looked in the preferences on my MacBook and found the import settings for WAV files, but I'm stalled there. What next? Also, the whole system comes out through Bose 2.2 monitors set into the corners of my plaster-walled living room. Turns the whole thing into one giant speakerbox. My friends are always amazed at how the vinyl sounds, esp live recordings. Once again, thanx to Dad. He gave me the monitors for my 25th birthday many, many years ago. How I miss him. [Anonymous Tipster notes that this is a setting in iTunes. So open iTunes. Preferences > General > Import Settings. Choose "Import using WAV Encoder." - Dave] My roommate had the "good stuff"We still listen to my Pioneer SX-780 receiver and my wife's Yamaha CR-420 receiver (both mid-70s) every day... mostly to NPR radio. The Pioneer also has my HDTV audio running through it in the living room. (I'm too broke for surround-sound, yet.) And with the help of an Apple Airport next to the computer in the other room and an Airport Extreme next to the Pioneer, we can stream our iTunes library all over the house. I can't argue with the true audiophiles here... the highest fidelity is lost on me these days (I'm wearing hearing aids, now). But ya can't beat the convenience factor of iTunes and a classic iPod for the sheer volume of songs you can have at your immediate access, not to mention building playlists or randomizing them--and it's all portable! But back to the past... As for turntable cartridges, my old roommate and I were always partial to the Stanton 681-EEE. We used those at the album-rock radio station where I DJ'ed (1975-78); they were practically industry-standard. They would set you back a couple of bucks, and maybe they were better than the turntable we had them in at home. But they made everything sound really great. It was my roommate, though, who had the Good Stuff. Top-of-the-line Pioneer gear, separate amp and tuner and a Teac 3340S R2R that used 10-inch reels. My tape deck was one of those unusual, slant-faced Sony TC-377 decks. Between the radio station and my roommate and all my friends "in the biz", I always had access to really great gear. Sadly, it usually wasn't mine. But I still have a ton of vinyl. Gimme that Old (High) School AudioYou know what I really, really, really miss about old-school electronic gear? Functions that had dedicated control switches or knobs, rather than being buried down several layers within one of an array of menus. Also, instantaneous response to switching or adjustments rather than digitalus interruptus, now made worse by HDMI wait-for-a-handshake. Dave: you are my hero. Very nice!I come from a long line of audiophiles, so even though I was only born in 1974, that all looks very familiar. Our setup was very similar, but we also had an 8-track. My current stereo setup has a fine-quality Dual record player I inherited from my grandfather. Just this morning, my 6-year-old daughter did a convincing boogie to the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack. She will totally grow up knowing the sound you hear when the needle first hits the vinyl, what we call the "crisp." And I have to agree with an earlier poster -- that totally looks like a modern photograph. How strange! StyliShure V15 Type V replacement stylus (Swiss) on eBay. [A few years ago I went to the local Circuit City (remember those?) and said I needed a new needle for my record player. The kid gave me a look like I'd asked where they kept the Victrola cranks. Finally the manager found one "in back." - Dave] MagnavoxWe were Magnavox Dealers for many years. They had one great feature, they were price-fixed. It was one of the few lines we carried that allowed us a full markup. Magnavox didn't have to police the sales pricing, we dealers ratted each other out if they were discounting. Now Magnavox is just another has-been brand (like Bell & Howell, Westinghouse or Sylvania) that can be licensed to put on any product. It shows up every once in a while on a promotional brand LCD TV or compact stereo system. Incidentally, tterrace, too bad you didn't live in Manhattan, you would have been one hell of a good customer. Love this stuffI started collecting vinyl in the mid to late 90s. It never really went away but now it's really picked up. There is hardly a major label release that isn't offered on vinyl. They are also reissuing classics as fast as the presses can make them. I bought my neighbor a turntable last year. He's now a more avid collector than I am. The real trick is keeping the vinyl clean at all times. I made a vacuum cleaning machine out of an old turntable. It does a fantastic job reviving dirty records. After they are cleaned, I slide them into a new anti-static inner sleeve. I use an anti-static brush to remove dust before each play. That removes a huge amount of surface noise. Cleaning the stylus is also important. To me, it's hard to beat the magic of a vacuum tube amplifier. I built my stereo amp from a kit about 9 years ago. You can build almost anything yourself with the kits being offered today. I build copies of classic vacuum tube guitar amps as well. I basically supply friends in local bands with free amps since I don't play guitar. It's a great hobby and soldering is a useful skill. There is just something about vinyl and do-it-yourself audio that gets you involved with the music. It makes it so much more personal. Those were the daysI used to have some stuff like that, and JBL L-100 speakers. Nowadays all that sound is still around, just smaller and in the car instead of the living room. Age vs. DolbyI don't have to worry about Dolby hiss anymore because my tinnitus is bad enough to where I hear the hiss in a silent room. I never went through a proper audiophile period mostly because I didn't have the money, but also because I never had a place where I could really put it to use until it was a bit too late. I still have my turntable but, like everyone else's, it needs a new cartridge; and the place where the stereo sits now has way too springy a floor (you can skip a CD by treading too heavily, much less an LP). These days the stereo spends most of its time being the sound system for the DVD player. My father went through his audiophile period in the fifties, and for a long time his system consisted of a tube amp whose provenance I do not recall, a massive transcription turntable and tone arm, and a home-built Altec cabinet with a 36 in. speaker (it was the '50s-- what's a crossover?). The speaker magnet weighed something like twenty pounds; the whole thing was the size of an end table. His hearing has gotten much worse than mine so he has been spared further temptation. Weird but trueAddendum - my PL-400 has two speeds - 45 and 33. What do you get when you add them together? 78. If I hold the speed button halfway down between 45 and 33, it spins at 78 rpm! I use a C-clamp to hold the button between the two and spin my 78s and have burned many of them to CD to rip into my MacBook. My 78s are now portable on my iPod. How cool is that? Phase Linear and Infinity Mon IIasBack in the mid seventies I was a service teck at a HI FI shop, We were dealers for PL and Infinity. PL was the first high-power company out there. I fixed lots of 400s (200s 200b 700s and Series 2, too). The larger Infinity speakers needed lots of power to drive. The 400 was up to it, but the crossovers in the Infinitys were very hard on the amps. The PL "turn-on thump" wasn't very compatible with the speakers. The auto-correlator in the preamp took away lots of hiss and noise, but also took away the soundstage. Plenty of tricks out there to "sweeten" up the sound of the 400, but not too many lived long enough. ELO ("Lucky Man") and Supertramp ("Crime of the Century") helped us sell lots of PL and Infinitys! I still own a pair of Mon IIas, have a few friends that still have theirs. Mon Jrs too! On another note, it was common to find audio nuts who were also camera crazy! Never seen a record playing??Tterrace, I hope your friend's daughter catches up with the times. Vinyl is in style again. Just today I went shopping with some friends and we bought a total of 35 LPs. It's smelling mighty technical in hereWAV? On a Mac? Phf. (AIFF is the native uncompressed format on Mac.) If you don't have space concerns, use Apple Lossless format, which is about half the size of AIFF or WAV. But really, 320 mp3 or AAC should be more than good enough for kids listening on an iPod. Considering how all the pop stuff these days (if that's what they're into) is so compressed (aurally, not bitwise) and saturated, it already sounds bad on the CD, so why waste the space ripping it at a high bit rate? [Lots of us (yours truly among them) are moving their CD collections onto hard drives or dedicated music servers. The .wav format has several advantages. - Dave] The most common WAV format contains uncompressed audio in the linear pulse code modulation (LPCM) format. The standard audio file format for CDs is LPCM-encoded, containing two channels of 44,100 samples per second, 16 bits per sample. Since LPCM uses an uncompressed storage method which keeps all the samples of an audio track, professional users or audio experts may use the WAV format for maximum audio quality. WAV audio can also be edited and manipulated with relative ease using software. AIFF is also PCM in its uncompressed forms. And since "top geezer" specifically mentioned he's using a Mac, it only makes sense to use a format that was made for and will work better on a Mac. That'd be AIFF or Apple Lossless if he wants something without the [possible] audible colorings of mp3, AAC, or compressed WAV. Zero historyI recently finished reading the galley of the new William Gibson book, "Zero History." As with several of his earlier books (and about half of Pixar's films), it concerns itself with the relationship between humans and the things we create. We make clothes and stereos and computers, but then we define ourselves by these things as well, so which is really central -- us, or our things? Zero History raised an interesting point about patina, in that some things become more valuable if they show signs of use and others are more valuable if they are mint in box. A stereo system, I think, would fall into the latter category. Anyway, that's an eye-catching setup. Thanks as always for sharing. Questions, questionsRetro-audiophile lust! 1. Brands and model numbers please. 2. Where's your Elcaset deck? Ray GunI also have a nifty little anti-static-electron-spewing sparky gun, pictured to the right side of your "record player". http://www.tweakshop.com/Zerostat.html I BetBet your turntable plays 78s and 16s as well as 45s and 33s. I have a cheap Garrard changer of about the same vintage that does all four... which came in rather handy when I started picking up 78s at the local Symphony's book and music sale a few years ago. Oh, OKNever had an Elcaset deck, nor 8-track. I do still have a MiniDisc deck, though. Shelf-by-shelf going down: Technics SL-1300 direct-drive turntable w/Shure V15 Type V cartridge; ZeroStat and Discwasher. Phase Linear 4000 preamp; 10-band graphic equalizer whose details escape me for the nonce. Concord outboard Dolby unit atop Pioneer RT-707 reel-to-reel tape deck. Kenwood KX-1030 cassette deck. Phase Linear 400 power amp. Not shown: Infinity Monitors with the easy-to-blow-out Walsh tweeters. Somebody tell me how to get a replacement stylus for the V15 Type V. FashionsInteresting though that you -- the clothes and hair -- would fit in just fine today. Men's clothes haven't changed much in 30 years. Sure there's newer styles, such as the stupid "falling down pants" with underwear hanging out and such, but the newer styles haven't replaced the old standbys. We tend to think of fashions of the past lasting for a long time, but if you look at any 30 year time period in the pictures on Shorpy you'll see that the fashions change drastically. All in all, the picture looks like it could have been a picture of vintage equipment taken yesterday. Living it old schoolThe system here in my studio: Pioneer RT-909 open reel (10") Pioneer RT-707 open reel (7") Pioneer PL-530 turntable Pioneer CT-F1000 cassette deck Pioneer SX-727 receiver Elac/Miracord 10-H (turntable for 78s) Tascam 106 mixer Tascam 112 cassette deck Sharp MD-R3 cd/minidisc Kenwood KR-A4040 reciever TEAC X-3 Mk II open reel (7") TEAC X-10R open reel (10") Otari MX-5050 (open reel (10") KLH Model Six speakers Infinity RS-2000 speakers iPod 60gig (first generation) Let me do some mind reading.The Fotomat you took your film to was in the parking lot of Co-op shopping center in Corte Madera. Your stereo equipment was bought at Pacific Stereo in San Rafael. Or was it that high end place down at the Strawberry Shopping Center? All very cool looking stuff. I have just broken into my old gear I bought back around 1975 at P.S. I'm currently listening to some old LPs that were my grandmother's. It's fun, and they do sound better than CDs. As far as the stylus goes, check around online. There is quite a bit of interest and information about this hobby. Reel to reelI remember when "logic" was advertised as a technological breakthrough. I'm old. Call me old schoolAll I need is a vintage Voice of Music turntable to fit in my restored 1950 Magnavox cabinet model 477P radio/record player. It never had the TV option installed so I put in an inexpensive small TV from Wally World, the cable box and wireless gear. www.tvhistory.tv/1950-Magnavox-Brochure3.JPG I have the Contemporary in mahogany. Mice had been living on the original turntable. Construction of the cabinet is first rate. Sorry for drooling into your gearI always liked those Pioneer reel-to-reel decks, but still lust for a Teac. Nice Phase Linear stuff there. That's maybe an MXR EQ? Tiny, stiff sliders with rubber "knobs"? And a slide-out shelf for the turntable? But I think the real star here is the cabinet on the right with the neato doors. Jogging the tterrace memory banksThank you sjmills, that was indeed an MXR equalizer, and exactly as you described it. I eventually connected it with mega-long cables so I could fiddle with it endlessly while sitting in my acoustic sweet spot. What's under the turntable is actually an Acousti-mount, a spring-footed platform designed to minimize low-frequency feedback from the speakers. I still use it. The outfit that made it, Netronics Research & Development, is still in business I see. The smaller cabinet at right was actually my first audio equipment cabinet; my folks got it for me c.1964. It was originally designed as a piece of bedroom furniture, and was solid wood, unlike the later composition-board larger one. And rgraham, that's where the Fotomat was, and some gear did come from Pacific Stereo in SR, but the Phase Linears were beyond them; they came from some higher-end Marin place I've forgotten about. The turntable plays only plays at 33 & 45. My online searches for replacement Shure V-15 styli usually only turn up outrageously expensive new old stock or alleged compatibles whose descriptions give me the willies. Just within the past couple months my LP collection has shrunk from around 18 down to 4 linear feet. Tape squealWow, I was born the year this was taken, and when I was growing up we had one of those cassette players on the second-from-the-bottom shelf. At least, it looks very similar to what I remember. I hated it, though, in its later years while playing tapes it would randomly emit an extremely high-pitched, screeching, squealing noise. My parents couldn't hear it so one night when my dad put in a tape and it started squealing, he didn't believe that there was any and just thought I was covering my ears and begging for it to be turned off because I hated the music, until my brother came downstairs and asked what that screeching noise was. Gonna have to show this to the husbandHe will genuflect, then get a certain far-away look in his eyes. Shelli Is that a static gun?Just bellow his right hand in the background.... a static gun for zapping away the snap-crackle-pop static before placing the vinyl record on the turntable. That WAS state of the art! High School Hi-FiI will confess to still having my high-school stereo. Akai tape deck, Pioneer amp and tuner from 1977-78. The last of which I have duplicated (triplicated? Thanks, eBay) for Shorpy headquarters. Also some Sony ES series DAT decks and CD players. Acoustic Research speakers. Squirreled away in a closet, my dad's 1961 Fisher amp and tuner (vacuum tubes). Sold on eBay: Dad's early 1960s Empire Troubadour turntable. (Regrets, I've had a few.) AnalogueryNo way would I trade old analog gear for an iPod. Any good audiophile will take vinyl or a good analog source over the compressed, squashed and mastered with no dynamics file formats that iPods handle. I'm convinced that audio (recording techniques and gear) peaked in the '70s and '80s. While we have some pretty impressive gear available in this day and age, I've got some vintage gear that sounds pretty good yet and is arguably better than some more clinical sounding stuff made today. Vinyl is back as well. Local record stores are now stocking more and more vinyl. Consumer electronic shows are full of brand new turntables and phono preamps. I would love to have that Phase Linear stuff in my audio racks! Great shot. We've come a long way.But wasn't all that stuff cool? I happen to love the before MTV days when listening to tunes was a great way to relax and reflect. I think music was better too, but then I'm showing my age! I've got that same turntable.When I dug it out of the closet a few years back and needed a tune-up, I discovered I lived just a few blocks from what may be the last store of its kind. He'll have your stylus. No website and he deals in cash only -- pretty much the same set-up for the last 60 years. J and S Phonograph Needles 1028 NE 65th St Seattle WA 98115 (206) 524-2933 His LordshipI cannot read the text, or clearly recognize the person, on whatever is located to the right of the reel to reel unit but, the person looks a little bit like Lord Buckley. Heavy Metal n Hot WaxI still have about 500 pounds of old Ampex and Marantz gear, and over a thousand vintage and new vinyl sides. Sold that stuff in the 70s and worked for a recording studio in the 80s. Always a trip to give the old tunes a spin on the old gear. With DBX decoding some of those old discs can give CDs a run for the money as far as dynamic range goes. But to say any of that sounds better than current gear is wishful thinking (remember the dreaded inside track on a vinyl LP?). Most any reasonably good, digitally sourced 5.1 setup with modern speakers will blow it away. Those were the daysThis brings back memories of dorm rooms in 1978. First thing unpacked at the beginning of the year was the stereo equipment. Last thing packed at the end of the year was the stereo equipment. Love the brushed denim jeans. I only had them in blue. Back in the DayNothing could beat the sound that jumped off the turntable the first time a brand new LP was played. Electrifying! No tuner?Ah, the days of audio purity. Am I missing the tuner, or were you a holdout for the best-quality sound, no FM need apply? Great to see that stack of equipment. I'm still using my Sony STC-7000 tuner-preamp from 1975; it doesn't have all the controls of your Phase Linear, but just handling it takes me back to the good old days. Tx for the pic! R2RI grew up in a household like this, and the reel-to-reel was my father's pride and joy. But can anyone name the recording propped up next to it? It looks like Eugene Ormandy of the Philadelphia Orchestra, except for the unbuttoned collar. Vinyl's FinalI've never been without a turntable. Currently, I have a Rega Planar 3 with a Pickering XV15-1200E cartridge. Bought my first LP in 1956 and I'm still buying new ones. My receiver/amp is a Fisher 500B, a vacuum tube gem. My speakers are highly efficient Klipsch 5.5s, which are great sounding "monkey coffins." I've a Panasonic CD player and Pioneer Cassette deck for playback of those obsolete formats. Further audio responseNext to the reel deck is the box for a London/Ampex pre-recorded tape, conductor Antal Dorati on the cover; can't remember other details. No tuner, as FM audio had too many compromises for my taste. I had a receiver in the video setup for FM simulcasts (remember them?), plus I ran the regular TV audio through it to a pair of small AR bookshelf speakers. In defense of the iPod (which I use for portable listening - Sennheiser PX-100 headphones, wonderful - and did you know Dr. Sennheiser died just last month?), it can handle uncompressed audio files just fine, plus Apple's lossless compressed format, so you're not restricted to mp3s or AAC. For what I use it for, AAC is perfectly OK, and to be honest, my ears aren't what they used to be anyway. Still, for serious listening I plop down in the living room and put on a CD or SACD, or some of my remaining vinyl. Among other LPs I saved all the matrixed Quad (SQ and QS format) which Dolby ProLogic II does a reasonable job of decoding. Finally, thanks to everybody for the hints about the Shure stylus replacements, I'll check those out. Snobs!You guys and your fancy stereos. Here's mine from back in the 70s. Tuner and speakers were Pioneer I think. No idea about the turntable. Don't ya love the rabbit ears and the cord leading to the swag lamp? And of course the whole thing sat on a "cabinet" made of bricks and boards. Is that you, Arturo?Perhaps the 7-track box cover is showing Arturo Toscanini conducting a Casual Friday concert? Never saw it comingSo the future is here already? This story is both sad and frightening. Now I can't sleep without the lights on. Two-and-a-half questions: Didn't your PL 400 get a little toasty under that shelf, pushed up against the side? Did you have LPs up on the top shelf like that in October of '89? And, if so, did they stay there? That is (was) some nice gear. I'm tearing up just a little. DoratiThe tape is a 1975 recording of Antal Dorati conducting the National Symphony Orchestra in three works by Tchaikovsky. I knew I had it on LP at one time, but I had to resort to ebay to identify it. Vinyl livesWe still have a couple hundred LPs stored carefully in the garage (don't worry, they're safe from damage!). A few years ago, we had a yard sale and had the garage open but roped off. I had one guy nearly foaming at the mouth when he saw our collection. I nearly had to physically restrain him from going in and grabbing everything! We also have an turntable that's about two years old. No, it's not top of the line, but my teenage sons LOVE the silly thing and DS#2 just bought a NEW Metallica LP! He plays the *&$%## thing when he's doing the dishes. I sound like my mom: "Turn that racket down!" The PlattersThere were around 2½ million vinyl albums sold last year in the United States, which would account for 1.3 percent of music track sales. So basically it's a novelty format, like dial telephones. IncredibleMy father had everything you have in this picture, and it brings back some incredible memories I had as a child of the 70's. 1970's Man Cave!This guy had it going on. Reel too realSold off the last of my old stereo gear (nothing too impressive) at this year's neighborhood garage sale, but I've got that same Pioneer deck sitting next to me right now. Recent craigslist purchase, necessary to digitize some of my "historic" airchecks I've been lugging around for the last 40 years. Funny, I wasn't nearly as good as I remember but it is nice to have a piece of gear I always wanted! Hi-Fi FarkAs night follows day, so Farkification follows tterrace. Not to mention j-walkblog. Love the systemReally nice system. We have seven Telefunken consoles of different sizes and styles that we really enjoy. Nothing sounds as nice as vinyl played through those 11 tubes, and the quality of a stereo that cost the price of a new VW back in 1958 is as good as you'd expect. Enjoy these "artifacts," since they (in my opinion) outperform even a new high-end Bose, Kenwood or other system. Vinyl, Shellac, and Garage Sales Rock!I got back into vinyl (and shellac) about 5 years ago. There was a tiny hole-in-the-wall used high-end audio shop in my area where I got a gently used Technics 1200 series TT for $250. Got a 30+year-old Sure V15III cart and new stylus for a lot of money, about $175! I haven't looked back 3,000 LPs later, and if you've had a garage sale in SW Michigan, you've probably seen my happy face at some point! :-) Love having the artifacts in my basement, and love making MP3s out of them even more for portability. Living in the present does indeed rock sometimes. I can't remember the last time I purchased a CD... (Sadly, Bill's Sound Center closed when they demolished the whole place for a snazzy Main St. Pub.) Nostalgia never goes awayI'm not a technophile, but I know what I like...I'm going to go into the living room right now and fire up some Louis Prima on my old Benjamin Miracord turntable! Recovering Open Reel FanaticBack in the late '70s through sometime in the early '80s you could still get current-issue prerecorded open-reel tapes. Probably very few folks were paying attention, but YES for a SINGLE PENNY you could get a dozen of them when starting your brand-new membership with ... (shudder) Columbia House. It wasn't long before they stopped offering open-reel for all their titles, but the ones in the advertisements were available in any format, and I still have the ones I got early on, and some of the automatic monthly selections. (Damn they are heavy, too. Like a box of iron filings.) Somewhere around here I have Steely Dan and ELO albums on open-reel tape. It became hard finding things I wanted to listen to, though, so I had to finish out my membership agreement by getting some LPs, and that's about the time I started to realize the things from the club looked OK but were made of inferior materials and did not always sound quite right. But of course I was about fifteen years old and it was an educational experience. It took me a few more years to get over my fascination with open reel decks, but I still have two corroding in the garage. Anyone remembertape deck specs for "wow and flutter"? Vinyl - jazz and bluesI still have the bulk of my jazz and blues vinyl collection, though I did unload some of it. Had to buy a new amp last month to play them after my old one gave up after at least 25 year service. Got a Cambridge Topaz AM1, not very pricey but does the job. Muddy Waters and Thelonious Monk rule! Am I actually this old?This was stuff I longed for in the '70s, but never managed to afford. To me it still feels semi-contemporary and definitely impressive. BTW, is the very concept of high fidelity now as out of date as this old hi-fi equipment? Judging from the execrable audio I've heard coming out of a series of cell phones I've owned over the last decade, I'm beginning to think that the basic ability to notice audio distortion may have been lost as interest in hi-fi was lost. Reel-to-reel had an advantageOne could copy whole albums, and the length was for hours. In the late 80's, I knew some serious audiophiles who had Carver CD players, Nakamichi cassette players, and reel-to-reel players, on which they'd store hours of jazz music. Turntable MemoryMy buddy and I have been mobile DJ's for close to 30 years. Back in the days of lugging three large boxes of LP's and 4 heavy boxes of 45's, sometimes up flights of stairs, and index cards for looking up song location, we had two QRK turntables we got from the radio station where my friend worked. One evening we were on the upper level of a hall with a very spungy floor. We didn't realize how much the floor would move until we started a polka and the dance floor filled with people. A few moments later the record skipped and we realized that we were bouncing, a lot. We grabbed a few quarters out of our pockets and put them on the tone arm, and then both of us pressed down with all our might to keep our stand from moving. We were very, very afraid to play anything uptempo. I still have a turntable, a bunch of vinyl, and a Teac open reel deck. I'm converting some shows I did many years ago to digital. (ShorpyBlog, Technology, Member Gallery, Farked, tterrapix)
Better Watch Out: 1921
"Secretary Davis, Christmas tree, 1921." James J. Davis, Secretary of Labor in the Harding, Coolidge and Hoover administrations, moonlighting as Santa Claus. National Photo Company Collection glass negative. View full size. Father Christma ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/13/2012 - 5:34pm -

