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Toy Story: 1942
February 1942. A.C. Gilbert Company, New Haven, Connecticut. "Conversion. Toy factory. Stephanie Cewe's skill with this electric screwdriver has been turned to the aid of Uncle Sam's war machine. Stephanie used to assemble toy locomotives; today, ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/05/2012 - 6:08pm -

February 1942.  A.C. Gilbert Company, New Haven, Connecticut. "Conversion. Toy factory. Stephanie Cewe's skill with this electric screwdriver has been turned to the aid of Uncle Sam's war machine. Stephanie used to assemble toy locomotives; today, she uses the same screwdriver to assemble parachute flare casings." Photo by Howard Hollem, Office of War Information. View full size.
Factory BabesJudging by the Shorpy shots from WWll, all the pretty women had factory jobs.  Who said working in a factory is boring?  One just has to choose the right period in history.
Great RestraintWas exercised in the writing of the title for this one!
Those toy trains must have been huge!No way she used that "screw driver" to assemble toy locomotives. Nice story though.
[Think again. Click to enlarge. - Dave]

Pretty Woman There probably was some written or unwritten directive to those OWI lensmen. Photograph only the attractive ones, it's better for the public morale.
O-27A.C. Gilbert was making 1/64 scale trains, (O Scale is 1/48, and HO is 1/87) running on O-Gauge track, popularly known as O-27, so yeah, those toy trains were pretty substantial. 
Fark OffOne quick look at certain aspects of this picture demands Fark action.
Toy Story #2I was thinking the same thing about that huge screwdriver.
I'm glad he said it as the second photo is delightful.
I like the trains too.
Satisfied CustomersThis lady should be pleased.  Countless children were undoubtedly delighted by the toy locomotives she assembled.  Equally pleased were Marines and soldiers in foxholes when their aircraft dropped these flares to neutralize the enemy's nighttime infiltration capabilities.
Erector SquareView Larger Map
Erector Square is still there. The A.C. Gilbert Company was best known as maker of the Erector Set.
Ring zoom pleaseThat ring looks like a Buddha, or an angel or a baby.
Oops!I believe Stephanie was actually known as Stephan until the day the screwdriver slipped.
Toy Story IIWorld War II was the second time that AC Gilbert's factory was converted to war production. It was also converted during World War I; Gilbert's brother served in that war.
Also during World War I, the War Production Board wanted to cancel the normal Christmas giving of toys to children and replace them with Liberty Bonds. Gilbert traveled to Washington to argue against that idea and became known as the man who saved Christmas.
(The Gallery, Howard Hollem, WW2)

Ma Kettle: 1900
Circa 1900. "A bit of country life near Henryville, Pennsylvania -- making soap." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. A "Wida maker" That's what you call that dead limb hanging up th ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/02/2012 - 7:43pm -

Circa 1900. "A bit of country life near Henryville, Pennsylvania -- making soap." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size.
A "Wida maker"That's what you call that dead limb hanging up there, at least up here in the northwest, because they often fall on the logger while cutting down a tree, I guess that one would be a "widower maker"!
Fark SoupFarked again!
Did they load up the truckand move to Beverly? Hills, that is.
Price of soap in 1900I could not find how much a bar of soap cost in 1900, but it had to be a few cents. Compare that to what must be an all day job: gathering the wood, gathering the fat and lye, setting the fire, melting and stirring the ingredients, cooling them, cutting the bars up, stacking them, then cleaning up and putting that cannibal kettle away.
They are doing all that to save how many pennies? Doesn't make sense to brains and wallets 110 years later.
The things we take for granted: SoapUntil I saw this, I never considered the purchase of a bar of soap to be a labor-saving act. It is good that soap is available in our stores since I have no idea of how to make it.
The photo is dated 1900. P&G's Ivory Soap had been available since 1879. Perhaps it was considered an unaffordable luxury by some in 1900 - a necessity in today's world. I suppose underarm deodorant was not even considered.
The things we take for granted.
Engineering ConsultantObscure engineer Morris Goldberg (whose son Rube was later to achieve fame as a cartoonist) drew a Free Body Diagram of the beam that's holding up the cauldron.  He concluded that additional reinforcement was needed, so he specified the two custom made sizes of iron chains shown.
Well, it worked, didn't it?  This photo is the proof.  A print was found in Mo's briefcase after he passed on in 1947.
Blaze of GloryIf the hem of Grandma's dress gets any closer to the fire she is going to be all "lit up."
Granny FlambeThe hem of her dress is awfully close to the fire. It's making me nervous.
Easy on the lye!Baby soap has to be mild. Possum fat and lye was Granny Clampett's recipe, I do recall.
Making soup.  That's what I thought it said yesterday. Then I thought, man, they sure must have a big family.
Objects In Glass Plate Appear Closer Than They AreI think she's standing a good foot or more away from the fire, based on how far out her left forearm would likely reach.  Far away things tend to appear closer to each other than they really are and photography captures this illusion.
Hard SoapThe relationship between money and time would have been very different on a small farm, which would have been largely a subsistence operation, with only a little money from selling surplus. Cash was likely reserved for things requiring too much tech to be practical like steel tools and cloth.  Extra money required extra time to run something like a few beehives or extra laying chickens to produce something salable.
Lye probably would not have been "gathered" by someone far down the food chain. Lye was made by burning hardwood from a scrubby woodlot and soaking the ashes!  Lots of time, no cash.  Fat would have been tried out from animals and carefully saved
Granny would have supplied the experience to get the recipe right -- too much lye, and the soap will clean you right down to the bone.  Too little and you have grease.
Danger!There's a very large, very dead limb hanging directly above her head!
Grandma's Lye SoapReminds me of an old song called "It's In The Book", with the following lyrics:
Cousin Herman, and brother Thurman
Had an aversion
To washing their ears
Till Grandma washed them
With her lye soap
Now they haven't heard a word in years!
Mom's experienceA number of years before her death (at 97), I asked Mom to write her account of growing up in rural Ontario without running water or electricity. We ended up with quite an autobiography, including a section on soapmaking.
All the soap used in the Shannon household was home made from materials at hand, fat and potash.  The fat came from the pork which was a staple meat.  The potash came from wood ashes from the kitchen stove.  Near the back door was a round tank about 4 or 5 feet high and whenever the ashes were taken out of the stove they were put in this tank along with some water.  When it was time to make the soap, the liquid, now lye or potash, was drained off through a tap at the bottom of the tank.
Now the big iron kettle on the tripod came into service.  Measured amounts of fat and potash were put in the pot and a fire was started under the kettle. I remember seeing Grandma Lou stirring the contents of the kettle and imagining she was a witch. Indeed she could have passed for one, long dark clothes, shawl around her head and shoulders, all she lacked was the pointed hat and broomstick. 
	After several hours of boiling and stirring the soap was finished, the fire allowed to go out and the soap to set.  On top would be about 4 inches of lovely white soap which would be cut into bars and used for hands and baths and laundry.  Below was about 2 inches of light brown liquid soap, called soft soap.  This was put in a bowl beside the wash basin in the woodshed for the workmen (just Grandpa by this time) to get the real grime off.
	Below the soft soap was about 1/2 inch of glycerine.  This was mixed with rosewater (the only purchased item) to use as a hand lotion to repair the damage done by the soap.
	My mother carried on the tradition of soap making on the kitchen stove, but she bought the lye in cans to mix with the fats which she had carefully saved.  I do not remember there being soft soap and glycerine as a byproduct.
(The Gallery, DPC, Farked, Rural America)

A Circus Girl: 1908
"A Circus Girl." 1908 photograph by Frederick W. Glasier of Brockton, Massachusetts. View full size. A Circus Girl Considering the age of this print, the quality is unbelievable. I studied the history of photography in my early days as ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/08/2012 - 8:18pm -

"A Circus Girl." 1908 photograph by Frederick W. Glasier of Brockton, Massachusetts. View full size.
A Circus GirlConsidering the age of this print, the quality is unbelievable. I studied the history of photography in my early days as a photographer, and I never fail to be amazed at the quality of this stuff
A Fark GirlLooky here:
http://www.fark.com/cgi/comments.pl?IDLink=3051179&tt=voteresults&starti...
(The Gallery, Farked, Horses, Pretty Girls)

You're Soaking in It: 1920
Washington circa 1920. "Walter Reed physiotherapy story." View full size. National Photo Company Collection glass negative, Library of Congress. Mild? Mild? More than just mild! Fark it! This seems like an easy/perfect candidate ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/11/2011 - 6:47pm -

Washington circa 1920. "Walter Reed physiotherapy story." View full size. National Photo Company Collection glass negative, Library of Congress.
Mild?Mild? More than just mild!
Fark it!This seems like an easy/perfect candidate for farking! I'll just sit back and watch the magic!
Red CrossLove the handknit sweater vest. Volunteers turned out tons of these vests, sweaters, mittens, gloves, hats, balaclavas and especially socks for the troops. Postwar, they knitted for refugees, two traditions that continue
today.
DisarmedI suppose there could be another cause, but it seems to me probable that the skinny biceps (thanks for the grammar pointer, Dave!) may be the result of his arm having been in a cast for a long time after being broken. I know that after I spent a month or two with my right arm in a sling following a martial arts injury, it took well over a year before I was able to lift anywhere near the same amount with it as with the left, and it had been the stronger arm before then.  Muscles can atrophy pretty quickly when immobilized.
Hydrotherapy.His left bicep looks way too thin. I'd be interested to know what the story is, here. Walter Reed, 1920, plus military haircut - but he's not an amputee.  Unless he is.
[Shorpy Fun Fact: There is no such thing as a "bicep." Each arm has one biceps. Which is Latin for "two heads." Bi = two; ceps = heads. - Dave]
Soldier BoyAnother 1920's cutie. I hope his arm and his life turned out well.
Farked!Your wish is my command. Hope you like it.
Still the sameI had the identical warm water bath treatment two years ago when undergoing some physiotherapy treatments.  Even the stool looks just as uncomfortable.
(The Gallery, D.C., Farked, Medicine, Natl Photo)

Rodrigues and Children: 1920
Brazilian advisor Manuel Coelho Rodrigues with his children in Washington, D.C., 1920. From the National Photo Company. View full size. the daughter on the right will eat your soul... Freaky What a weird illusion. At first glance ... 
 
