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The Invisible Ray: 1921
... how the hero escaped death. I hope we get to see the interior of the Leader Theater. High Voltage Check out the special f/x ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/03/2012 - 11:57am -

Washington's Leader Theater circa 1921. Now playing: The serial "Invisible Ray" and, from 1916, Douglas Fairbanks in "The Americano" and a short called "The Return of Draw Egan." National Photo Company glass negative. View full size. Saturday morningsMy brothers and I also spent Saturday mornings at the kiddie shows and only as an adult did I figure out exactly what my parents were doing at home while we were at the movies. At the MoviesReturn with us now to those thrilling days of yesteryear. -- Introduction to "The Lone Ranger" When I was a child in the late 1940s, my grandparents took me to the movies every Saturday evening. The theater always showed a double-feature Western, or shoot-'em-up, as my grandfather called them, a cartoon, a short subject like the Three Stooges, and a serial episode. The serials were a clever way to ensure a returning audience for about 12-15 weeks. Each episode always had a cliffhanger ending that made you eager to return next week to learn how the hero escaped death. I hope we get to see the interior of the Leader Theater. High VoltageCheck out the special f/x they put up for the "Invisible Ray" display. That makeshift towers on either side look like they have wires strung from insulators, which probably had high voltage running through them to create a Jacob's Ladder type spark gap. There appears to be a spark above the wires, but it looks more like a scratch on the negative, plus the sparks would be jumping between the wires. Although that really wouldn't be invisible or a ray. If only they'd spent as much on an artist for those cutouts. Asian kid in lineOdd to see an Asian kid in the line. I wonder what the story is? [Lots of Asian diplomats living with their families in D.C. - Dave] Asian kidD.C. had a small Chinatown. The kid may have come from there. Doctored picture?Is it just me or are more then half of those in the "Line" not to right size or porportion. A few almost look like they were cut out of other pics and added in via computer.... Sorry but as a fan of this site and of these pictures I am going to have to put this one under suspicsion. Looking back I think only 13 of those in the line were actully "There" when this picture was taken. Yes, I do know about old cameras and film. [Maybe it's time for a refresher course. See where it says "glass negative" in the caption? That means the photo (click here) was made without film. - Dave] Huh?It looks like a group of people standing outside a theater to me. I can't find one that I think looks not to right size or proportion. (The Gallery, D.C., Movies, Natl Photo)
Common Core: 1922
... Washington, D.C., circa 1922. "Miss Tomlin's School, interior." Our third visit to the premises of this educational establishment, ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 01/05/2015 - 4:41pm -

Washington, D.C., circa 1922. "Miss Tomlin's School, interior." Our third visit to the premises of this educational establishment, run by Miss Queenie Ada-Maye Tomlin. National Photo Company Collection glass negative. View full size. Pencil-holding 101The kids that are using pencils are actually holding them properly. We used to be drilled in how to hold a pencil for the best penmanship results and they are doing it correctly. Remember making pages and pages of the same letter in cursive until you got it accurately? I had trouble with capital "F's" and "W's" and lower case "r's". We even got graded on penmanship and some received awards (perhaps they became calligraphers). Also, the second child from the left seems to need glasses desperately. I'm told schools are no longer requiring handwriting in script or pencil-holding, but don't know if that is true. Love These School PicturesI do love these vintage school pictures! I find it interesting that the students are faced away from the teacher's desk rather than toward it. It looks like they may not have had ample space for their student tables, however. In regard to OTY's observation on penmanship, you are correct, at least in Florida. I am in education here so I know that neither cursive writing nor how to tell time on an analog clock are no longer taught (in my district and the surrounding districts anyway) in the elementary grades, which is a shame. Lucky guy later on?12 girls and 1 boy in that class!? And I don't know about the penmanship thing. I have a 9 year old son and his scribbling... uhhh... penmanship... leaves a lot to be desired. All the teacher seems to ask of him is 'Please write so I can read it!'. I am quite sure penmanship is a thing of the past. RE: second child from the leftYes, that posture is very familiar, as I still read with my face only a few inches from the page. Bad habits develop when you continually "lose" your eyeglasses. Re: Needs glassesLooks more like she's asleep! Judging from the well-worn "sensible" shoes, she may have been up before dawn performing chores. Readin' and writin'That's true. A young friend of mine has two grade school children. Cursive is no longer taught. For all practical purposes these dear little children can't write, and they hate to read. I suppose that in their future they will have only to speak into some electronic device, and that will suffice for writing. Back in the day......my mother-in-law taught in a one-room school down in Kentucky. She would tell stories of the time spent with students on the correct way to write. My wife (who taught for 38 years) has the most beautiful writing I have ever seen and she taught my son the same way that she was taught. I myself am a calligrapher who was taught the same way as these children. Do it over until you get it right, and practice, practice, practice. Miss Tomlin's Sheridan Park SchoolBorn in DC. Lived at 35th and Q. Attended Sheridan Park School- then on Mass Ave. However, my father went to Miss Tomlin's. Knowing his love for the fairer sex, this could be him but alas, in 1922 he was only 2. I also noted the eyesight problem in the front row. While at Sheridan School in 1955, teachers realized I needed glasses because I could not read the blackboard. Thank you Shorpy. Absolutely love these photos. Sharpen Those Pencils!It is a silly thing to notice, but the thing that caught my eye was the mounted pencil sharpener. I remember those heavy-duty Boston sharpeners that lasted forever and would take a nuke to destroy. The ones in my high school in the 1990's were easily fifty years old. I'd like to find one for my house instead of those crummy electric ones or cheap plastic ones. (The Gallery, D.C., Education, Schools, Kids, Natl Photo)
Rubberneck Auto: 1911
... on Ionic columns, attains a total height of 150 feet. The interior is arranged similarly to the tomb of Napoleon at the Hotel des ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/01/2012 - 5:48pm -