"Secretary Davis, Christmas tree, 1921." James J. Davis, Secretary of Labor in the Harding, Coolidge and Hoover administrations, moonlighting as Santa Claus. National Photo Company Collection glass negative. View full size. Father ChristmasWonderful variety of ornaments. But especially sweet is the daughter's little hands holding her father's hand. Better Not CryEven when the tree comes toppling down -- I haven't seen such a lopsided extravaganza since the year our family tree tipped sideways thanks to insufficient rocks supporting the trunk. The garland is particularly egregious. The Pullman train car makes up for it, though. Train TechLooks like the trains of the 1920's were not far removed from 1950's models. As far as the timely tags, dry cleaning anyone? TimelyBut, please Dave, what's on time on the doorpost? And let's hope Junior doesn't short the transformer with the Pullman car. More tasteful!I love the dangly silver bead strings - that's more tasteful than the tinsel gobs of the midcentury trees! Of course, it's not QUITE enough to distract the eye from Secretary Davis's elaborate combover, but it's a start. Dollhouse, Army tank, toy car, Indian headdress, tea set: you're all on the bench. Today's game is all about The New Train! Tree CriticsI know from my parents' storty-telling that in the early part of the 20th century most families did not bring in and decorate their trees until after the kids went to bed on Christmas Eve. Try to imagine setting up a tree in the stand, decorating it with all the trimmings, gathering up the toys hidden all over the house and setting them out under the tree all on the night before Christmas. They had no time to choose a decorator's perfect tree, place everything perfectly and make it look like a showplace. Also (even before everyone went "green") the gifts from Santa were never wrapped, just put out. I think the wonder and amazement in the kids' eyes prove they were quite enchanted with it all, so it must have looked pretty special to them. Amazing Array of Glass BaublesI have a large number of ornaments from my grandparents' collection, and peering at the pretty things on this tree, I see several that are exactly what my grandparents have. It's amazing what bits of family history survived upteen Navy moves and the one time Grandmother lost almost everything when the train transporting everything caught fire. I don't care how misshapen the tree is, or the garlands being haphazard, I think it's a charming tree! Trains Don't Run On TimeLooks like the Secretary of Commerce is responsible for disrupting train movements on this line - his foot appears to have pulled the track far enough back that it pulled apart at the switch. Knocked down one of the signals too. Godzilla would be proud but the Interstate Commerce Commission would have questions. There's not just a giant Pullman in this shot, but behind the boy there's a tender and the locomotive to go with it seems to be behind the secretary's child dandling leg. Davis On Time ....Interesting batch of "ON TIME" labels hanging from the hinge of the door. Wonder what they were for, and why collecting them? At least the doll is happyEveryone else looks a bit overwhelmed. And when was the last time you saw child-sized shoes with nails in the soles? Our TreesIn my family we have always waited until Christmas Eve to set up the tree, though at least it wasn't done stealthily. And presents from Santa were never wrapped. Another thing about the tree is that in 1921 most Christmas trees were not the carefully sheared farm-grown specimens of today. Sole TrainThe Pullman car and the tender look to be well played with. There are dents on the end of the Pullman at the boy's right as well as worn paint on it and the tender. As to the soles of the boy's shoes, that's stitching, not nails. Whose TrainThe electric train is for the grown-ups. Everyone knows that! Merry FarkmasFark a la la la. Pre-Martha StewartFrom the days when Christmas trees didn't have to be perfectly symmetrical and Martha Stewart approved. Maybe it was last year's tree. What kind of tree IS thisSo many comments about this tree, but it does not look like a real tree. it's not any pine or spruce or fir that i recognize. Any botanists out there care to ID this tree? [Scraggly blue spruce (Picea pungens Charlie Brownius), I would opine. - Dave] Egads!Charlie Brown called from 1965. He wants his Christmas tree back. Lionel, I believeLionel standardized the electric trains they're still selling with minor modifications around 1906, so I'm guessing that is a Lionel. The Pullman car is a Gauge 1 that preceded O gauge, but was wiped out in the depression. No Gauge 1 tracks are visible as far as I can tell. They were expensive; my dad got a Lionel train that cost about $200 around 1950, and it was either that or carpet in the living room. Grandma and Grandpa did not see eye to eye on that decision. (The Gallery, Christmas, D.C., Farked, Kids, Natl Photo)
The Experiment: 1930
There's no label for this circa 1930 Harris & Ewing plate, but maybe it's best that we don't know what's going on. CLICK AT YOUR OWN RISK. Now that you've all had your fun This is actually Version 1 of the "21" isolation booth. ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 06/09/2018 - 5:11pm -