Posted by Ken - 09/08/2011 - 5:20pm -

Brazilian advisor Manuel Coelho Rodrigues with his children in Washington, D.C., 1920. From the National Photo Company. View full size.
the daughteron the right will eat your soul...
FreakyWhat a weird illusion. At first glance it appeared that all three people were floating in the air.
IllusionI believe the illusion of floating comes from the shadow in the foreground. The eye interprets the shadow as coming from Mr. Rodrigues, and since there's space between him and the shadow it looks like he's floating. Try scrolling the shadow off the bottom of the screen when you look at the photo and you'll see that the illusion goes away.
the daughter (Right)Obviously approves of the Right Daughter's eating-of-your-soul.
Fark entriesSome of those are pretty good.  Thanks for the link.
Farked!This photo, after getting Farked over the weekend, is now fodder for a Photoshop contest. Check out the results.
(The Gallery, D.C., Farked, Kids, Natl Photo)

The Player: 1925
Washington, D.C., circa 1925. Library of Congress transcription of the label on this negative: "Kaspar Handley," i.e. the Hendley-Kaspar music school run by Lucia Hendley and Henry Kaspar. View full size. National Photo glass negative. ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 06/09/2018 - 7:40pm -

Washington, D.C., circa 1925. Library of Congress transcription of the label on this negative: "Kaspar Handley," i.e. the Hendley-Kaspar music school run by Lucia Hendley and Henry Kaspar. View full size. National Photo glass negative.
KasparI would submit that the left picture on the wall is a print or photo of the courtyard of the Palazzo Vecchio in Florence. The girl is probably in the middle of a piano-seance, trying to contact the departed Kaspar to find out where he hid the money.
BlindfoldI guess Kaspar's method included the eyes being covered so the student wouldn't look at the keys. Typewriting used to be taught that way.
Extremely CoolI think this is one of the most striking photos I've ever seen.
Her dress is frumpy...but those sure are some cute high-heeled Mary Janes.
Touch TypingIn 1948 I learned on a typewriter with blank keys.  I think that you can get similar keyboards today.
Fark Alert!Farked again.
The whole package deal...Dress is rather blah, but have a pair of shoes just like hers. Having taken piano lessons for mucho years, have done the blindfold technique several times.  My teacher used it in preparation for juries and recitals where all pieces had to be memorized. Gotta laugh, though, as my current abode has a radiator and gas lamp very similar to those in the pic. Luckily, the gas isn't still hooked up - it's a good candle holder though!
(The Gallery, Bizarre, D.C., Farked, Music, Natl Photo)

Bedded Wheat: 1906
Niagara Falls, New York, circa 1906. "Natural Food Conservatory. The whole wheat cleaned and ready for use." Incipient Shredded Wheat. 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. Meow Kitty's dream co ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/20/2012 - 11:06am -

Niagara Falls, New York, circa 1906. "Natural Food Conservatory. The whole wheat cleaned and ready for use." Incipient Shredded Wheat. 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size.
MeowKitty's dream come true!
Shredded FarkFarked again!
The Wheat Stops HereAs I recall from my school days in suburban Buffalo, it was milling that made Buffalo a "big" city.  Grain could easily be transported on large ships from the upper Midwest to the Buffalo/Niagara area on large freighters, but to get to the Eastern Seaboard communities it had to go by Erie Canal barge. It made sense to mill it in Buffalo so it could be packed more efficiently on the barges.
Eventually railroads replaced the canal and the milling centers moved farther west.
(The Gallery, DPC, Factories, Farked)

Reaching Out: 1973
High atop Christmas Tree Hill above Corte Madera, California, I reach out from my fisheye lens to my sister-in-law. Sort of like Michelangelo meets Coca-Cola commercial. In the near distance, southern Marin County's Richardson Bay, Sausalito and t ... 
 
Posted by tterrace - 09/16/2011 - 5:00pm -

High atop Christmas Tree Hill above Corte Madera, California, I reach out from my fisheye lens to my sister-in-law. Sort of like Michelangelo meets Coca-Cola commercial. In the near distance, southern Marin County's Richardson Bay, Sausalito and the Tiburon peninsula, with San Francisco Bay and the City beyond. The antennas a bit down the crest of the hill are for the Marin cable TV system. The "Christmas Tree Hill" moniker came about because decorated houses on the slope formed something of a Christmas tree pattern when viewed from a distance. Kodachrome slide. Update/correction: my brother took this shot, and it's his arm; I'm actually partly visible back there with my tripod and movie camera.  View full size.
Look at that sunI bet she was hot.
Icontterrace, your sister-in-law has become an icon on Shorpy.com.  This photo will solidify her position now.  Love it!
It could be a china plate design!Totally awesome shot!!!
Cinematic deja vuReminds me of the graveyard scene from Easy Rider.
MarvelsOf what Spiratone lenses could do.  Excellent.  I agree about the china plate; that would be so cool!
KTIMIf memory serves, the late rock promoter Bill Graham lived on Christmas Tree Hill. 
Sun Spot FlowI love how the spots from the lens flare flow from the sun, through your sister-in-law, and down your arm. 
Also, what's on the tripod back there?
Sort of like Michelangelo meets Coca-Cola commercialThe perfect description!
Tripod answerMy Super-8 movie camera is on the tripod.
That '70s FarkFarked again!
The Farksters...... were particularly inspired this time.
DetailsSince finding the great Shorpy site I have constantly been amazed at you being able to remember details from long ago.  I can look at a photo I took back in the seventies and have no idea what camera or film or even where I was at the time!
(ShorpyBlog, Member Gallery, Farked, tterrapix)

Bill London: 1942
December 1942. Melrose Park, Illinois. "Chicago & North Western RR. William London has been a railroad worker 25 years -- now working at the roundhouse at the Proviso yards." 4x5 Kodachrome transparency by Jack Delano for the Office of War Inf ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/30/2012 - 4:46pm -

December 1942. Melrose Park, Illinois. "Chicago & North Western RR. William London has been a railroad worker 25 years -- now working at the roundhouse at the Proviso yards." 4x5 Kodachrome transparency by Jack Delano for the Office of War Information. View full size.
What Do You Say, Girls?Something tells me this guy won't qualify for the "Handsome Rake" category.
Respirator?I got yer respirator right here, pal...
I wouldn't vouch for...his pulmonary quality of life.
Good StandingLooking at what he is wearing, and how much grime he has, I would guess he is a "Member of Good Standing" of the Boilermakers Union.
ObviouslySmoking will be the least of his worries.
Pall MallOutstanding, and they are MILD!
Now wait a secondWorking on steam locomotives was a dirty grimy business, and smoking in that age was not only acceptable but often encouraged. To criticize his dirty demeanour and appearance is reprehensible. He was one of the hard working railroad men who helped the U S win the war and should be remembered as such, not criticism based on modern standards. Mr London, I salute you.
The colours!Yes, of course it's ridiculous, but some part of my brain thinks that the past was actually in black and white.
Working etc.All the flippin' livelong day.
Re: What Do You Say, Girls? I think his eyes are beautiful. Perhaps with a good shave, a thorough bath, and a dandy set of clothes, this gent could be a handsome rake.  Also, not to stir up too much controversy, but why do you think that 'Girls' are the exclusive judges of whether a man befits the tag of "Handsome Rake"?  Are men the sole judges of a woman's beauty?
The People, YesThis guy's mug is what Carl Sandburg meant in 1936. Without guys like this, who knows where the country would be?
Fark R.R.Farked again.
Ashes by NowLooks like he has spent a lot of time inside boilers, including the shift he is on.
Starting to see some gray under the hat.  Much as people like steam engines the amount of grueling hard labor it took to keep them running compared to the diesels was one of the major reasons they disappeared so quickly once WW2 was over and industrial resources were realigned.
RR grimeFrom the goggles and collar buttoned up to his neck, to keep cinders and such out of your eyes and off your body as the engine goes down the track, he could've been in engine service. Or, from as dirty as he is, could be a roundhouse employee, maybe uses a cutting torch or somesuch tools and would need eye protection. More than likely a round house or shops employee. Either way, he is leaning on the drawbar on the front of a locomotive.
[As noted in the photo caption, he is a roundhouse employee. - Dave]
  You didn't wear your work clothes home. At the end of the shift you went to the changehouse and changed out of that garb and put on you regular clothes.
  Mama would beat you for coming into the house in those clothes. Not sure when they got washed. I've talked to folks here in town whose menfolk worked in the shops here and talked about just that topic, but I can't remember what they said. 
  Like to know what that button on the bill of his cap says.
(The Gallery, Kodachromes, Chicago, Farked, Jack Delano, Railroads)

First the Shoes: 1941
July 1941. "Detroit, Michigan. Head of the art department with new model at the Crowley-Milner department store." Booting from the desktop. Large format nitrate negative by Arthur Siegel, Office of War Information. View full size. Nope ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 01/04/2013 - 11:12am -

July 1941. "Detroit, Michigan. Head of the art department with new model at the Crowley-Milner department store." Booting from the desktop. Large format nitrate negative by Arthur Siegel, Office of War Information. View full size.
NopeI won't comment.
Oh myThere's much to comment on here that I will, in the interest of good taste, leave alone.  Interesting that even the cover of the Life magazine has the word, "arms" displayed.  Perhaps it is the model's subliminal plea for said appendages.  The shoes, though, are rather snappy.
Inspiration?Inspiration for another (M)ad Man?
This Photo Would BeWorth a million at a bachelor party. The negatives would be worth even more.
Just Before the Shutter ClickedHe realised "Oh God, my wife is going to see this!"
Look at her shoe, you cur!He moved the portable radio off of his desk, but not the blueprint of it. It's tough to see that even the mannequins have to go through the "interview" process with the head of the art department. This is the first posting that got me laughing out loud when I saw it. What was he thinking when he posed for this one?
[The blueprint shows a Sherwin-Williams paint display, not a radio. - Dave]
I wondered how people missed things like that. Now I know! I didn't look closely enough when I read the comments for the first photo. I stand corrected. https://www.shorpy.com/node/14348
Arthur Siegel, He's Our Man!Let's have more photos from the Office of War Information. Was this one just a test shot while waiting for Betty Grable to arrive?
I'd slap you... if I had arms.
I'm just a lonely boyRegardless of what Rod Serling might say, the model IS cooperating.  Why else would a mannequin be in that position?
Alternate titleA farewell to arms.
Fark baitThis ought to be good.
HEY !My eyes are up here.   Love the wall art-deco deer, what building is this?
Restricting...Tell me, why would a mannequin need a CORSET???
The Shoe of ChampionsLIFE magazine, May 19, 1941.
(The Gallery, Arthur Siegel, Detroit Photos, Pretty Girls, The Office)

Chair and Balanced: 1917
Washington, D.C., 1917. "Reynolds, J., performing acrobatic and balancing acts on high cornice above Ninth Street N.W." Our fourth glimpse of "Jug" Reynolds at work atop the Lansburgh furniture store. Harris & Ewing. View full size. ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/28/2012 - 10:17pm -

Washington, D.C., 1917. "Reynolds, J., performing acrobatic and balancing acts on high cornice above Ninth Street N.W." Our fourth glimpse of "Jug" Reynolds at work atop the Lansburgh furniture store. Harris & Ewing. View full size.
Gulp!!I like the way the other chap is ready to catch him (with fag in mouth). This is something Harold Lloyd would have winced at.
Publicity stuntsStunts like this were common back then. 
There was one fellow named George Polley who was known as the human fly. He would scale any building as a grand opening stunt, or for a promotion. Once, a haberdasher had just put a new suit on a window mannequin, and was out front admiring his display when Polley came along. George said "I would stand on my head on the roof for a suit like that!" to wich the shopkeep replied, "If you can climb to the roof, I'll give you that suit."
George Polley got the suit. 
However, his life was cut short at the age of 28. Not from a fall, but from a brain tumor.
OK sir, that's enoughwe really should be getting back to the taxi, the traffic is bad this time of day.
The SpotterWho says that cigarettes don't make one look cool?
No vain boaster he!Two years later, Jug Reynolds appears to have moved to New York, where he was still thrilling them from the rooftops. Here is an admiring little feature about him in the October 1919 issue of Popular Science Monthly.
Sweaty hands and butterfliesThat's what this pic gave me and I love heights.
Everyone Knows it's Windy!!Waaaaaaaaaaaaay too windy for that stunt. The guy is clearly crazy. I wonder what that netted him?
On a lark and a FarkFarked again!
(The Gallery, Curiosities, D.C., Farked, Harris + Ewing)