New York circa 1911. "Grant's Tomb. Rubber-neck auto on Riverside Drive." To your left, General Grant. To your right, the Inter-Net. View full size. Fifth Avenue Coach CompanyThe bus is one of a series of 20 French DeDion Bouton chassis' bought in c1910/11 by the Fifth Avenue Coach Company, with bodies built by Fulton and Walker of Philadelphia to a modified London General Omnibus Company design. One of the series was previously posted on Shorpy. Solid Rubber TiresThe hard rubber tires on this truck, combined with the cobblestone paving common in this era, must have made for a bone jarring ride! Big enough for both of themDoesn't matter on which side of him his wife is sitting, her/their hats are certainly large enough for both of them.... "Isn't this exciting Harry, and next we go to the Opera..." No comments yet!OK, I'll have a shot at it, cliched as it is. That poor man doesn't have a hat, and in the presence of Ladies (presumably), wonder if he was arrested on morals charges after the tour? Self DefenseAs the bus has been moving at the breakneck speed of 25 (gasp) MPH, the gent has obviously removed his boater to prevent loss. The ladies of course are equipped with hatpins. Solid MausoleumAn overlooked treasure. Visiting Grant's Tomb is one of my strongest memories of Manhattan. Siting the monument in Riverside Park was controversial at the time: from a previous panorama. The New Century Book of Facts, 1909. Book IX: Fine Arts. Grant's Tomb, New York City. Grant's Tomb, New York.…A huge and solid mausoleum of white granite erected near the north end of Riverside Drive, between the years 1891 and 1897 from designs by J. H. Duncan, and at a cost of $600,000. The lower story, 90 feet square, is in the Doric style; while the cupola, borne on Ionic columns, attains a total height of 150 feet. The interior is arranged similarly to the tomb of Napoleon at the Hotel des Invalides in Paris. In an open crypt below the center of the dome the bodies of General Grant and his wife rest side by side in sarcophagi of red porphyry. Bas-reliefs on the pendentives of the dome are emblematic, of events in Grant's life and were made by J. Massey Rhind. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Civil War, DPC, NYC)
Overstuffed: 1925
"O.J. DeMoll, interior." The DeMoll furniture store at 12th and G streets N.W. in Washington ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/12/2011 - 2:38pm -

"O.J. DeMoll, interior." The DeMoll furniture store at 12th and G streets N.W. in Washington circa 1925. National Photo Company glass negative. View full size. HorsehairI just can't imagine that old sofa smelling anything other than musty. I wonder what they were like new with tags. Wow.The only thing I like in this photo are maybe the shop lights. Or the ferns. I can see why the simplicity of the Arts & Crafts movement caught on! Already PasseCraftsman style furniture was already going out of fashion by the time this furniture was made, and mass-produced Colonial and other revival styles of furniture like these examples had remained more popular in most homes right through the 1895-1920 heyday of Craftsman styles. The upholstered furniture, tables and mirrors in this photo are not all that different than many offered for sale today. The fussy bridge and table lamp shades are the most dated pieces in the showroom. But just when you thought it was safe to go back into the parlor, many lamp dealers are now offering expensive hand-made recreations of these "vintage" shades, and they're selling well. [I don't know if I'd call this Craftsman. The pieces in this photo are of the Moorish/Mediterranean style in vogue at the time. - Dave] Top-drawer ceilingThere's a wonderful optical illusion created by the ceiling tiles. Another grand "snapshot" of the past. Many thanks! Who left.. their iPod on the sofa? TaggedToo bad we can't read the tags. We are so used to seeing this type of furniture used and worn-in--hard to imagine it new! [Below, some DeMoll prices from the winter of 1925-26. The davenport in the photo and two chairs went for $150. - Dave] O.J. DeMollI wonder which corner of 12th and G this is. As I understand it, De Moll first built this showroom on the SW corner in 1909... ... but the piano business expanded so quickly, he moved to a new and larger building on the NW corner in 1913: Maybe the original piano showroom was converted into a furniture shop? The windows here look more like the 1913 building. [Our photo is the building on the northwest corner. - Dave] Ghost or Mortal?Look at the man to the far left behind the open glass door. His head and shoulders appear above the dark lamp shade. His left shoulder blocks the light coming in from the window, but is that the frame I see on the wall behind him? You can see through him! [The frame is in front of him -- a reflection off the glass door of a mirror across the room. - Dave] (The Gallery, D.C., Natl Photo, Stores & Markets)
Roughing It: 1905
New Zealand circa 1905. "Sumner, Christchurch. Interior of large tent decorated with posters and picture postcards, with ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/12/2014 - 2:47pm -