There's no label for this circa 1930 Harris & Ewing plate, but maybe it's best that we don't know what's going on. CLICK AT YOUR OWN RISK. Now that you've all had your funThis is actually Version 1 of the "21" isolation booth. Can't imagine why anybody thought it was rigged. Thank You...For bringing a 'smile' to us during such a serious time. I hopethis has nothing to do with animal husbandry. Experiment Gone BadWitness the creation of Al Franken. Pioneering frozen foods processing experiments-Before successfully developing his method of quickly fresh-freezing vegetables, Clarence Birdseye spent some crucial time getting to fully understand the process from the inside out, so to speak. I probably don't want to know, but I'll ask anywayWhat's the stuff running down the wall behind The Man In The Box? Previous occupants of The Box who didn't make it? Dr. Frankenstein would be proud. Please, not me!I DO NOT want to be the person whose job it is to watch through the glass. It's something from "The Outer Limits"...the 1930 version. Whatever it is, the guy REALLY looks serious about what he's doing. Improved pie-throwing apparatusSort of an early version of a baseball dunk. Only you throw the pies at yourself, by manipulating the joystick on the console. The glass is there to save the dry-cleaning bill, as a suit and tie were still de rigeur. Since this photo evidently precedes the invention of safety glass, let's hope the anticipated shrapnel is nothing more lethal than custard pie. Best Talking Heads album cover never usedIf only David Byrne had seen this pic before the band broke up. Engineer hi-jinksThis has to be what engineers do in government labs after 5pm.Alcohol was involved. Clean roomsHave come a long was since then. Experiments of a young Dr. Emilio LizardoLaugh while you can, monkey boy!! The stain on the wallThe stain on the back wall does not give any confidence as to the experiment's possible outcome. Dry CleaningMy wife says it's an early attempt at do-it-yourself dry cleaning without removing your clothes! The Sound SectionFound this at Library of Congress description of the image: Uncle Sam seeking way to improve theaters for talkies. How to improve theaters for talking motion pictures is a problem now being tackled by the Bureau of Standards. V.L. Chrisler of the Sound Section, who looks like he is imprisoned in stocks, is really studying the "echo effect" in this room and his body and the observing instruments are enclosed so as not to interfere with the tests. It has been found that cushioned seats in talking picture theaters aid in the absorption of the "echo effect." Anxiously Awaitingwhat the demented minds at fark will do with/to this experimental apparatus. Clean the roomI hope this machine will kill the black mold on the walls. UnprofessionalEven allowing for the difference in time and procedure, this whole experiment looks extremely amateurish. And 83 years later we have- sound bars for our wall mounted 72" high-def flat screen TV's. What took so long? Gosh!And here I thought the Gallows, the Gas Chamber and the Electric Chair was all there was. Perhaps early Leslie horn speakerIf it is sound related. Routine Procedure Looks like me at the hospital undergoing another of those darn "tests." Not all thereIt looks like something is missing from the device with the motor. The long steel U-channel on top appears to be designed to have something electrical on it; the four shiny discs on the shaft look like slip rings, and the four posts around the discs are the brushes that contact the slip rings. This assembly is used to conduct electricity from the fixed base to the rotating bar. There are wires from the slip ring discs up to the rotating bar, but they aren't connected to anything - and the piece of armored cable that's taped to the bar would flail the motor if somebody turned the motor on. I don't think you can tell from this photo whether the slip rings were being used for line voltage (120 V AC or more) or something else. If the Library of Congress caption that SocialPrimate found is accurate, then there were probably loudspeaker(s) on this bar at one time, and the slip rings were being used for audio. As fixj mentioned, the Leslie speaker was a commercial development of this idea. The pictures I can find of Leslies show that the speakers themselves didn't rotate (no slip rings); only the woofer baffle and tweeter horns rotated. There could also be other loudspeaker(s) or something else in the room that is out of shot. This Week on "Mythbusters"Adam and Jamie will test the myth of the lateral guillotine, with special guest--Harold Lloyd! V.L.ChrislerContributed to a number of soundproofing publications, experiments. Newspaper headlineWacky inventor disintegrates self in immeasurable electrical explosion . FramoflannisIt's an early type of framoflannis. You can tell from the left handed throtlever which is used to creech the blintzes. Vivian Leroy ChrislerMore information on the apparatus in this photo and Chrisler's acoustics work at the American Institute of Physics. An acoustics researcher, he specialized in building acoustics and underwater sound. He acted as the acoustical consultant for the U.S. Capitol. In the 1920s he used the box in the picture to investigate several topics in building acoustics, including both the acoustics of “talking” motion pictures and those of the courtroom. In addition, Chrisler studied sound abatement in apartment buildings and in airplanes, and published texts and research monographs. He was a Fellow of the American Physical Society and a Fellow and Vice President of the Acoustical Society of America. He died in 1953, aged 68. All Bob had to do now is decide how to spend the money Being what the ladies called a "sharp dressed man" and he could hardly argue, Bob knew his ingenious Wash And Dry While You Wait Business Suit invention was just what pressed-for-time businessmen were waiting for. Why, before you know it, he thought, there'll be one of these in office lobbies, airports and train stations across America. His best thinkingYears later his co-workers would remember him fondly and recall that he was quite fond of thinking outside the box! (Technology, The Gallery, Bizarre, D.C., Harris + Ewing)
Merry Christmas!
New York, December 1913. "Christmas tree, Madison Square." 8x10 glass negative, G.G. Bain Collection. View full size. Happy holidays from Shorpy! All the best All the best to my friends!!!! Ahhhhhh!!!!!! Ahhhhhhhh!!! Ohhhhhhh ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 02/04/2012 - 4:04pm -