Nick Noir: 1924
New York, December 1924. "Unloading Railway Express car." When the sleigh's in the shop, Santa might have to hijack a truck. 5x7 glass negative. View full size. Chucky The face on the guy helping him load makes me shiver. Nightmare city ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/06/2012 - 1:55pm -

New York, December 1924. "Unloading Railway Express car." When the sleigh's in the shop, Santa might have to hijack a truck. 5x7 glass negative. View full size.
ChuckyThe face on the guy helping him load makes me shiver. Nightmare city.
CreepyThis is one of the creepiest photos I have seen on Shorpy. The evil clown guy on the truck is going to give me nightmares.
Special delivery"Quit clowning around! This box of coal is heavy!"
ElvishSanta's beard is definitely the real thing, but that clown face is the thing of nightmares!
This SantaI had to chuckle - people are always commenting about how much thinner people are in general in these old pictures. Now I see that even Santa was eating a lower-fat and -sugar diet back then!
Disturbing in so many ways...I think it's the clown mask on the guy in the back of the truck. Creepy!
Looks like they're loading UP a really bad little boy, possibly for shipment back to the North Pole to work in Santa's Secret Toy Mines until he's "reformed." The fact that there are no air holes is the crate is a bit worrisome ... but poor little Carl was really asking for it.
Sorry, but there were a few kids in my neighborhood growing up whose disappearance would have been an occasion of almost universal delight! (And I suspect every neighborhood has one or two...) 
Awfully coldThe guy inside the truck, taking the package from Santa, seems to have a bad case of frostbite.  Jack frost has nipped at his nose (and cheeks, and forehead, and...)
Ho NoI'm dreaming of a noir Christmas.
GaaaI am officially freaked out. What kind of goofball thinks that a delivery man in clown makeup somehow blends with the xmas theme? And I think Santa needs to get back to eating meat, as his vegan (or bourbon) diet has left him looking remarkably un-Santa-like.
Auto deliveryDo you suppose that is the Packard pedal car they are unloading?
Santa's little helperI don't know why but that little clown midget gives me the creeps!
Santa's Little Helper... is kinda creepy looking.  
Just Say No To ClownsI didn't realize how many other people found clowns so creepy. So it's not just me.
Back In The Yule S.S.R.Look over that guy's shoulder--somebody's getting a balalaika this Christmas!  Or maybe the instruments were packaged separately from the Russian band members they hired that are in that box.  
Man, they had a dreadful flight.
You know that tune?Magic Mose & his Royal Rockers, featuring "Blind Sam," from 1984, on Arf! Arf! Records?
Fark! The Herald Angels SingMerry Farkmas. Who can spot the entry referencing particle physics and quantum theory?
Shrod... schreu... scschrod..., That CatPresumably you mean the first one, "Dead cat - maybe."
[Izzactly. Catwise that is. The first one when I look is Squashed Santa. - Dave]
That's 'cuz I wasn't paying attention. - tt
Edwin and BettieThe folks at Fark have "unique" minds when they work references to Schrodinger's Cat and the recently departed Bettie Page into their Farking of Shorpy's Christmas photos!
[You'll notice that the uniqueness collapses as soon as you look at the post. - Dave]
Gallery AdditionNominate for the Scary Clowns gallery.
[Done! - Dave]
Guy behind Santa:I just KNOW I'll be blamed for this.
Yes, that is exactly whatYes, that is exactly what they are doing – delivering the Packard pedal car.  Santa and the scary clown are shown in the same outfits here in Wanamaker’s Department Store in New York City.
https://www.shorpy.com/node/5140
Merry Christmas
Colorized itHad a go at colorizing it here. Cheers!
(The Gallery, Christmas, Farked, G.G. Bain, NYC, Scary Clowns)

Tree House: 1923
Washington, D.C., 1923. All it says here is "Dept. of Agriculture." Back when the place was run by the Keebler Elves. National Photo Company. View full size. Noble Redwood Tree House More photos here : This was the General No ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 12/11/2011 - 10:45am -

Washington, D.C., 1923. All it says here is "Dept. of Agriculture." Back when the place was run by the Keebler Elves. National Photo Company. View full size.
Noble Redwood Tree HouseMore photos here:
This was the General Noble Redwood Tree House – a 50-foot section of a 2,000 year-old giant sequoia tree. This idea was conceived as an impressive government exhibit for the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago.
The tree was cut in the General Grant National Park – which is now Kings Canyon National Park in California. A team of twenty cutters worked for seven days, fifty feet above the ground, to cut the 26-foot diameter tree.
Workers then hollowed out the stump, and cut the tree into some 2-3 dozen sections, which would be reassembled on the site of the exposition – complete with an interior circular staircase!
In 1894 the tree was moved again to the grounds of the Agriculture Building, on the Mall in Washington, DC. It was then that the structure was made waterproof with the addition of a peaked roof and four dormer windows, and covered with redwood shingles.
The tree house remained on the mall until 1932, when it was placed in storage at the Agriculture's Experimental Farm in Arlington, Virginia. In 1940 the Farm was transferred to the Army for part of the Pentagon grounds, and the tree was likely burned at that time.
Early LOTR StyleI think that's where Gandalf used to live. He eventually had to move out because of all the carpenter ants (his "Jedi tricks" had no deterrent effect upon them). Nowadays he's in a Tampa condo.
Jefferson Drive at 12th StreetTo the right is the Department of Agriculture to the left is the Freer Gallery. Between them is 12th Street SW, a service road and tunnel under the Mall. I crossed the Mall, 100 feet from there yesterday morning. The tree house is gone but the two buildings are still there.
Tree FarkFarked again!
Original TIFF?I've searched high and low for the higher-res source file of this image on the library of congress site and elsewhere and I can't find it for the life of me. Could anyone point me in the right direction?
[It's here.]
(The Gallery, Curiosities, D.C., Farked, Natl Photo)

Modern Family: 1936
July 1936. "Family of migratory fruit workers. Yakima, Washington." Photo by Arthur Rothstein for the Resettlement Administration. View full size. Happy with her shoes! It looks like the young girl in the white blouse is wearing a pair ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/15/2012 - 1:39pm -

July 1936. "Family of migratory fruit workers. Yakima, Washington." Photo by Arthur Rothstein for the Resettlement Administration. View full size.
Happy with her shoes!It looks like the young girl in the white blouse is wearing a pair of shoes that will take her a couple of years to grow into.  None the less, she and her barefooted brother are still able to smile.  You gotta love the resiliency of children.
KidsKids will be kids.  Nice to see them smiling and happy about getting their picture taken.  They're dressed, clean and (probably) well fed enough to be able to experience some lightheartedness amid the obvious poverty.  It's not always about material wealth.  I've seen worse off on shorpy.com.
NutritionLooks like these kids got their milk.  2 tins of powdered milk, 1 of malted milk, and 1 of cocoa.
The only good thing about thisJudging by all the debris and trash waiting to be picked up, at least the cat won't have to worry where the next mouse is coming from.
Think about itNext time you're feeling low, had a crappy day at work, or the satellite TV went out. Pull this photo up and look at it.
DilemmaHeartbreaking view of a family in trouble, even with the children smiling. Living in a tent pitched on debris strewn lot, the father pondering a his situation. His eyeglasses missing an earpiece just accentuate the poverty. The scene won't change for a few years until the war time economy kicks in.
DependentsIs the father merely pensive, or is he feeling the weight of his uncertain future and the responsibility of caring for his young family?
I call this:The Resilience of Youth and the Burden of Maturity.
Modern TimesNot to be sarcastic, but nowadays we call this recreation.
Fun for some maybeKids can see many things as an adventure, but Dad's expression and body language says it all.
Malcolm TentTheir lodging appears to have been manufactured by The Enterprise Tent and Awning Co. of North Yakima. In the Library of Congress I found a 1908 reference to the firm.
Hark, a FarkFarked again!
A mop ? As sad as this picture is I have to wonder what you use a mop for when you live in a tent
(The Gallery, Arthur Rothstein, Farked, Kids, Kitchens etc.)

Top Gun: 1900
Circa 1900. "U.S.S. Chicago . One of the crew." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. Hard headed It couldn't have been easy to use the head with one of those uniforms on. Pity the sailor wh ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/27/2012 - 1:50pm -

Circa 1900. "U.S.S. Chicago. One of the crew." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size.
Hard headedIt couldn't have been easy to use the head with one of those uniforms on.  Pity the sailor who drank coffee regularly or had urinary incontinence!
Who's got the button?Boy, there was no waiting 'til the last minute to use the bathroom in this uniform.
When his hitch is upA&F would like to hire him to model their new line.
You haven't added anyone to the Handsome Rake file in a long time, I nominate him.
Look outfor that lanyard around all of those shiny gears!
The look of confidence.It's a commercial for Enzyte. 
The lanyard, those buttonsUsing the head.  Perhaps there is, um, a 'connection'?
Twelve chancesto say "No!" and not the usual thirteen.
BTW, a great pic!
Hey, sailorIs that a bosun's pipe in your pants or are you glad to see me?
Duty done on the flyThe lanyard is no doubt attached to his bosun's pipe.  When I was in we still had all those buttons, although the blouse was worn out so we chould cheat and leave a few undone on the top.  When in a hurry, one just pulled the whole trouser front down to an "advantageous" level.
All new gearThis photo is of a brand new sailor.  His uniform is new, just issued.  He has no piping on the cuffs of the jumper, which determine rate (rank), the "new" wrinkles in the sleeves and around the collar of his jumper also indicate it is new.  He has no cap ribbon on his hat yet (ships name) which became mandentory in 1866.  His lanyard was for his locker key.  From 1886 until 1913, these were standard uniform articles for all uniforms, for all sailors.  It should be (correctly) worn under the neckerchief.  At this time, lanyards for knives and Bosuns Calls (pipes) were always black and were ships property.  The fancy work lanyards we know from the 20th century (WW 2) era are not yet a style when this photo was taken.  The 11 button trousers were standard issue from 1886 to 1911 when the sides of the trouser fall (flap) was deepened and two more buttons were added.   The jumper was untucked in 1913.  So, this photo is from between 1886 when this uniform became standard and 1911 when the buttons on the trousers were increased to 13.  As a note, prior to 1886, the jumper had drop sleeves, the hat was 10 inches across and the trousers were actually fly front (some sailors had fall front trousers tailor made).
Top FarkFarked again!
(The Gallery, Boats & Bridges, DPC, Farked, Handsome Rakes)

Doing Her Part: 1942
October 1942. "Rita Rodriguez. Production of B-24 bombers and C-87 transports at Consolidated Aircraft, Fort Worth, Texas." 4x5 Kodachrome transparency by Howard Hollem for the Office of War Information. View full size. Always in my underw ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/30/2012 - 4:43pm -

October 1942. "Rita Rodriguez. Production of B-24 bombers and C-87 transports at Consolidated Aircraft, Fort Worth, Texas." 4x5 Kodachrome transparency by Howard Hollem for the Office of War Information. View full size.
Always in my underwear ...... I find little paper notes that say "Inspected by No. 17." So she's the one!
Heavy DutyThose must be some industrial strength skivvies, Yoda.
Wheel of FortuneSo, what manufacturer of machine tools has a company name that ends in Y?
Kent-Owens Horizontal MillAccording to this guy selling the identical horizontal mill on eBay, these are Kent-Owens No. "O" machines.
http://cgi.ebay.com/KENT-OWENS-HORIZONTAL-MILL-14-X-36_W0QQitemZ37010447...
If these old machine tools could speak, what stories they could tell.
OuchAs Safety and OSHA Compliance Officer at my workplace and the son of a retired shop teacher, my first reaction was "Safety Glasses!" Just looking at all of the metal particles on the machine and her apron makes my eyes hurt.
[If there were something in the vise and if Rita were really working instead of posing, she'd be wearing goggles. - Dave]
Pratt & Whitney Machine ToolsTwo possible machine tool companies ending in "y" - Pratt & Whitney and Lodge and Shipley. (Pratt & Whitney machine tools is very distantly related to Pratt & Whitney div of UTC which makes aircraft engines).
I believe the Ft Worth factory is still in use, producing F 16s and F 22s. It's owned by the US govt and currently operated by Lockheed. According to an article on the web, the plant occupies 7 million square feet which I calculate to be about 175 acres!
[The name looks like it ends in "AY," or maybe "MY." Then something ending in "AS" or "MS" under that. - Dave]

LightingDave. do you think that was a flash that was used for lighting or daylight from a nearby window?
[Neither. Probably floodlights. - Dave]
U.S. Machine ToolsFor the third time, it's a U.S. Machine Tools mill. A pretty positive ID can be seen towards the bottom of this thread.
Now it's quite possible, if not probable, that USMT was a dealer/seller rather than the manufacturer, but it's not a Kent-Owens.