New Zealand circa 1905. "Sumner, Christchurch. Interior of large tent decorated with posters and picture postcards, with tallboy and mirror, trunks with flags, lamps and 'Myrtle Camp' sign." For the men of Myrtle Camp, all the comforts of home and then some. Glass plate by Adam Maclay. View full size. Faith BasedAfter seeing the posted signs in this tent, I would say that this might have been either an Evangelical meeting place or a religious retreat. [One of the pinup-friendly denominations? -Dave] Or maybe they lapsed. My God Shall Supply All My NeedsAnd if that's not enough, there's always the Victorian pinups hung up everywhere. Pretty racy stuffArmless statue porn. The pinup on the far rightHanging from the dark part of the tent roof. Would be an interesting blowup. GlampingToday we call this 'glamping'. I guess luxury camping isn't so new after all. Not a tallboyThat's a lowboy with a mirror, not a tallboy. (Adam Maclay, Camping, New Zealand)
Message Received: 1943
... paper continued far into the diesel locomotive era. Bright interior lighting is not wanted in any locomotive cab - it cuts the crew's ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 06/06/2015 - 1:10pm -

March 1943. "Dalies, New Mexico. Conductor C.W. Tevis picking up a message from a woman operator on the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe between Belen and Gallup." Photo by Jack Delano for the Office of War Information. View full size. Clarence W TevisFound in the 1940 census with wife Ferol? in Gallup New Mexico. Both born circa 1891. Listed as Railroad Conductor. Died 4 June 1971 in San Diego CA. RIP PanacheExtraordinary photo, certainly shoots way up immediately in my Delano favorites. Here's a man, not at all young, with strong and hardened hands, performing a physical task nimbly and efficiently -- while smoking! -- with a cigarette holder!! I look forward to the comments on the details of this message device. (The woman: a blurred statue beside the dynamic conductor, caught crisply at precisely the right moment.) Re: Cigarette Holder.In those days, a lot of men rolled their own smokes as it was far cheaper than buying premade. Usually, this led to loose tobacco getting into your mouth, on your face or clothes (been there, done that). As a result, many chose to use a cigarette holder to crimp the smoke and keep the tobacco where it belonged. It wasn't just the fashion statement as in the case of FDR! The message device is called a Train Order Hoop even though it is Y-shaped. The name comes from the shape of an earlier device that was used for the same purpose, to deliver messages to non-stop trains as they passed a station. The paper containing the message was tied to a loop of string that in turn was held by the 'hoop'. The man on the train would stick his arm through the loop and snag the string with the attached message. This was a improvement over the older system where the entire hoop was snagged. After the message was removed the hoop was thrown from the train for the person on the ground to retrieve, sometimes quite a distance down the track. (It wasn't a great feat to get a crisp picture of the conductor, he was traveling at the same speed as the camera.) The practice continued This practice continued on Class ones until the advent of cab signals. Here is a Conrail train picking up orders at a temporary block station in November, 1978 On message hoops..There were variations - we at the CPR used a steamed wood hoop design, made in Angus shops. These worked well, unless you were the station junior clerk who had to gather them up from down the line after they were dropped by the train crew..in the pic, notice the flimsy dates from the Multimark era (the Multimark was in use from 1968 until 1987 or so) A. V. O.The "flimsies," so called because of the lightweight paper used, contained dispatching orders for the train. For example, that they should proceed to siding xxxx, clear the main line, and wait until train number YY passed before proceeding. This was part of an elaborate system of decentralized traffic control, documented in a book called "Rights of Trains," revised by Peter Josserand, head dispatcher of the Western Pacific railroad and a friend of my father. Flimsies and other forms used by the WP typically carried the letters "A. V. O." at the top, which stood for "Avoid Verbal Orders." Misunderstandings could be fatal. Why "Flimsies"Some of the other commenters have mentioned that the old-time train orders were nicknamed "flimsies" because they were on lightweight paper. The thin paper allows light to come THROUGH the paper. This allows the order to be read by the light of a dim kerosene lantern or even the light of an open steam locomotive firebox door. This practice of using translucent paper continued far into the diesel locomotive era. Bright interior lighting is not wanted in any locomotive cab - it cuts the crew's night vision. TimingDoes anyone know how fast this train would have been moving? I know nothing of railroads, but quite a bit about photography, and I'll say that even with great skill, the perfect timing of this exposure involves at least a little bit of luck for the photographer. And the faster the train was moving, the greater the luck/skill ratio required. Until a definitive answer arrives, I'll give an educated guess based on the relatively limited motion artifact that the train was not going very fast at all. More about "Flimsies"In addition to what SouthBendModel34 said, the paper used was thin to make it easier for the agent or operator to write multiple copies "in Manifold". Double sided carbon paper was used and placed behind the first page of a manifold, and behind each of the other odd numbered pages. If handwritten, a stylus was used as a writing instrument - not a pen or pencil. If typewritten, typewriters without ribbon were used. The first page and all subsequent odd pages had the message on the backside of the paper, and were read through the paper. Even numbered pages had the message on the front. As many as 10 pages could be prepared simultaneously, whereas if single sided carbon paper was used only half that number could be prepared at once. Another feature of the "flimsies" paper is that is was fairly waterproof, and that messages from the carbon paper did not smear. Here's a 60 year old example of such a flimsie as might be handed up to a crew as shown in the original photo. (The Gallery, Jack Delano, Railroads)
The Grill Room: 1912
... was previously seen in this exterior shot. The interior picture could have been taken this morning. As strange as every ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/08/2012 - 7:12pm -