New York, December 1913. "Christmas tree, Madison Square." 8x10 glass negative, G.G. Bain Collection. View full size. Happy holidays from Shorpy! All the bestAll the best to my friends!!!! Ahhhhhh!!!!!!Ahhhhhhhh!!! Ohhhhhhhh!!! Merry Christmas!Thank you Dave! Merry Christmas! Merry ChristmasBeautiful! Merry Christmas. Shorpy has brought me so much joy since I found it. Thank you for such a wonderful, ongoing gift. ChristmasThank You Dave. This Christmas seems more special than ever. So many nice things going on in my world. Back at You!Merry Christmas to you as well, Dave! And thank you for such a wonderful Website. - Clint Wow!Some of the most tasteful (and skillful!) colorization I've ever seen. Happy Holidays to all here, and to our Photoshopping friends over at Fark: Eat your hearts out! Merry ChristmasThank you. Merry Christmas, to you Dave and all others. Not So Appreciated Since Disney's Wonderful WorldDave, thank you for the gift of COLOR! Merry Christmas!My very best to you and yours, Dave. Your site is a daily gift to me, and I'll just continue to enjoy it. And a Merry Christmas (or whatever's appropriate) to all my fellow Shorpy fans. HoliDAZE...Not much for the holidays but enjoys Christmas immensely. Merry Christmas to you and yours, Dave and keep on, keepin' on. Early ChristmasShorpy is the gift that keeps on giving. Thanks, Dave, for a wonderful year, and a toast for more in 2009! Autochrome?Could this be an Autochrome image? The National Geographic website describes it like this: "Invented by two brothers, Auguste and Louis Lumière of France, the Lumière Autochrome (meaning "self-coloring") process was first marketed in 1907. It featured a glass-plate negative evenly covered with a wash of minute grains of potato starch dyed with the basic colors of red, green, and blue. This, the filter mosaic layer, was then covered with a panchromatic emulsion. To make an exposure, the plate was in effect flipped over so that light entered through the back of the plate, filtering through the dyed, transparent potato starch grains until it struck the emulsion. When the plate was developed, the negative silver image was turned into a "pointillist positive" by a reversal process." [No potatoes were harmed in the making of this picture. - Dave] Merry Christmas!!Thank you so much, Dave, for letting me time trip peacefully on the web. On your site I see things that remind me of being a kid and lowers my blood pressure all at the same time. Have a lovely Christmas and a most wonderful New Year. ChristmasMerry Christmas all. I am not PC. Thank you Dave and Ken for all you do. I remember our Christmas Trees at home and the only thing different was that my sister insisted on solid blue lights.Wish I had a photo to submit but I think that this was before color film etc. John MerryAll the best for everyone on the site and thanks! A Merry ReplyA Merry Christmas To You and Yours and Best Wishes for the New Year. We look forward to yet more great images of time past that, transcending the pages of history, exist forever in the heart of the soul. Thank you, Dave, for Shorpy. Best Regards, Michael & Steffie Hoffman HouseThe vertical sign at the extreme right of the picture belongs to a hotel, Hoffman House, which was at 24th Street & Broadway. It's long gone. I see that of the first seven commenters who are absolute Shorpy fans, none have registered with the site. I think they should show support and join. There will be no meetings or dues but the Shorpy guys (Dave & Ken) deserve it for all their hard work. Best wishes to all for a healthy, prosperous and happy Holiday Season. Colorized or original color?Oh please, tell us that is it a color photo - they did have color in 1913 didn't they? Nice tree, thanks! [Yes, there were various color processes in 1913. But this was a regular black-and-white photograph, with the color added by me. - Dave] Merry ChristmasTo Dave and all the Shorpy-ites. My frequent visits to Shorpy help me get through the day. Every day there are little gifts here that are great to receive. ShorpyPantiesThanks for often being the best part of the my day. It's great to always have Shorpy to look forward to. One complaint...you haven't sent me the Shorpy Plastic Seat Cover (patent pending) for the hysterical comments that crop up. Was hoping to receive it for Xmas Dave! Have a very Merry Christmas and thanks again. Carol OutstandingJust a random guy saying thanks for all the super cool, retro, nostalgic photographs. Your site is the first I check everyday. Merry Christmas. Happy HolidaysThank you so much for this site, it makes me happy everyday. Shorpy's the gift that keeps on giving. Merry ChristmasMerry Christmas to all of you here at Shorpy. Oh!I wondered what the cryptic caption and darkened photo were supposed to be! I should have realized the obvious! Merry ChristmasA happy Holiday to all. Looking forward to another year of Shorpy's Re: Hoffman HouseYour comment about the sign in this photo would still have been interesting and informative, even if you had submitted it as an unregistered guest. I believe that the primary benefit of membership, here, has more to do with sharing vintage photography with those who appreciate it, than it does with "showing support" for the Shorpy crew. Since I have no photos to share, all I can do is greatly admire the contributions of tterrace, delworthio, and so many other members who help make the Shorpy experience the joy that it is. The actual point I wish to make, however, is this: the best way I can think of to REALLY support this wonderful cause is to buy some prints! I've got a wish-list of prints I plan to buy that's getting longer by the week...but THIS piece of work went straight to the top of my list the moment I saw it. The first Anonymous Tipster here "said it all", regarding this photo, as far as I'm concerned! Thank youThank you, Dave. Merry Christmas to everyone at Shorpy, both posters and those like me who are usually lurkers. Merry Christmas everyoneMerry Christmas everyone, and thanks to Dave and all the contributors; whether it's pictures, knowledge, and/or great wit - you know who you are. May whatever God you believe in bless you and keep you this year, and always. Merry ChristmasThanks for this and so many wonderful photos. A Happy, healthy and prosperous 2009 to you! (The Gallery, Christmas, Colorized Photos, G.G. Bain)
Flying Fortress: 1942
October 1942. Workers installing fixtures and assemblies in the tail section of a B-17F bomber at the Douglas Aircraft Company plant in Long Beach, California. View full size. 4x5 Kodachrome transparency by Alfred Palmer. Reckon You Know I ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/22/2012 - 12:44pm -