Viva RitaThis is great. You don't see too many Latinos represented in media of this era. Who would have thought that Rosie the Riveter's real name was Rita Rodriguez.
K&TCould this milling machine be a Kearney & Trecker?
[As noted below, the letter before the Y seems to be an A or an M. - Dave]

Fark FactoryFarked again.
Machinist's realitiesI'm sure she worked her butt off for the effort, but this is obviously posed, my shop aprons lasted about five minutes in that pristine condition. Plus the lack of, even then, federally mandated safety equipment is a sure sign of war time photo-op. Horizontal mills, like K&T's and Bridgeports didn't come with shields, so you had to do the quick step to avoid coolant and chips, but you ended the day pretty wet anyway.  
(The Gallery, Kodachromes, Aviation, Farked, Howard Hollem)

Ballpark Figure: 1924
November 12, 1924. "Statues of Walter Johnson at Dunbar studio." National Photo Company Collection glass negative. View full size. Now and then Pre-bobblehead Original HOFer Walter Johnson compiled a record of 417-279. This look ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 12/07/2010 - 6:31pm -

November 12, 1924. "Statues of Walter Johnson at Dunbar studio." National Photo Company Collection glass negative. View full size.
Now and thenPre-bobblehead 
Original HOFerWalter Johnson compiled a record of 417-279. This looks like a statue for each of his 110 shutouts. 
Plurality of OpinionThis is great for those sportscasters who insist on making people plural -- "back in the days of the Walter Johnsons, and the Christy Mathewsons ... "
There they are, the Walter Johnsons!
Imagine thatTop row, 2nd full bust from the left looks startlingly like John Waters.
Amazing work.
ProximityAs I type this at work, there is a High School a half mile away named after this man. Bethesda, Maryland.
Batter up!All aboard! The Big Train is rolling on ...
PricelessMan, what I'd give to have a Walter Johnson statue today.  Or was it Samuel Johnson?  Or Walter Pidgeon?  It was one of them.
Better than bobbleheads!Would love to add one of these Big Train statues to my baseball memorabilia collection.  eBay maybe?
Swish!J is for Johnson
The Big Train in his prime
Was so fast he could throw
Three strikes at a time.
-- Ogden Nash
My dad saw Johnson pitch and always spoke with awe of his fastball.
CollectibilityI was wondering how many of these statues exist today.  A quick search on ebay yielded only a photo of Dunbar presenting one of the statues to President Coolidge in 1924 and a photo of Walter Johnson posing for the artist.
Shades of XianAn army of pitchers waiting for the command to play ball.
U.S.J. DunbarUlric Stonewall Jackson Dunbar was the owner of the studio, and the sculptor behind all these statues of Walter Johnson.  To judge from his press coverage, he seems to have been in much demand at the time, with some of his statues placed in the U.S. Capitol.  His studio was at 1517 H Street NW.
Wonderful CastsThese are probably plaster casts of sculptures that Dunbar executed for various clients or perhaps as studies for bronzes. There's a Thomas Edison (well, looks like him) on the far left of the shelf, then farther to the right a couple of Indians, and then a formal portrait that must date from a few decades earlier, judging from the dress and facial hair of the subject. 
Dunbar did excellent marble busts, notably one of Martin Van Buren, as well as larger bronzes. 
Ballpark FarkFarked again!
(The Gallery, Farked, Natl Photo, Sports)

Pitcher This: 1924
New York circa 1924. "Fitziu." The Metropolitan Opera soprano Anna Fitziu, seated, and friends. 5x7 glass negative, Bain News Service. View full size. It's Come Undone I had to laugh when I saw that the embroidery design on her dre ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/25/2012 - 6:50pm -

New York circa 1924. "Fitziu." The Metropolitan Opera soprano Anna Fitziu, seated, and friends. 5x7 glass negative, Bain News Service. View full size.
It's Come UndoneI had to laugh when I saw that the embroidery design on her dress -- it makes it look like the dog is coming unraveled.
The PitcherThat is a gorgeous and unusual pitcher which I would like to know more about.  As an aside, wonder what the spoons are for.
Is there a carpenter in the house?She'll be singing the blues when that rotted out beam supporting her swing gives way.
Everything is Beautiful!Everything they are using is beautiful!  The lovely ornate tray sitting on a pretty wicker table would be treasured items in anyone's home today.  The dresses both ladies, and they are LADIES, are wearing would be perfectly acceptable today and they are 86 years old.  There are many styles from the intervening decades that have not worn--no pun intended--nearly so well.  Their hairstyles are attractive and their smiles are genuine.  The 20's seems to have been a magical interval in the 20th century that were filled with jaunty, happy music to accompany the high energy of everyday life.  I've always envied my parents, born in 1898 and 1902, that they got to spend their young adulthood in these years.  In the 50's, my mother would take out her sheet music from this very year and earlier and play with great enthusiasm the songs they remembered: Ain't We Got Fun, Three O'Clock in the Morning, Yes, We Have No Bananas, You've Got to See Mama Ev'ry Night Or You Can't See Mama at All.  Frederick Lewis Allen wrote a nostalgic book from the vantage point of only 1930 called Only Yesterday when he was 40 telling of all the wonders of the era because he knew even that soon they would be seen as special.
SpoonsThey keep the sugar from settling into the bottom of the glass, if it's anything like my mother-in-law's sweet iced tea.
Another Round?Looks like they are on their second pitcher!
The dog has seen it all before.
I love Ms. Fitziu's wingtip shoes. Very stylish!
Might go fastThat pitcher looks so unique. I bet it would bring more than a few dollars on eBay. 
A pitcher of FarkFarked again!
(The Gallery, Dogs, Farked, G.G. Bain, NYC)

Ask Us About Our Poultry: 1942
November 1942. Lititz, Pennsylvania. "Mennonite farmer and wife at the farmer's market." These folks look like they'd be only too happy to bend your ear about their birds. Photo by Marjory Collins, Office of War Information. View full size. ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 03/09/2010 - 10:10am -

November 1942. Lititz, Pennsylvania. "Mennonite farmer and wife at the farmer's market." These folks look like they'd be only too happy to bend your ear about their birds. Photo by Marjory Collins, Office of War Information. View full size.
Lots of Mennonite flavors.Mennonites come in lots of different flavors.
"Old Mennonites" appear in dress and lifestyle about like the Amish.  "New (moderate) Mennonites" aren't much different in either than a regular ol' Protestant is.
This Mennonite couple appears to be rooted somewhere between the Mennonite extremes.  Or perhaps they're a (gasp) mixed marriage?
One of the funniest things I've ever seen was what appeared to be an Old Order Mennonite in his simple, conservative dress polishing the chrome on his Peterbilt semi at a truck stop in Colorado.  Geez, talk about a clash of cultures.
Obviously chillyThose birds have goosebumps.
Not AmishHow to tell an Amish from a Mennonite? He's got buttons! Oddly, though, I can't say that I've ever seen an Amish or Mennonite person wearing a sweater.
There is a large Mennonite and Amish population in my hometown, and it's always interesting to see where they give in modern conveniences. A few weeks ago, I saw a couple walking through WalMart. Among the things in their basket was a hose (can't make that at home, I suppose). One of the first people my friend sold a box of condoms to when she worked in a grocery store in high school was an (apparently liberal!) Amish man. And when I worked in retail, the women would often come in to purchase luggage and undergarments - I still remember selling a VERY flashy pink, sparkly, embroidered bra to one young Amish lady!
I wonder how this couple would feel about all that!
No Wings HereWhat a lovely looking couple. Love the Lennon specs!
Lost ArtHow to pluck, singe, and dress a fresh chicken.
I wonder what she has in those jars ?
Cheap chickensI note the prices on those chickens... $1.58, $1.58, $1.98.
Can't get a leg for that little, now.
[Whole rotisserie chickens are $4 at my local grocery. (And they're quite delicious.) When you take inflation into account, a whole chicken now is much cheaper than any of these Mennonite chickens. - Dave]
Yard BirdsBetween the Colonel and Hooters the only thing left over now days is the beak and the feet.
She understands that more than one mennonite is being greedy. 
ScrawnyWow, those are some anemic-looking chickens.  
Sixty years of genetic selection and chemistry has given us much bigger birds.  I'd like to do a taste-comparison with one of these.
Size MattersNotice their size as compared to the hormone-fueled behemoths you find in grocery stores today.  
["Hormones" aren't used to grow poultry, at least not in the United States. - Dave]
Lititz Farmers MarketMy guess would be that this photo was taken at some version of the Farmers Market. Currently it is held every Saturday morning from May until October. Would not surprise me if descendants of these folks are still selling fresh chickens on Saturday mornings.
Fark this!C'mon, Dave, ya gotta Fark this one!
[News Flash: I have no influence over whether something gets Farked. That's up to the Fark people. - Dave]
Not what you'd expectWe have a lot of Mennonite families locally. The area supermarkets' paperback sections stock Mennonite romance novels, complete with cover art of young, neatly capped, dewy-eyed heroines.
Now, that's a sub-genre!
Mennonite RomanceAmish and Mennonite romance novels are actually a huge literary subgenre. They generally fall under "inspirational romance," and lots of people read them, actually. (I work for a publisher.) They certainly are ... interesting.
Last week at my library's annual used book sale the Amish/Mennonites were racking up on books! Among those that the man in front of us got was a very large "Uncle John's Bathroom Reader." A girl had a bio of Pope John Paul.
Jam sealed with paraffin I would bet that those jars are filled with some kind of lovely jam or jelly, sealed with paraffin. I'd have loved to help her put up the jam, but I'm glad I didn't have to assist in the killing, plucking and cleaning of all those chickens!
(The Gallery, Marjory Collins, Stores & Markets)

Varsity Stickman: 1924
1924. "Lewis, Maryland Agricultural College." Gomer Lewis, University of Maryland lacrosse star. National Photo Co. glass negative. View full size. All-American Gomer Lewis was named All-American out home (attacker) player in 1924 and 1 ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/07/2012 - 9:31pm -