October 1942. Workers installing fixtures and assemblies in the tail section of a B-17F bomber at the Douglas Aircraft Company plant in Long Beach, California. View full size. 4x5 Kodachrome transparency by Alfred Palmer. Reckon You Know It's Backwardsbut thanks for sending these priceless pix out, history should not be forgotten. [It's not backwards. Maybe you're confused by the box being upside down. Try standing on your head. - Dave] B-17FThese workers are in the mid section of this B-17. When complete and flying, two waist gunners would be located here, pivoting and firing .50 caliber machine guns and bringing down those marauding German FW-190s and BF-109s. Or not. Denny Gill Chugiak, Alaska [There are two fuselage sections: front and back (the "tail fuselage section," in photographer Alfred Palmer's words). The rear end of the fuselage is behind the workers. Below is another view of the tail sections where the women were working. - Dave] B-17F LightingI think its a beautiful photograph, yet after having worked inside the metal frames of semis and railcars, I think it's interesting to note that all the lighting is turned off for the picture and the women must of had to stand still in the dark while the photographer got ready. I would have liked to have seen one picture with the real lights on, so we could see the harsh conditions they worked under. My thanks to all who supported the country back then. [These planes were constructed inside giant, well-lit, air-conditioned hangars. The conditions were not exactly "harsh." See photo below. Also here and here. - Dave] Photoshop ContestThese lovely ladies have turned into grist for a Photoshop contest over at Fark. Histories of HollywoodHistories of Hollywood frequently mention how "blinding" the lighting was when they were shooting Technicolor (around ASA 12). The same sort of thing is going on in this picture. 1940s Kodachrome is a very slow film, under ASA 10. It is not surprising that the lighting completely overpowered the natural lighting, making the factory look like a cavern outside the gunport. Recall also that light would be bouncing around inside the metal shell, amplifying the disparity in lighting. B-17 AssemblyWasn't the B-17 assembled in Seattle Washington? I was not aware that it was built in the Douglas plant in Long beach. Anyone know the details on this one? [Google and Wikipedia -- so helpful. - Dave] Top Secret?I wonder if that photo would have been "top secret" at the time. I'm no aeronautical engineer, but would there have been anything in this photo that shows the "guts" of the plane of use to German/Japanese technicians? No SecretI don't think the enemy needed this picture to learn anything about these airplanes. I imagine they had the aircraft itself from the ones that crash landed in enemy territory. I sort of remember from the WWII movies, the crew destroyed the Norden Bombsights to keep them out of Axis hands. Just NoticedLooking over this photo to see any secret type stuff (there isn't anything that could really be considered even sensitive unless you consider flush riveting aluminum sensitive) I suddenly noticed something that I hadn't seen in previous viewings - the fluorescent light fixture to the left of the woman in the pink blouse. It seems to have been powered externally so I would presume that it was only temporary like the incandescent work light. Looking at it again, there's what appears to be a second fluorescent fixture, covered in a protective mesh screen at the very top of the photo. Both appear to be off - it would probably throw off the colour balance if they were on in the photo - but I imagine that you needed light when working on these planes and you didn't have a convenient photo-flood in the area. (The Gallery, Kodachromes, Alfred Palmer, Aviation, Farked)
A Juicy Pair
Somewhere in the 1950s; feel free to fill in the blanks. View full size. No, no COCONUTS. I said you've a lovely bunch of coconuts. OUCH! Thank heavens testicular cancer examinations aren't what they used to be! Producing Pro ... 
 