1924. "Lewis, Maryland Agricultural College." Gomer Lewis, University of Maryland lacrosse star. National Photo Co. glass negative. View full size.
All-AmericanGomer Lewis was named All-American out home (attacker) player in 1924 and 1925.
http://www.umterps.com/sports/m-lacros/history/all_americans.html
The TerpsMaryland Agricultural College, now known as the University of Maryland, is in College Park just over the line from Washington. A longtime lacrosse powerhouse along with its Baltimore brethren at Johns Hopkins University.
Whoo HooNice bod! A shame his name is Gomer. I wonder what became of him. More beefcake, please, Shorpy!
BoxlaLacrosse is Canada's national sport, contrary to the beer-swilling, toothless, wrestling-on-ice corporate spectacle they refer to as NHL hockey. The leather helmet is a nice touch -- this guy must be one tough cookie, eh?  Most lacrosse in Canadaland is box lacrosse, as opposed to field lacrosse, which is mostly played in hockey arenas.
HogwartsIt's Ron Weasley with the Quidditch team!
Looks Like Lewisohn StadiumThe setting looks like Lewisohn Stadium on Convent Avenue in New York City. Did they come to NYC to play someone in the area?
[This is Byrd Field at the University of Maryland. Note MARYLAND spelled out across the stadium building. - Dave]
The Byrd CageIt appears this was taken outside the old Byrd Stadium, which would have been less than a year old at the time of this photo.  The old stadium, which seated 5,000, was used for only about 25 years before the Terrapins moved to another (much larger) stadium of the same name on the opposite end of campus, which is still in use today.
The stadium shown in the background of this photo sat on the east side of US Route 1, across from the main section of campus.  Ritchie Coliseum, the University's main gymnasium at the time, was built directly adjacent to the stadium in 1931.  Today, the University's Fraternity Row sits on the site of the old Byrd Stadium.
Knock on woodI just can't imagine playing the game back in the day.
Wood sticks were the first, obviously, and remained traditional for years even with the introduction of plastic-headed sticks with metal shafts. I remember when I first took up the sport and my coach tried to force me to play with wood "because that's what everyone else used" but I refused to go along with it and I had the only plastic stick on the entire team. 
Turns out I was ahead of my time. I ended up getting better while everyone else experienced setbacks in their training when they were forced to switch from wood to plastic a few years later. 
Lots of funWhen I was a undergrad at U of Maryland during the early 1980s, I used to stop and watch the lacrosse games in the stadium when I was returning to the dorm after a trip to the library.  Lots of fun, very very fast.  
Fark FodderEven as we speak, good ol' Gomer is being subjected to the tender mercies of the Farkers. Tune in Thursday night for the results!
Handsome RakeC'mon! If a fellow with such a nicely developed set of quadriceps (and shoulders!) can't qualify for Rake status, who does? Please add him to the list, even if he does have a somewhat whimsical helmet and is named Gomer!
Actually, I rather like the helmet. 
Gomer Gets FarkedFarked again.
Colonel LewisGomer Lewis Jr., born May 24, 1903, in Washington to Gomer Lewis and Ida [Bauman] Lewis, attended Central High School. He graduated from the University of Maryland in 1925 with a B.S. in engineering. Awarded an "M" letter in both football and lacrosse, he was named All-American in lacrosse in both 1924 and 1925, was a member of Sigma Nu fraternity, and was vice-president of the Inter-Fraternity Council.  
By 1928 Lewis began working for the Mountain States Telephone Company in both Tuscon and Phoenix. He joined the U.S. Army Reserve in 1932 as a 2nd Lieutenant in the Engineering Corps and later in the Field Artillery. In 1941 he was transferred to active duty in the Signal Corps, serving as an electronics engineer. His military career continued after the war, and he would eventually join the Air Force. His obituary states that he later served in the Korean War. He retired as a colonel in 1956.
Lewis officiated at many football games in both the Rocky Mountain and Pacific Coast Conferences. He retired to Sedona, Arizona, in 1960, and died June 15, 1965, at the Phoenix Veterans Administration Hospital. He was buried in Arlington National Cemetery.
(The Gallery, Farked, Handsome Rakes, Sports)

Merry Christmas From 1954
We're all dolled up for Christmas Day and a visit by my godmother and her family. She's in front between my father and brother; her two sons in back. My squint and smirk is characteristic of my eight-year-old self. My brother is smirking because h ... 
 
Posted by tterrace - 12/26/2021 - 1:49pm -

We're all dolled up for Christmas Day and a visit by my godmother and her family. She's in front between my father and brother; her two sons in back. My squint and smirk is characteristic of my eight-year-old self. My brother is smirking because he's clandestinely clicking the shutter of my sister's Kodak Duaflex at the very instant that my godmother's husband is taking this shot. What's the deal with my sister's right hand? It's actually my mother's right hand. Restored as best I could from a horribly scratched, scuffed and faded Kodacolor print; the original is virtually all shades of purple. From all of us to all of you: Merry Christmas!
Wonderful newsMal!
Merry Christmas Shorpy FriendsMade it home for Christmas Eve, surgery went well.  3 1/2 hours under local anesthesia.
Sgt. TerraceAwesome, JohnHoward!
Mal Fuller sez...... in an email that he's planning on being home for Christmas Eve.
Merry Christmas to allMerry Christmas to all in Shorpyland.  And thanks for another great picture, tterrace.  I recently got to peruse the pages on your Larkspur history site. I really enjoyed all the pictures there.
In this picture I can see all the family resemblances.  It looks like you and your brother got your mother's chin, while your sister got your dad's.
Dave, thanks for this great site, and thanks to all the contributors.  Shorpy is the first site I visit every day. 
Brother's picGreat clean up job on the picture. If it still exists we'd like to see the picture your brother snapped here!!
Merry Christmas, Happy Hannukah, and happy regular day for you non-celebrants!!
Smart Fashion!Tterrace, this group portrait was always required any time a family group came together wasn't it?  I like most of all how you could watch everybody age and grow up through these gathering shots.
On the side, I think your Sister is dressed and groomed in the all time height of fashion and it's a pleasure that this style has come back just enough that you see gals sporting the same look downtown right now.
Merry Christmas everyone!
That shotThe shot my brother is taking:
Question timeI'm no kind of expert, but you must have done a good job restoring the image. Apart from perhaps being a bit dark everyone and everything in it looks distinct. Are you a photographer by trade? Also I've noticed in a lot of the pictures you post, you seem to have an incredible memory for the moment that the image was snapped; what was going on and how the image was set up. Are the photos you work from annotated? I can look at any photo I've taken in the last two years and have no recall for the details at all.
Many thanks.TTerrace, thank you enormously for the pleasure that you have brought to us all through 2010.
May you and yours also have a wonderful Christmas, a safe and happy holiday, and a 2011 that is all you wish for.
Bruce
Obvious QuestionThanks, Tterrace, for posting this shot.  That was the first thing I thought of. Oh, and a Merry Christmas to Tterrace, Dave, and to all the members of the Shorpy Brotherhood. 
Merry Christmas to you too, tterrace.I'm pretty addicted to this site and your photos and commentary are a big reason why. I will never forget the photo of your father that you posted last Christmas.
Merry Christmas Shorpy FriendsMerry Christmas too, to Dave and ttterrace from the beautiful state of New Hampshire. For me?  Emergency surgery on my left carotid artery tomorrow, but home by Christmas Eve.
[Goodness. Best wishes for a speedy recovery! - Dave]
1954 originalHere's what the original looks like. As for my memory about the details of some of the photos: I've been looking at and obsessing over them on and off since the day they came back from the drug store. In this case, I can't remember ever not remembering my brother's clever simultaneous photo-snapping. So yes, it's a form of insanity. By the way, five of the people in this shot are still with us.
Xmas FarkIt was just calling out to me.  Just sorry the limit it 490px wide here.
To my Shorpy friendsMerry Christmas and Happy Holidays to everyone, especially our leader Dave and a big thank you to tterrace for allowing us many views of his world.
Happy Christmas to Shorpyville ResidentsThis whole story, the pics, the collage, the commentary ... everything ... the best Christmas gift I can think of.  Very best to all at Shorpy -- my days would not be nearly as interesting without you guys. Maxine 
Mel FullerWhat Dave said!  Take care!
Merry Christmas and a quick Get Well As ever, tterrace's photos are always a pleasure and now an important part of our holiday fun too. And all best wishes for a safe and speedy recovery to Mal Fuller. I had emergency right carotid surgery the end of September last year, and I'm pleased to report that no matter how I dreaded its possibilities, it all turned out just fine. We may all love looking at photos of the past, and parking was a lot easier, but give me the latest in medical improvements every time.
Merry Christmas folks!tterrace-Thats hilarious that the photographer got photographed! Also, being from Kansas City, Mo, I get a chuckle out of your pictures of a California Christmas. All my Christmas pictures from childhood invole parkas and snowball fights in the yard. Keep'em coming, and have a safe holliday everyone!
              Pat in KC  
Merry Christmas to all!Another brilliant family photo - thanks tterrace!
Wishing everyone in Shorpyland a very Merry Christmas and a healthy, happy and prosperous 2011!
Keep It Uptterrace you do great work. The restoration you did on this picture is awesome.
Seasons Greetings to you, your family, as well as our hosts, Dave and Ken, all of Shorpy's visitors and Commenters (or is it commentators?). I hope we're all here for another year (at least) of good health and interesting photographs.
Merry Christmas & Happy New YearDave, tterrace and everyone. Much thanks to Dave for this wonderful site and its escape into the past. 
Thanks to all and Merry ChristmasMerry Christmas to all and thanks to Shorpy, tterrace and all contributors for another wonderful year of viewing the past.  I forget how many this makes for me, four, five, maybe six years, but Shorpy.com is always one of the first sites put into Favorites.
A special thanks to Dave for letting a few of my comments post and letting me enjoy some interesting desktop backgrounds.
Merry ChristmasTterrace, Dave and everyone. Life wouldn't be as full without this site to visit every day.
P.S. tterrace has a hot sister.
Tterrace's unclesI wonder if this visit was before or after the traditional visits you and your family paid to "the uncles"? Must have been busy days during Cristmas-time in those years!
(ShorpyBlog, Member Gallery, Christmas, tterrapix)

The Housewife's Friend: 1915
"Kitchen Appliance." A three-burner Alcohol Utilities stove with griddle and toaster circa 1915. View full size. National Photo Company Collection. How about a shot of Tequila, Agnes dear? Yes, please go ahead and pour me a stiff one, E ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 12/22/2008 - 12:58am -

"Kitchen Appliance." A three-burner Alcohol Utilities stove with griddle and toaster circa 1915. View full size. National Photo Company Collection.
How about a shot of Tequila, Agnes dear?Yes, please go ahead and pour me a stiff one, Ethel!
They seem to have forgotten the shot glasses...I think Agnes is going to pour the shot directly into Ethel's mouth, while straddling her chair, like they do nowadays... naughty pair of minxes!
Up in FlamesThat woman never cooked a day in her life I am willing to bet.  If she were to light that stove, her pretty ruffled sleeve would probably be aflame within seconds.
On a positive note, I'm impressed with the forward-thinking equipment.  Had no idea they were that advanced in 1915.
AlcoholAlcohol as a cooking fuel, I wonder if any housewives caught things on fire using it. "Gee Madge, in 90 years, something called a "George Foreman" will replace our griddle."
Nom nom nom!Bacon in a jar!
Poof.Just looking at the one woman with the denatured alcohol bottle and its sinister sounding name, "Pyro," alongside the other one's ruffled sleeve. This doesn't bode well.
Cooking MarvelLadies! New from the Alcohol Utilities Company of New York - You, too can be a "Pyro" maniac with this wonderful alcohol fueled stove. Make your whole family's breakfast in one place: a griddle perfect for Diamond's sliced bacon, a toasting rack, with an additional burner provided for your eggs. And... it's portable ... portable ... portable.
(Fake ad copy provided my imagination)
AlcoholActually alcohol is relatively safe for use with a stove.  Most boaters use it primarily because it doesn't explode (like propane) and a fire can be quickly doused with water.  
Cool HeatLooks a lot like today's Coleman stove. Is the tank in the middle used to store the alcohol? Also many people use alcohol for those little heaters under their fondue pots.
Today is my Shorpy birthday!I've been a member of Shorpy for 52 weeks and 5 hours now...and I could NOT be more delighted that these "naughty pair of minxes," as Marcelle put it, are featured on this most auspicious of days!
Oh, and I'm bringing veggie burgers & a bottle of "Mad Housewife" brand Chardonnay to a Fourth of July party this Friday! Hooray! Perhaps someone will pour it directly into my mouth while we saucily straddle our chairs, "like they do nowadays"!
And if you act now...!We'll send you set of miracle knives free!
I love this picture- the ancestor of the infomercial.
PrudyReminds me of the costume Prudy was wearing in "Support Your Local Sheriff" when she did, indeed, go up in flames.  Don't tell me this was before your time -- it's a classic.
Another FarkThe contest results.

(The Gallery, Farked, Kitchens etc., Natl Photo)

Film Crew: 1974
On location in Santa Cruz, California, my brother and me, garbed appropriately for the period. My Braun Nizo was something like the BMW of Super-8 movie cameras (the Bolex being perhaps the Mercedes): f1.8 11-to-1 zoom lens, lap dissolve function, ... 
 
Posted by tterrace - 02/27/2011 - 1:01pm -

On location in Santa Cruz, California, my brother and me, garbed appropriately for the period. My Braun Nizo was something like the BMW of Super-8 movie cameras (the Bolex being perhaps the Mercedes): f1.8 11-to-1 zoom lens, lap dissolve function, 18, 24 and 54 fps filming speeds, auto and manual exposure. I see I haven't yet gotten my Bilora tripod with the super-smooth pan head. I'm 28, and already wisps of gray hair are appearing. Cropped from a 35mm Ektachrome shot by my sister-in-law. View full size.
The man behind the siteNice to finally see who's cranking out the cool old photos.
Keep us the great work!
Pay no attention to that man ...He's not the man behind the site. It's me, just a user like you.
Santa Cruz localTterrace,
Where in Santa Cruz was the picture taken?
Groovy LookIn 1974 I was graduating from college in San Francisco, one of the few GI Bill students, and I looked much like your brother with cranberry cords and a pseudo-sheep skin jacket over a turtleneck. Color the hair and mustache red, and it's me.
Delivery Requirements(Hint_Hint_Hint)
YouTube might be a dandy place to upload all that converted footage that you shot, developed, and so carefully edited.
Super-8 telecine is cheap nowadays - lotsa folks doing it.
I play a bit with 16 and 35 myself, but not as my prime business.
 In '74 I had finally completed my military obligations and was soon to be involved in the design and implementation of various discos and a few recording studios - so I, too, looked the part.
I grokked.
Can you relate?
Central Coast LocalI'm pretty sure that this was taken on the rest stop on Highway 1 just south of Soquel
re: Central Coast LocaleRight you are, foodmonster. Just above La Selva Beach, as a matter of fact. No way I could have remembered the exact spot after all these years, but thanks to your hint, I tracked it down.
Super-8I had a Beaulieu Super-8 camera with a moving mirror for true thru-the-lens viewfinder, but the exposure time was only 25% of a frame, losing a precious F-stop of speed. The F1.8 Angenieux lens was water-clear, but I ended up getting a Canon with regular beamsplitter viewfinding, normal 50% shutter, and f 1.4 lens, which offered 2 f-stops more low-light, invaluable even after Kodachrome 40 came in. 
Great Heavenly Days Dude!Did we really dress like that?
Oscars? Meh. Farksters? Yeh!Farked again! Thanks to Geo and mrdj for the alert. Be sure to check out the voting results.
Double FarkParticularly clever is this one, where someone grabbed me from another Shorpy shot and stuck me into it, so I'm taking a picture of myself getting my picture taken.
Triple FarkedThe latest entry, posted by CiliarySpasm.
(ShorpyBlog, Member Gallery, Farked, tterrapix)

The Twiddler: 1922
Washington, D.C. December 19, 1922. "Rep. Vincent Morrison Brennan, Republican of Michigan, listening in on the proceedings of the House, with a receiving set." National Photo Co. Collection glass negative. View full size. Cylinder dictati ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/23/2012 - 10:51am -

Washington, D.C. December 19, 1922. "Rep. Vincent Morrison Brennan, Republican of Michigan, listening in on the proceedings of the House, with a receiving set." National Photo Co. Collection glass negative. View full size.
Cylinder dictation machinesConcerning Bob's question- I'm pretty sure those are cylinder dictation machines, similar to early Edison phonographs. The "cans" beneath are containers for the cylinders.
More about them here.
Mega dittosRush Limbaugh's first fan.
Would you believeThis is the portable model!
While twiddlingThe Congressman sits there waiting for Brian Lamb to be born.
Outstanding processingI downloaded the 1.7 mb tiff file from the LOC. It is a poor quality image. I spent a little time working on it. The processing you did to create the .jpg above is outstanding. How about a brief description of the steps you took to create the image?
[Thanks Doug. You are working from a different version of this image -- a print. Instead use the negative that the print was made from. Download the 25mb tiff. Then twiddle with the Shadows & Highlights filter in Photoshop CS4. - Dave]
Ahead of his timeThe rightmost device atop the senator's desk is one of the first AC adapters. All radios in 1922 were battery powered, but the senator has his plugged into the wall via this adapter. They were prone to fire and explosion — pretty sure that vertical cage houses a massive wirewound resistor that would have had to have gotten mighty hot. Anyway, the senator's "receiver" setup sure was top-of-the-line in 1922. He must have been an avid wireless fan.
Not an AC adapterThe "vertical cage" is in fact a tuned directional aerial. The reason that some AC power supplies went off with a bang was the unreliability of early electrolytic capacitors (needed in the smoothing circuit).
Ahead of his timeCongressman Brennan, who served only one term (he didn't run for reelection in 1922), introduced a bill to allow radio coverage of Congressional proceedings. It failed.
Not yet the telephonoscopeObviously this gentleman was a respectable politician listening to respectable material. But French scientist and sci-fi writer Camille Flammarion had a vision in 1894 of what such technology might lead to in his novel "La Fin du Monde" -- today's couch potato watching the dancing girls on his plasma screen. Sometimes it takes a long time to bring the technology to fruition.
Not Only PortableBut wireless too!
Worth the effort?From the looks of that contraption I think it would have been easier just to have gone to the House in person. 
Cable-Satellite Public Affairs NetworkWhat we're seeing here is a beta C-Span.
Don't be blinded by all the technologyHe has a really nice rolltop desk, too.
Tuned InI suspect that this indeed was the portable version. Most radios of the period used lengthy aerials on the roof and a big copper earth spike in the garden.
I'm intrigued by the device to the right under the frame aerial, partially covered up. This seems to have a drive belt and a pulley. Is this some kind of motor generator set, to generate DC electricity from AC mains (or even DC mains)? It seems to have a rack for cans beneath it. The one to the right has a full set of cans. Are these electrolytic capacitors? Is this the power supply?
re "Vertical cage"I think Fred and Zach are talking about two different things. The large wagon-wheel thing is indeed a directional loop antenna. But Zach was referring to the smaller cylinder atop the desk that enclosed a resistor used to drop the line voltage to a low voltage for the tube filaments. Later transformers were used to do this more efficiently. 
Hark! A Fark!Farked again.
Radio 4 the PeepulThe prescience of this writer (R.T.S.) to the ramifications of broadcasting congressional debate amazes me.  Apparently the allure that an open microphone holds over our elected officials was set in place nearly a century ago.  



Washington Post, Mar 13, 1922 


Men And Affairs
By R. T. S.
The proposition of Representative Vincent Brennan, of Ohio, to equip the United States Capitol with a radio "broadcaster" capable of carrying the House and Senate debates to all parts of the county so that the "peepul" can know what is going on every day in Congress is causing something akin to alarm in wireless circles.  Already the question is asked as to what the other waves have ever done to Congress to be inflicted with such a daily output of oratory?  And what chance would the air have to carry anything else once it was freighted with the congressional debates?
The problems which arise in connection with the project are simply stupendous.  How could the Senate and House both be in wireless operation at the same time without serious "interference?"  Certainly it would be necessary to pitch the debates on different planes - different wave lengths.  And which would claim the higher plane?  Furthermore, if all the debates were broadcasted and some several hundred thousand of persons were listening spellbound at the old family fireside, how could you ever get either representative of senator to stop talking?  Congress would be session for 24 hours a day.
Certainly the wireless telephone has congressional possibilities, but if there has been too much talk, with only the Congressional Record as a medium of complete expression, what in the world would happen with a lot of radio sets tuned to a concert pitch and rearin' to go?

Two rightmost devicesAre they dictating phonographs?
More than just twiddlingThis is an interesting photo from a technical perspective. 
The subject is far more that just a twiddler. He has an advanced radio receiving setup, but even more interesting are the two cylinder machines. 
At the time early radio broadcasts included music transmissions of jazz and other music. Also electric cylinder recorders were not common until around 1925, but these devices are definitely electrically driven cylinder devices and I speculate that one or both are recorders. In which case this fellow could be involved in recording music received from a broadcast and then duplicating cylinders for sale or distribution.
More about the radio. The twiddler is tuning the valve radio located on the desktop. That involved tuning in the station and also tuning the input signal to maximise signal strength. The four connection top right on the receiver are for the A and B power supply voltages, these are coming from batteries in the box on the floor to the right of the desk. The bottom right connections on the receiver connect to the loop antenna on the stand. The receiver would power headphone by default. In the case however the audio output is connected to the valve audio amplifier on the top shelf, the output of which is connected to the electrically driven horn loudspeaker to the left. The unit to the right of the amplifier is housing what is almost certainly a power triode delivering heaps of power, perhaps around 2 watts. I a have already suggested, the output could also be fed to a cylinder recorder (very advanced).
Interesting; quite a leader, with regards to copyright issues and dilemmas only now being dealt with by the major music distribution companies. 
(Technology, The Gallery, D.C., Farked, Natl Photo)

Measurements: 1937
July 23, 1937. "To enable fathers and mothers to order clothes with the confidence that a size 8 or 10 is all it's supposed to be in length and breadth, the Bureau of Economics, U.S. Department of Agriculture, is leading a project in which college ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/12/2011 - 7:24pm -