Posted by globalpillage - 09/06/2011 - 7:39pm -

Somewhere in the 1950s; feel free to fill in the blanks. View full size. No, noCOCONUTS. I said you've a lovely bunch of coconuts. OUCH!Thank heavens testicular cancer examinations aren't what they used to be! Producing Produce"Nice tomatoes." "No, these are grapefruit." Begging to be farkedOK, Farkers, you know what to do -- get to work! And may the best Fark win. I'd like to try, but words fail me on this one. I'll just sit back and enjoy the fireworks. So many comments I could makeBut I won't. I'll be a good boy. Why yes, I DO like to go motorboating!Why do you ask? Well, Dr. Smith"I know you wanted me to add the fifth grapefruit to the halftime juggling act, but SIX!?" No, no, I can't It's just too easy. But let me guess on the location. Moccasins + grapefruit=Arizona? Not meI wouldn’t touch this with a ten foot whatchamacallit. Who's On First Base?He may have one in his hand, but he's thinking only about six right now. "Out of dress code again!""Miss Caruthers, You know, of course, that mocassins violate the school dress code. You'll have to see me after school for Detention." It's completely safe."This will be the new shape and size after the augmentation procedure." Mine's better than yoursThe orchardist and the bobby-soxer. Getting AheadJaunty hat! Nice MocsI won't make an obvious comment except to say that those look like Minnetonka moccassins. They are still around and come in and out of fashion. Wore them in Wisconsin, Illinois and Michigan. I had white pairs, tan leather and suede ones. Great shoes. My AuntThis was taken in 1955. The lovely young lady is my aunt, Phyllis MacKenzie, who was Miss Ruby Red of that same year. It was a promotion created by the Texas Grapefruit Growers Association to create publicity for their product. The man is Ogden White, president of the TGGA. Aunt Phyllis, and her court, went on a tour of the country in the fall and winter of '55. They had a basketball team named the Ruby Reds, thus explaining the outfit she is wearing in the photo. They gave exhibitions, kind of like the Harlem Globetrotters, against local female pickup teams. If you believe any of this, let's talk about that beautiful bridge in Brooklyn for sale! Overheard"I don't know what I'm going to do if my other one swells up like this!" CreasesHis - trousers - are - CRISP ! Well, well, my dear,You certainly know how to get an old man's tie in a twist! (ShorpyBlog, Member Gallery, GlobalPillage)
Hotrod Time Machine: 1975
This shot answers the question, "Just what was tterrace photographing that day in 1975 when he was strolling around Petaluma?" Well, when I got to this spot on Sixth Street I apparently stumbled into a gap in the space-time continuum. Fortunat ... 
 
Posted by tterrace - 10/22/2010 - 6:42pm -

This shot answers the question, "Just what was tterrace photographing that day in 1975 when he was strolling around Petaluma?" Well, when I got to this spot on Sixth Street I apparently stumbled into a gap in the space-time continuum. Fortunately my Konica was loaded with Kodacolor, so I was able to return with the kind of scene one normally encounters only in black and white. If we were to do an equivalent shot today, the car would be something like a 1965 Dodge Dart, which to me doesn't seem like a really old car, whereas the one here unquestionably does. Doesn't stuff like that drive you nuts? View full size. Let me playwith this image. Sixth Street, PetalumaI live in the county next door and so I am very familiar with the historic neighborhoods of Petaluma. I've been scanning many of my photos from that era and Kodacolor prints, if stored properly, can be every bit as good as Kodachromes for archival purposes. I'm having a lot of trouble scanning slides because I used to deliberately under-expose by 1/3rd of an f stop for color saturation. The slides looked great when projected with an intense projector lamp, but my scans are almost always too dark. Your resolution is also something easier to achieve when scanning a print than a negative or a slide, because you don't need so many dpi for sharpness. Nice photo! I think I'll convert your grayscale version to simulated 3-D; the tree in the foreground might make for a nice effect. --Bob A Doctor's Visit?Or perhaps his residence and/or office. It doesn't look old.Even with the old house and car, it still dates itself as very contemporary (in color or black and white). I'm not quite sure why, but here's my best guess. The lawn and shrubs and even the paint job are all finished by machines that simply didn't exist then. Back then lines where not as straight. Paint wasn't as flat. Reflections in glass weren't so crisp. To me the biggest anachronism is the lawn. Lawns mowed with a hand mower just look different. [I'm not that old, but I grew up with one.] Am I crazy? GREAT ShotNow that is a great shot. The scan is fantastic as well. I think I need to take lessons from tterrace. This makes onewant to talk badly about those longhaired hippies. Great shot. Variations on a houseBelow is my own monochrome version, in which I tried to emulate the orthochromatic sensitivity of older photographic emulsions by lightening the blues and darkening the reds. Hence we get what you might call a "Shorpy sky." If we keep this up, we're going to out-Fark Fark. Gleneagles: I've found Photoshop's Shadows & Highlights function to be a great tool for dealing with slide scans, in particular highly contrasty and underexposed ones. I too liked to underexpose transparency film for saturation, usually by a whole stop. That car is certainly hotrod material, as Dave has implied, but it looks like an authentic restoration to me. My first thought was a Model A, but I couldn't find that exact body style or window shape. A 1930 Plymouth 2-door sedan looked pretty close, though. Experts? Doc Brown?Paging Marty McFly! The CoupeI'd agree that it's a Plymouth but more likely a 1931-32 model since the 1930 has a split two-piece rear bumper on either side of the spare tire. This one probably had a single side-mounted spare on the driver's side fender or else someone had removed the original rear carrier and put the spare in the trunk. Nice photo in all versions! Waiting for the +35Would a Petaluman please step forward and post a recent photo of this house? I really hope it hasn't changed. (If the car's still in the driveway I'll be astounded.) Found itI took a long virtual walk along 6th Street and found the pretty white house, which is now a strangely foreboding, yet handsome, gothic Victorian. The upper windows were replaced with a style that matches the side windows. I like both the old and new versions of the house. Too bad the car in the driveway was also replaced. Old things seemed older in the old daysI think about this all the time. A matter of perspective that always keeps me in awe. The things I thought were really old when I was younger, really weren't all that old after all. New and PricyZillow seems to think it was built in 1968 and worth more than $600K. Falcon CrestObviously this house is at the center of some kind of old-car vortex. View Larger Map TelltalesThe post-1963 black California plate dates it. Also, the modern-type electrical service cable. I tend to think that the brick steps are a modern style; they do look like the '70s to me, but pretty subtle. That's about it, I think. You did a good job of not getting any TV antennas or aluminum siding in the shot. Yes, the things that seemed old were really not so old. The things that were new, strangely do seem old. It's a paradox. Petaluma"Petaluma"?? re: New and PriceyThe house in that Zillow listing at #4 Sixth St. is the one next door, off to the right out of frame; it is indeed a newer building. The one in my shot is #6 Sixth St. Google street numbers are often approximate, to say the least. About the telltales: I figured that electrical line was a giveaway, same with the license plate. Also, good points someone made about the shrubbery. I lucked out on no TV antennas, but in the original neg there are glimpses of modern cars just outside of where I cropped this on both the left and right. I know the feelingI just went back for my 25th class reunion. I was talking to my fellow Class of 85 grads and reminded them that these high school seniors are looking at us like we looked at the Class of 1960. That thought was a bit sobering!! Talk about a Space Time continuum!! I know it wellHaving graduated from Petaluma High School which is on Fair Street (which turns into Tenth Street as you head south), I know the area well. Whenever we get to Petaluma, my wife loves to see the old homes on the west side. It is good to know that I am not the only one who looks at the relativity of time. In August, I went to my 36th (yes thirty-sixth) high school reunion. I reflect on the fact that that amount of time would be like someone in 1974 having graduated in 1938. In movies, I notice the difference between a film made in, say, 1975 and a new film that takes place in 1975 is that the older film has so many things -- especially cars -- that are old for the time. The new film trying to be 1975 usually makes it look like everyone drove a car that was less than five years old. Petaluma HouseI was in Petaluma today and got this photo of the house. The plaque on the front steps says "Heritage Home of Petaluma." Click to enlarge. Time Perspective as it applies to Sportstterrace, I know what you mean about time, and I normally apply it to sports. For instance, Terry Bradshaw led the Steelers to their first Super Bowl victory in January 1975. Terry Bradshaw in 2010 is like Slingin' Sammy Baugh in 1975, and both as funny. Porch lightNice picture! Another indicator of the time period is the porch light. Often missing in older shots, it is not only present but of a more decorative style. (ShorpyBlog, Member Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, tterrapix)
Machine Shop: 1917
1917. "C.W. Hecox, instructor in machine shop, D.C. public schools. Supervising manufacture of practice shells for Navy at McKinley training school." Harris & Ewing Collection glass negative, Library of Congress. View full size. Very F ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/27/2012 - 4:47pm -