July 23, 1937. "To enable fathers and mothers to order clothes with the confidence that a size 8 or 10 is all it's supposed to be in length and breadth, the Bureau of Economics, U.S. Department of Agriculture, is leading a project in which colleges and universities will cooperate to discover the clothing dimensions needed by today's children. Special attention is being paid to racial characteristics, as the experts believe that race and neighborhood have something to do with a youngster's size. Dr. Eleanor Hunt, associate anthropometrist, Bureau of Home Economics, is shown training one of the first classes on scientific measurement of the human body." Harris & Ewing Collection glass negative. View full size.
She's measuring what now?!I can hardly comment, I'm snickering too hard!
Nice looking kid -- looks a bit like my dad when he was a kid -- though he would not have held still for that.
15 minutes of fame...followed by 25 years of therapy.
Could be worseIt's certainly an improvement over the days when Sears Roebuck promised a perfect fit if you told them your child's age and "whether large or small of age".
Oh Jeez!So much to be said here...
Measuring UpWow - this is such a striking picture I have a number of reactions -- first, that poor kid probably grew up to be a life model for an art class. He has that "I'm not here" look down very well. The dude smirking on the far right probably never grew up. The calipers and tools of measurement make this all look very scientific, but their stated objective of paying attention to race makes me cringe, because it's 1937, and "paying special attention to racial characteristics" doesn't usually mean something good or kindly intended.
Who stole my nightmareThe scary array of measuring tools, the smirking note-takers, the Dr. Seuss socks -- this is the recurring dream I started having when I was 12!
Stranger than fictionYou can't make a picture like this up.
DaveI think a caption contest here would be a bad idea.
The perfect moment Of all the measurements Dr. Hunt took that day, why did the photographer choose this one as his subject?  Makes ya wonder...
Tape Measure v. MicrometerMy boyfriend says he would rather this particular examination require a tape measure than a micrometer.
You boys are all very silly. This is nothing to joke about. It is science and all for the betterment of mankind.
Although isn't her rather unnecessary squinting going to psychologically damage this poor young man?  I do hope he was paying this no attention.  
Mom was rightabout always wearing clean underwear, just in case of moments like this. 
Definitely a government operationIt takes eleven people to measure the dimensions of one boy?
Dr. Hunt... you've got cold hands.
GLTPShe is demonstrating the measurement of width at the level of greatest lateral trochanteric projection.
If it weren't for pioneers like this our kids' pants would not fit so well today.
Modern EvolutionJust yesterday I was reading some fascinating material in the March 2009 issue of Discover Magazine wherein evolutionary developmental biologists believe that an extraordinary number of genetic changes over the past 10,000 years has led to significantly different physical characteristics between different ethnic groups.  Thus, the above experts may have been ahead of their time.
Does he measure up ?I think the guy on the right and I are thinking the same thing.
Somewhere in AmericaThere's somebody saying, "Oh my God, that's Great-Grandpa in his undies!"
All science aside - - - -just what the heck IS she measuring, and why???
Say What?I don't even know where to begin commenting on this photo. But oh that poor kid.
Wry smilesTwo of the students, the woman, second to left, and the farthest over guy on the right have both cracked what seem probably inadvertent half smiles, the sort of wry grin you get when you are either standing a bit back from the action and actually observing it, or simply the face of someone who is trying to find humor in what is a bit embarrassing.  
The poor kid, enduring this display of himself, being measured no less, at an age when this is probably about to become an issue, looks really mortified and fed up both at once.  Of course this was depression era.  Perhaps his parents were being given a little stipend for this strange bit of child labor?  I hope he was rewarded, because he sure was made a show!  He's probably about 72 by now.  Let's hope he got over it!
[72? Check your math. - Dave]
Miss Eleanorseems to be getting awfully close to Mr. Johnson!
Fark OffI submit this photograph as the greatest potential Shorpy Farker of all time.  
With that in mind, let the pros have at it.  Restrained commentary is best for this particular shot. Everyone, please back away from your keyboards...
Doc, I swear I can't stopDoc, I swear I can't stop having this nightmare: I'm in a room full of fully dressed people, and I'm standing there in my underwear, and an old biddy with a caliper is carefully measuring, you know, THERE. It's so real, and it's awful. What could it possibly mean??
OMGThat's certainly the first question I put to the men in my life: "Is your 8 or 10 all it's supposed to be in length and breadth?"
Years of therapy...What a strange picture -- the boy has such a look of miserable endurance. Dr. Hunt is lucky she didn't get kicked in the teeth. The seated woman second from left is the only one looking at the boy with any compassion at all, and even that is ambiguous. Poor kid. 
Aw, gee... do I have to, Ma?You've got to believe this kid is hoping the fellas don't find out about this.  The gent all the way at the end in the white shirt is perhaps thinking the same thing on the kid's behalf.  Love all the clashing patterns on the ladies' dresses.
Caption contest?Oh Dave, there HAS to be a caption contest in THIS image? No?
Warm up your PhotoshopThis cries out to be Farked.
Not with a ten-foot poleEven commenting on this is likely to get you investigated.
Oh, Dang....there's a stain on my sock, and what's all that alcohol for!...Are they going to operate?  Yikes!!
Times have changedNowadays you'd have to buy her a drink first.
Strange...Is anyone concerned about the guy on the far right with the creepy smile on his face?
I'm more concernedabout the two guys on the left without writing materials and their arms crossed. Those guys are the pervs.
BTW, there is no way in heck that you could have gotten me to stand there like that. 
Figure 8So, he's an 8, right?  Oh, I get it -- that's why it says "8" on the back of his hand.

Senseless observationThere is nothing wrong with this situation. I once measured a young woman with a tire pressure gauge and a meat thermometer. Not to mention a decibel meter after Mexican food.
Grandpa trousersHe wore his undies pulled up tight all the way to his belly button, that explains why so many men his age now wear their pants pulled up to their armpits!
This is trulyone of the strangest pictures I've ever seen, on this site or anywhere. 
(The Gallery, D.C., Harris + Ewing, Kids)

Brooklyn Public Library: 1941
February 4, 1941. "Foyer, Brooklyn Public Library (Ingersoll Memorial), Prospect Park Plaza." Acetate negative by Gottscho-Schleisner. View full size. Kafkaesque My first thought was this must be in Eastern Europe -- big empty halls to ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/17/2012 - 10:09pm -

February 4, 1941. "Foyer, Brooklyn Public Library (Ingersoll Memorial), Prospect Park Plaza." Acetate negative by Gottscho-Schleisner. View full size.
KafkaesqueMy first thought was this must be in Eastern Europe -- big empty halls to make you feel so small. 
What a place!I was about to say something about how nice the place looked when it wasn't crowded with metal detectors and security gates and lines everywhere.  
These days it's full of kids running around and people having loud conversations in about 50 different languages, and those are great things to have in a library too.
In the StacksBack in 1965 I spent several days going through that foyer to the newspaper stacks, searching for my grandfather's April 1903 Brooklyn Daily Eagle obit. Since that time, the Library has digitized every copy of the Eaglefrom 1851 through 1902. Someday maybe they'll have enough funding to complete this enormous job.
Re: What a PlaceI used to go there from the time I was old enough to go to the library by myself, up through college.  So, I remember its heyday as does Zach.  It's sad to hear that it has deteriorated.  You can thank the decline in civility to the influx of the mongrels.
["Decline in civility"? You should know. - Dave]
A Grand LibraryLots of fond memories of BPL's main branch, and can still remember kids break dancing in front as they waited for it to open.  You can't say that about every library!
Makes me wishI had a time machine
Lonely big spacesI wonder if some guy named Eddie Hopper is loitering around the corner.
Public spacesTell you so much, intended and unintended, about the values of the culture. Today, buildings like this are pretty much limited to financial and corporate institutions--and sports venues.
Dial M for MesmerizedThis gorgeous photo is very intriguing. It looks like a still from an Alfred Hitchcock movie. I wish I were clever enough to come up with a dark and suspenseful plot surrounding the two men who are talking and the lone man on the right who is merely pretending to be interested in that wall display.
I guess I'll just enjoy looking at this picture, one of my favorites on Shorpy so far.
The LibraryMy goodness -- what a beautiful building. All those sweeping columns and recessed lights. To a kid who loved to read, it must have been like going to a cathedral. I hope it's still gorgeous like that even now.
Crown HeightsI grew up in Crown Heights and often went here as a young kid. I remember being awe-inspired and intimidated by the library. As someone else mentioned, it was as if walking into a monumental cathedral to a kid in second grade. Not even on a human scale.
Well PreservedI live three blocks from this library and am glad to report that it has not deteriorated.  The entrance has recently been redone and the inside (except for the changes noted above) looks pretty good to me.
This is a wonderful building and it greatly contributes to Grand Army Plaza on which it occupies a prominent corner. It looks pretty much the same now as it did then.
Not just a lookerA gorgeous architectural photo. But today, as Zack wrote, it's overrun with people.
I think the builders would be happy with that result.
When I wait in line at my beautiful local library I always feel lucky that my neighbors appreciate the space and appreciate books.
Ministry of InformationSam Lowry: I've been told to report to Mr. Warren.
Porter: Thirtieth floor, sir. You're expected.
Sam Lowry: Um... don't you want to search me?
Porter: No sir.
Sam Lowry: Do you want to see my ID?
Porter: No need, sir.
Sam Lowry: But I could be anybody.
Porter: No you couldn't sir. This is Information Retrieval.
Although, the porter in the movie at least had a impressive desk and a real chair instead of a bar stool. 
Foyer à FarkFarked again!
(The Gallery, Farked, Gottscho-Schleisner, NYC)

Milk Runner: 1903
Louisiana circa 1903. "New Orleans milk cart." Bonus points if you can Street View this. 8x10 inch glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. Milk deliveries In the days before milk bottles, people would bring their own ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/14/2012 - 3:50pm -

Louisiana circa 1903. "New Orleans milk cart." Bonus points if you can Street View this. 8x10 inch glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size.
Milk deliveriesIn the days before milk bottles, people would bring their own containers to the curb to be filled by the milkman. I imagine you paid by the ladle-full.
Comparisons This horse looks a hell of a lot better than those French Market Steeds.
Horse StopInteresting for the shallow depth of field; most of these old pics look like they were shot at f/64. It does make the subject stand out.
I'm a bit confusedIs this milk being delivered to individual homes? If so, was it dipped out into
containers the customers had on hand?
Before they taxed our cars--Notice that the horse cart has a license plate, way back in 1903.
Also notice how beat up it is.
2100 block of Esplanade Avenue and N. Miro StreetI pass these houses every day on my way to work.  I'm not sure how to Street View this.
EurekaI noticed the streetcar tracks running down the center of the street, which led me to Esplanade Avenue and eventually to here:
[Bravo! Clapclapclap! - Dave]
View Larger Map
Hold on ... I gave the location 2 hrs earlierClap calp to me!
[Calp calp! The challenge was to Street View this location -- Flababo was the first. Both comments were published simultaneously, so Flababo did not see yours even though it was made earlier. Kudos to you, too. - Dave]
Who Knows?Living in southern England, I've no idea about any of the locations here. I just enjoy the amazing array of photos posted on Shorpy.
Below the kneesFor those who've been wondering if they used a ladle or something, look closely and you'll see a spigot on the milk containers, at about knee level.
RefrigerationIt's always been a source of interest for me how anyone kept perishable foods in the age before the era of refrigerators and refrigerated trucks. Here you have two large containers of milk, which don't appear to be refrigerated at all, or if anything maybe there's some ice in the box on which it sits, but I can imagine in a 96 degree summer day in Louisiana the surface of those containers would be hot to the touch in a matter of 10 minutes.
[Milk cans like these were double-walled and packed with ice. - Dave]
BrandingIs that double X above the horses's front leg a brand? I didn't know it was customary to brand horses there.
I See YouHouse on the left, there appears to be a lady on the second floor balcony over by the bay windows shaking out rugs or pillows or airing out something.  Just a typical weekday morning on Esplanade Avenue with everyone going about their daily humdrum chores.  I must admit I thought it was St. Charles Ave., perhaps the house from the movie "Pretty Baby" but I was wrong (yet again).  Carry on.  
On the tapIn the case of these cans, I see that there is a tap on the front of the can nearest us.
Smaller cans were available in pints, quarts, etc., and would be filled by the milkman.
In more rural areas, you would leave your empty cans at the end of your drive and the milkman would replace them with full cans, taking away the empties. When I was a kid, the empty glass jars (and then plastic ones) were taken by the milkman and replaced by bottles you had requested. You would leave a note or an order form stuck into the neck of one of the empties.
In cold weather (after we started locking our front doors for security -- before that the milkman would simply open the door and leave the bottles in the foyer) the milk would sometimes freeze and the little cardboard cap would pop out and be stuck on an extruded bit of frozen milk.
Ow.Interesting brand on the horse’s shoulder.
Esplanade AvenueI passed by these houses today. No milk carts, but some other wheeled vehicles.
For anyone who wants to live in a Shorpy photo (and has a good chunk of change in their pocket), I notice that the house on the left of the photo is currently for sale. It even still has tiles in the sidewalk at the front gate indicating the address before the great New Orleans street address renumbering of 1894.
Got Fark?Farked again!
The Listinghttp://www.fqr.com/index/listings/residential/details/818728
Love that upper porch and the beautiful staircase.  If only I had a cool $1.5M around just begging to be spent.
I can only hope that the buyer does not, as the listing suggests, convert this into condos!
(The Gallery, DPC, Farked, Horses, New Orleans)