1917. "C.W. Hecox, instructor in machine shop, D.C. public schools. Supervising manufacture of practice shells for Navy at McKinley training school." Harris & Ewing Collection glass negative, Library of Congress. View full size. Very FarkableThis has tremendous Fark potential. How long before it gets Farked? Secret scienceThey had finally assembled their first satellite, but would have to wait quite a while before someone invented the rocket. How many times do I have to tell you?Do not wear stripes with plaid! Potential ouchiesOK, this is my first comment as a long time Shorpy lurker. I'm a NC programmer at present, was a toolmaker for many years, machinist before that, and a plain old machine operator before that. I did the usual high school machine shop classes in 1973-1976. I made a cannon or two, a couple of vises, but no pipes. That said, IMHO this guy is looking for trouble. He's not wearing safety glasses, he's got a ring on, he's wearing a necktie (tucked in though), long sleeves, and last but not least, he's wearing a striped coat with checkered pants! Granted, it's 1917; OSHA is nowhere in sight. The teacher isn't much better: no safety glasses, long sleeves, necktie (again, tucked in), and he's stopping the lathe from floating away. At least their hair is short and out of harms way. This picture makes me cringe just looking at it. I wouldn't mind having the lathe though. The cageThe four basket-weave hatches give access to the commutator (this was a DC motor) and the brushes. A belt-drive from the end away from the camera led down to the gearbox (the rectangular shape that the motor is sitting on.) When I commenced my apprenticeship in 1964, the workshop had one of these old-timers. It wasn't used very often, preference being given to the more modern lathes at the time. On a side note, Occupational Health & Safety in those days consisted of the boss saying "Be careful!" That was from an era when "common sense" was also an acceptable term. BHK in Australia "Hix" Hecox Bicyclist Collides With a Carriage Mr. C.W. Hecox, a bicyclist, while riding up the hill through the north side of the capitol grounds last evening, ran into a one-horse surrey with a gentleman and three ladies on it. Mr. Hecox was riding fast and did not see the approaching vehicle until the horse reared on his hind feet. It was impossible for the rider to stop until he struck the horse. The bicycle was damaged. Mr. Hecox arose from the ground and said that he was not hurt, but after the carriage left he fainted, but soon revived and rode off. Washington Post, Jul 27, 1893 Public Schools of Washington Seen in Classrooms and Recreation Hours ... Prof. Clarence W. Hecox, of Tech, is a motorcycle enthusiast. According to several of his fellow pedagogues, he is so devoted to his machine that he wears motorcycle clothing - leggings, bloomers, and all. He is frequently mudspotted from head to foot. ... Washington Post, Feb 15, 1914 Hecox, Master Coach, Is One of the Old-Timers at Rowing Game Teddy Roosevelt and his famous cavalcade of roughriders were whooping it up in Cuba and Spain and the United States were locked in a grueling struggle for possession of the island just off the Florida coast, when a young fellow by the name of Clarence W. Hecox first conceived the idea of introduced rowing in the public high schools. He was an officer of the Columbia Athletic Club, one of Washington's most popular sporting fraternities, and a great believer in physical culture. The idea was frowned upon. The cost of launching a shell and outfitting a crew was prohibitive, but "Hix" persisted in his efforts and they were finally crowned with success. That was back in 1898. The first boatload was recruited at Central High School. The boys failed to startle the world with their rowing, but Hecox was well satisfied with the venture. Rowing has long since been abandoned by the schoolboys. ... From 1913, when he first went with the Analostan Club, His has sent 27 winning eight-oared crews to the starting line. His junior eights have carried off the honors in the last 11 Southern Rowing Association regattas, enough to stamp the gray-haired veteran one of the most proficient coaches in the East. ... Washington Post, Aug 16, 1933 C.W. Hecox, School Coach, Dead at 79 Funeral services for Clarence Wirt Hecox, 79, retired District public school teacher and coast who died Saturday at his home, 1052 N. Nelson st., Arlington, will be held at 11 a.m. today at the Free Methodist Church, Prince and Lee sts., Alexandria. Burial will be in the Glenwood Cemetery, Washington. Mr. Hecox, who had been ill for several years, retired in 1941 after more than 30 years of teaching machine shop with applied mathematics, and coaching football, baseball, and other sports. A half century ago, he coached rowing at various local boat clubs and championed the sport in public schools. Several of his pupils in the sport won honors in the collegiate world. Mr. Hecox, most of whose teaching years were spent at McKinley and Central high schools, was born in Niagara County, New York, and came to Washington about 60 years ago. He is survived by his wife, Mrs. Geneva Johnston Hecox, and a nephew, Lemuel W. Owen, of Chicago. Washington Post, Jan 2, 1951 Apparently, as Hix neared retirement he spent a lot of time weeding his garden and decided to apply his shop skills to the problem: Patent for a weed puller. Dozens more articles about Hecox are in the Washington Post archives, mostly concerning his days coaching crew teams. Working in a machine shopWorking in a machine shop wearing a loose sleeved jacket and a tie... thats what I call an accident waiting to happen. Does anyone know what the big ball/cage on top of the lathe is? Hecox researchI guess our stanton_square's delving into the Washington Post archives disclosed nothing about the years C.W. spent in Hollywood under the name of Boris Karloff, enacting mad doctor scenes just like this. Inside the sphereMy guess would be an electric motor. Shop Safety.I entered the Henry Ford Trade School in 1936 at age 14. The wearing of safety glasses and ear protection in our factories started, if I remember correctly, in the late 1950s. We can not fault the lack of safety equipment in 1917 any more than fault them for not using a modern lathe. Set the Wayback Machine I've been retired for sixteen years, not long in the scheme of things industrial, but I remember working on the same lathe and others like it, though mostly Italian imports by then. The coveted machines were the Brown and Sharps, as they had the most precise gear-boxes. Most old school tool makers were leery of the new CNC machines, they felt that the computer took the human element out of machining. I guess the old leather belt machinists felt the same way. (The Gallery, D.C., Education, Schools, Harris + Ewing, WWI)
Telephone Rockfish: 1928
Washington, D.C., circa 1928. "Chesapeake & Potomac Telephone Co. cafeteria showing presentation of rockfish." A caption that raises more questions than it answers. National Photo Company Collection glass negative. View full size. How ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/29/2012 - 10:10am -