Granny's Kitchen: 1917
Washington, D.C., circa 1917 and Mrs. Beuchert again. Why this lady's muffin-making would have been chronicled in the archives of the National Photo Company is something of a mystery. 8x10 inch glass negative. View full size. Granny's ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/23/2012 - 3:42pm -

Washington, D.C., circa 1917 and Mrs. Beuchert again. Why this lady's muffin-making would have been chronicled in the archives of the National Photo Company is something of a mystery. 8x10 inch glass negative. View full size.
Granny's gotsome snappy shoes!
Kitchen archeologyThese two photos have been quite helpful to us in interpreting the construction design of our kitchen, which was built in 1917. 
The original floor is intact, made of these same sorts of pine boards. They were were covered with real linoleum (in a hideous gray-mustard-black-red splatter pattern) sometime in the late 1920s. Several other layers of plywood, asphalt/asbestos tile, and vinyl were also added, cutting about 4 inches from the room's height.
There is also a large rectangular section of boards that wasn't original to the room, in the spot where we guess the original stove was located because of the flue holes that remain in the ceiling plaster. Now we can see that there must have been a slate inset there, for the coal stove to safely rest upon.
Lost my appetiteI am not a clean freak, but I wouldn't eat anything that came out of that kitchen!
Nice toasterNice toaster, upper shelf, far right corner.  My friends in Vermont have one like this, which you put on the stove (in their case  over the gas flame.)  It makes wonderful toast, though you need to keep an eye on it to be sure it's not over cooking.  One of the best things about it is you can spread the butter while it's still toasting and thereby achieve the dream of true hot buttered toast!
Patty Anne, you are a survivor of lots of generations who cooked for millennia in conditions far worse than this I'm sure.   
Ouch! Getting old isn't for sissies, indeed.Granny's got some bunions straining against that tight shoe leather. Looks like she may have some trouble wiping spills off the floor, too. 
Smells goodAnyone who wouldn't eat the biscuits that came out of that stove is a clean freak.  What a great shot of someone who probably understood how to cook.
And yes, the oven is wonderfully ornate.
I still have my appetiteActually, I think the place looks pretty clean. The floor looks stained but clean, the area around the stove inevitably has ash from the stove, but the work surfaces, the main stove top, and the gas (?) grill to the right look very clean. The only thing I would criticize would be stacking the clean pots on the right facing up instead of facing down.
Who was Granny?The 1906 edition of Boyd's Directory of the District of Columbia lists about a dozen Beucherts, including Mrs. Carl Beuchert, "baker," at 1213 11th SE.  (It also lists a Wm. Beuchert, "baker," at 430 K St. NW, but Granny doesn't look like a Wm.) The Beuchert name pops up numerous places around Washington (including as a business associate of of real-estate king Oliver T. Carr), so Granny may have been a matriarch.   
Under the StoveWood-burning stoves, especially in the kitchen, almost always had some fireproof material underneath them to protect the wood floors from ashes, coals, sparks, etc.
However, the material wasn't necessarily slate, although it was often used. Here in Texas it was commonly sheet metal, especially for poor folks. It could also be ceramic tile; granite or marble in solid pieces, tiles, or (in wealthy households) mosaic patterns; or a compressed sheet of asbestos. Our family included the proprietor of a "marble yard" a.k.a. tombstone maker, and the under-stove protective material for us was often shards of marble or granite laid in a random pattern with asbestos-cement grouting.
Clean as a Whistle!I just visited my son at university to bring him home after graduation, and having seen the condition of the kitchen he and his roommates have been using, I'd rather eat from Granny's kitchen anytime!
Fark 20 minutes at 350FFarked again!
Oh, Please!Wouldn't eat anything that came out of that kitchen you say, pattyanne? Great. All the more for me. Pssshaw!
(The Gallery, D.C., Farked, Kitchens etc., Natl Photo)

Regular Lubrication: 1942
February 1942. "Something the matter with your wringer? It probably needs a few drops of oil. Regular lubrication by your repair man assures smooth functioning of the mechanism. If you attempt to do the job yourself, you may find the family wash o ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 12/22/2008 - 1:02am -

February 1942. "Something the matter with your wringer? It probably needs a few drops of oil. Regular lubrication by your repair man assures smooth functioning of the mechanism. If you attempt to do the job yourself, you may find the family wash oiled." View full size. Medium-format negative by Ann Rosener, OWI.
Service PlanPersonally, I've found that a 50-50 mix of do-it-yourself and regular service by the repairman keeps the ol' mechanism in tip-top condition.
A tip?What's that in her pocket, a folded dollar bill?  At first I thought maybe it was to tip the repairman, but a dollar probably would have been a pretty extravagant tip in 1942!  
Nice BeltMy Dad gave me one of his ranger belts when I was a kid, very much like the man is wearing. I still have it.
Is that a folded up dollar bill in her pocket? A dollar would be too much for a tip back then, wouldn't it, so maybe it's more than a buck and it's for his fee.

Pretty WifeI want to touch her apron.
Foy Blackmon
Las Vefas
Welcome to 1942, where....all repairmen have 27-inch waists. 
Service PlanTo: Anonymous Tipster on Wed, 06/18/2008 - 7:41pm
Brilliant! Take a bow.
Very Stylish...Love the pinstripe dress and white collar -- tres cooool!
Silver CertificateIt appears to be a Silver Certificate as well! No, can't be a tip. May cover the entire repair.
FarkedThe Fark contest for this picture.

(The Gallery, Ann Rosener, Farked, Kitchens etc., WW2)

ATM: 1918
Washington, D.C., circa 1918. "Bankers Automatic Receiving Teller Co." These machines (designed to look like little bank buildings) were used, among other places, in the D.C. schools into the 1930s to encourage thrifty habits. National Photo Compa ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/14/2011 - 6:07pm -

Washington, D.C., circa 1918. "Bankers Automatic Receiving Teller Co." These machines (designed to look like little bank buildings) were used, among other places, in the D.C. schools into the 1930s to encourage thrifty habits. National Photo Company Collection glass negative. View full size.
One-way tellerMaybe we should have stuck with bank machines that only took money in versus spitting it out.
A Matter of TrustNo doubt this machine could recognize and count the coins but the bills were a matter of trust.  By the time I was in school in the early 1950's, the savings program in the schools was the Savings Stamp Program.  You placed an order each week for stamps which I recall were twenty five cents each.  They were pasted in a book and when you filled the book you received a twenty five dollar savings bond.  I believe that this was a continuation of the War Bond Savings program of WWII.  
"Font"-tasticI love the font for the clock numbers.  Any ideas as to what it was called?  I wish more machinery was as beautiful as it was functional.
No, I don't mean "vocational"!Vacational - now there's a word I've never run across. Google wants to know if I meant "vocational." Dictionary.com says "no dictionary results."
Sounds like a pretty good word to me. I have all sorts of vacational ideas for this summer. I wish I'd had this contraption to save up for them.
HEAVY dutyA functional, manually operated, 1200 pound, cast iron, probably steam operated and in the guise of the actual bank, aahhhh, progress. But it is really nifty.
I so want one of theseThis thing is just beautiful. I would give it a place of honor at home, and if it were in good shape, save my money in it.
First National Bank of Southern MarylandThat particular bank is still with us -- or the building is, at any rate (now an M&T bank), right in my neighborhood. 
I don't know how to embed a Google maps iframe here, but here's a link to what it looks like today, among all the county offices and bail bondsmen.
You can see what it used to look like here
Early Art Deco Clock NumeralsIn response to Root 66, even though it's 1918, the numerals on the clock have a distinctive Art Deco appearance to them a full decade before that style existed!
[They're more Edwardian than Art Deco. - Dave]
The wealth of the Indies"As the Spanish proverb says, He who would bring home the wealth of the Indies, must carry the wealth of the Indies with him. So it is in travelling; a man must carry knowledge with him, if he would bring home knowledge."  -- Samuel Johnson, Samuel 
Also on Union Station in Washington:
First NationalAs a native Southern Marylander, rconnor, having a "First National Bank of Southern Maryland" seemed odd, though I suppose it isn't really. Looks like there is at least one surviving branch with this name in Upper Marlboro.
Learning ThriftThe pictured automatic savings machine was much fancier than most. The more common variety did not involve passbooks but rather distributed stamps redeemable at the bank. 



Washington Post, Jul 31, 1923.


Pupils of the Capital Have Saved $57,846 in Automatic Banks

Pupils in the District's grade schools are learning thrift as well as their  "three R's" it was shown in the annual report of the Dr. E.G. Kimball, chairman of the committee on the thrift, made public yesterday. Dr. Kimball reported that the grade pupils saved $57,846.32 with automatic school savings machines during the past yaer.
While Dr. Kimball's report is the first showing of a complete year's thrift work, it augurs well for the permanent establishment of the automatic saving machines in all of the graded schools. The machines were first placed in the public schools in March, 1921. In the four months they operated that year they enabled 8,457 pupils to save $9,006.31.
…
The automatic banks are slot machines placed on the walls of graded school buildings in a corridor much frequented by the pupils. There are slots for coins of different denominations. The pupil places a coin in the machine and by turning a crank receives a stamp representing the denomination of the coin inserted.
The stamps are placed in a folder with which the pupil is provided and after the folder is filled the pupil is given credit for it in a bank book. By arrangement with a bank the machines are kept filled with stamps and the money is counted and kept. Each school has a teller working in conjunction with the bank so that a double check is kept on the savings of the pupils.
… 
AutomatonI still think it looks like it could take your lunch money and eat your lunch all on its own.
First National FarkFarked again!
(Technology, The Gallery, D.C., Farked, Natl Photo)
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