Washington, D.C., circa 1928. "Chesapeake & Potomac Telephone Co. cafeteria showing presentation of rockfish." A caption that raises more questions than it answers. National Photo Company Collection glass negative. View full size. How Things Have ChangedInstead of rockfish, my company gives gift cards for exceptional performance. We stopped giving fish back in the '60s. It's no mysteryIt's the first "Take your pet to work" day. Double Image of LightsCan anyone explain why the light fixtures on the ceilings appear to have a double image? [The camera moved before or after the flash was ignited. - Dave] Paging Mr. CleeseThere is something distinctly Pythonesque about this scenario. Dialogue, anyone? Cook ThisAnd bring it to my table when it's done. "Pass the bass" Recognized that fish as a striped bass and learned from Shorpy that it indeed falls under the larger category of rockfish. By the way, that is a small one as they can reach up to 100 pounds and commonly are caught in the 40-50 pound range. This fish has expiredIt has ceased to be. It is no more. I'll have this oneOn whole wheat, please. With some mayo and lettuce. Thanks. Take it back.I distinctly remember ordering a raw steak! Does this look like steak? P.S. If this photo says anything, it says Fark me. Something completely differentNarrator: Myron P. Heggles, representing the Ministry of Silly Woks, presents the Punctual Cafeteria Lady of the Year award to Clarice Munt of Beldesfere honoring her perfect record of leaving work on time. Rockfish: What time is dinner? I'm starving. Stop me if you've heard this oneMan goes into a cafeteria with a rockfish under his arm. "Do you sell fish cakes here?" No, says the waitress. "That's a shame, it's his birthday." A new Shorpy servicePre-Farked for your viewing amusement. Rimshot pleaseIs that a 32-inch rockfish in your pocket, or are you just glad to see me? (The Gallery, D.C., Eateries & Bars, Natl Photo)
Oh, the Places I'll Go: 1939
June 1939. Migrant child in family car east of Fort Gibson. Muskogee County, Oklahoma. View full size. 35mm nitrate negative by Russell Lee. Pegasus The Pegasus (winged horse) medallion is from Magnolia Oil Co., a Texas company that wou ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 12/22/2008 - 1:07am -

June 1939. Migrant child in family car east of Fort Gibson. Muskogee County, Oklahoma. View full size. 35mm nitrate negative by Russell Lee. PegasusThe Pegasus (winged horse) medallion is from Magnolia Oil Co., a Texas company that would later become Mobil Oil. There used to be a large red version of this logo on the top of one of the tallest building in Dallas in the 1950s-60s. PegasusThanks for the update, Rick. I obviously haven't been in downtown Dallas for several years. On closer inspection, it appears the medallion was cut or torn off of some sort of sign post. You can see the uneven stake below the horse. It was probably some sort of advertising thingamajig that this fellow used to create a "bumper sticker" on his truck. It is curious that a Texas truck headed west would be in Muskogee, OK...maybe taking the scenic route - or swinging through Oklahoma to pick up the in-laws? [Especially if they're on the way to Oregon or Washington via one of the northern routes. - Dave] LanternCould that kerosene lantern be the tail light? On the Road AgainIt's possible they were from East Texas and went north toward Tulsa to catch U.S. 66 before heading westward. Texas was long famous for its quality roads (even dinky Farm To Market roads were exemplary), but Route 66 provided more opportunities to eat, rest and repair the auto than found on other roads in Texas. [Or they could be heading up to catch the Lincoln Highway, main cross-country route to the Northwest. - Dave] Hoover Highway>> Or they could be heading up to catch the Lincoln Highway, main cross-country route to the Northwest. D'oh! Although in the part of Iowa where I used to live, it's called the Herbert Hoover Highway. PegasusThe Pegasus sign was still up in downtown Dallas (unlighted and non-rotating) until 1999, when the sign was finally taken down, rebuilt and put back up. The Magnolia hotel has been restored as well. The Kid in the CarIs the star of a Photoshop contest over at Fark. Check out the entries. SoconyI remember the name Socony-Mobil for the oil company. Where did that name arise from? [Socony = Standard Oil Company of New York. Wikipedia. - Dave] Magnolia Oil & Mobil OilThe Magnolia Petroleum Company was founded in 1911, consolidating operations of several smaller oil companies that had been operating in Texas since 1898. In 1931, Magnolia became an affiliate of Socony-Vacuum Oil Company. The Magnolia Petroleum Company merged with Socony Mobil Oil Company in 1959. I grew up in East Texas where Magnolia Oil signs were rusting by the 1960's. The Pegasus logo was (and apparently still is) a downtown Dallas landmark. See previous comments. [Dear Goober: Your comments would show up right away if you signed up for a user account, or logged in before posting. - Dave] (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Farked, Kids, On the Road, Russell Lee)
Bathing Beauty: 1942
February 1942. Akron, Ohio. "Conversion. Beverage containers to aviation oxygen cylinders. Removal from solution tank at a rubber factory now producing metal essential for the Army. This bath, which follows the removal of the weld scale, gives the ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/05/2012 - 7:10pm -

February 1942. Akron, Ohio. "Conversion. Beverage containers to aviation oxygen cylinders. Removal from solution tank at a rubber factory now producing metal essential for the Army. This bath, which follows the removal of the weld scale, gives the inside of the cylinder a further cleaning and removes all chemicals which may remain from the previous operation." 4x5 nitrate negative by Alfred Palmer for the Office of War Information. View full size. EffablePrime Fark material here. Tank McNamara Approves!Shorpy loves him some oxygen tanks! https://www.shorpy.com/node/2403 https://www.shorpy.com/node/3245 https://www.shorpy.com/node/3737 https://www.shorpy.com/node/6187 https://www.shorpy.com/node/3831 Firestone Steel ProductsThere's a good chance that this photo was taken at the Firestone Steel Products Division in Akron. They also assembled Bofors wheel mounted cannons for the war. Great lightingThe light that makes this shot is the one behind the man. See how it lights both the subject and the figure, both giving depth and mood. Brilliant. Staged though, obviously. Also look at the movement in the man's hands, you can see the rope through them. [It's not "staged" -- it's posed. - Dave] (The Gallery, Alfred Palmer, Factories, WW2)
The Crucible: 1920
Circa 1920. "Bureau of Mines, Department of Interior, Washington." Harris & Ewing Collection glass negative, Library of Congress. View full size. Dating Good thing there's a date for this, albeit approximate. You could Fark that guy ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/27/2012 - 2:42pm -

Circa 1920. "Bureau of Mines, Department of Interior, Washington." Harris & Ewing Collection glass negative, Library of Congress. View full size. DatingGood thing there's a date for this, albeit approximate. You could Fark that guy out and stick him in a 1950s, even up to mid-1960s shot and nobody'd notice. [I just found an exterior shot from the batch of photos showing cars with 1920 license plates, so I've changed "circa 1910-1915" to 1920. - Dave] Why is it glowing?"What did you say this stuff is called Dr. Oppenhiemer? Uranium? Well yes, I did notice my hands glowing last night. Do I plan on having children someday? Yes, why do you ask? Who is my next of kin?" Lab TestThe same Corning ceramic crucibles. The same basic oven, though I don't remember the brand. The same tongs. This could be a quality control laboratory at Tennessee Eastman in the late 1950's when I started work there. We used this equipment to determine percent ash on photographic chemicals and other chemicals from production. We had learned to wear gloves and protective glasses by then. MarshmallowsWhen I first glanced at the photo, I thought the guy was toasting marshmallows. The Hot MetallurgistI could positively eat this young man with a spoon. [Or maybe a shovel. - Dave] (The Gallery, D.C., Harris + Ewing, Mining)
A Reminder: 1939
February 1939. "Sign, Harlingen, Texas." 35mm nitrate negative by Russell Lee for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Let the flames begin Thanks for the red meat, Dave. I'll be in here, making popcorn and waiting for the ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 04/13/2010 - 10:01am -

February 1939. "Sign, Harlingen, Texas." 35mm nitrate negative by Russell Lee for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Let the flames beginThanks for the red meat, Dave. I'll be in here, making popcorn and waiting for the show to begin. (Oops, sorry, meant to post that on FARK.) No names mentioned butapparently about 50% of American politicians from BOTH parties never seem to get this message. ThanksFor being timely, Dave! You've got a picture for every situation. Thank goodness. SheeshMust you remind us? (The Gallery, Russell Lee)
Patent Library
This was a black and white Shorpy image used in a Fark Photoshop contest back in early August of '09. According to the information in the contest, this is a photo taken in a patent library. I colorized it for my entry and won that contest. View ... 
 
Posted by GeeGee - 01/06/2010 - 2:44pm -

This was a black and white Shorpy image used in a Fark Photoshop contest back in early August of '09. According to the information in the contest, this is a photo taken in a patent library. I colorized it for my entry and won that contest. View full size. Awesome colorizingI really appreciate the care you gave to finding just the right colors for the rails and even the fine details of the books on the shelves! All hues are right with just the right levels of brightness. Very effective job! What else ya got? (Colorized Photos)
A Manly Man
Y'know, I have no idea what he wearing, or why he is wearing this outfit, or what he doing. Is it a pose? Or just stopped to think about what he was supposed to do. From my negatives collection. View full size. It needs to be said. Plee ... 
 
Posted by mhallack - 09/27/2013 - 7:14pm -

Y'know, I have no idea what he wearing, or why he is wearing this outfit, or what he doing. Is it a pose? Or just stopped to think about what he was supposed to do. From my negatives collection. View full size. It needs to be said.Pleeeeeeeease Fark this photo! (ShorpyBlog, Member Gallery)
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