Detroit circa 1912. "Edelweiss Cafe -- The Grill Room." There may be a slight wait. 8x10 inch glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. The OverlookWhen I look at this, all I can see is the Colorado Lounge. Poached eggs, rarebit, and coffeeThe Edelweiss Cafe was previously seen in this exterior shot. The interior picture could have been taken this morning. As strange as every aspect of life in 1910 would seem to us today, I think restaurants would be the one place the average modern person would see little difference, allowing for the prices and a few out of fashion foods like sardine sandwiches. I was hoping to find a menu, but the only old article I could find is behind a Detroit Free Press paywall. Looks like the owner was planning some civil disobedience. CAFE OWNERS PLAN TEST OF DANCE EDICT Mar 10, 1914: Determined to test the right of the police department to order dancing stopped in cafes. Manager Charles Glaser, of the Edelweiss cafe, will ignore the police order of Saturday night. HVACI wonder if those 4 wall mounted oscillating fans really solved their hot weather problems? Optional"Would you like a regular table or the deluxe option that includes silverware?" I'd like a booth, pleaseHow about a table for five? Hardly my concept of a "cafe." The extensive linen creates an elegant atmosphere, but must have been an expensive operating cost. The chairs don't look comfortable. Dancing in cafes is the least of Detroit's problems today. When one sees such a genteel scene, one is left to wonder if we are progressing as a culture. Fans and their fernsThere are two fans in the "middle" of the room near the tops of their columns. Each fan is partially blocked by ferns. I know I didn't see them at first. What was the address?Does anyone know the exact address? (The Gallery, Detroit Photos, DPC, Eateries & Bars)
Lulu Belle: 1959
... Sedan Can't really tell without seeing more of the interior, but it is either a Super Holiday or a Holiday Sedan, definitely 1956. ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 05/18/2016 - 7:11pm -

From circa 1959 Scottsdale, Arizona, we bring you this Kodachrome slide of the Lulu Belle restaurant on Main Street. Which seems to have been a combination platter of Old West, Gay Nineties and riverboat themes. View full size. Building still thereLocated near the corner of Scottsdale Road and Main Street, it's in the heart of touristy downtown Scottsdale. Nifty carI hope someone can identify the car whose roofline is shown in the foreground of this cool photo. I initially thought it might be a Continental Mark II, but now I think I was wrong. [Looks like a first generation Ford Thunderbird. -tterrace] [With some kind of modified roof. - Dave] Thanks, tterrace and Dave (and the others who commented); it hadn't occurred to me that might be a modified roof on the T-Bird. It looks excellent. We who grew up in the '50s and '60s were lucky to have two things in particular: Great cars and great music! That roofThe modified removable hardtop on the T-Bird very likely has a '58 Impala fake roof vent added, faired in almost exactly as it was on the Impala. That little chrome grill was an immediate hit with customizers of the period, just like the hood scoop from the T Birds and '59 Cadillac taillights. 56 OldsCan't figure out the roof of the Ford. Cream colored car on left looks like a 56 Olds 88. CarsWild guesses: 56 Olds Holiday, 57 T Bird, 57 Plymouth Fury, 59 Pontiac Catalina. Bill of FareI wish I could read the actual menu to see what Wild West / Gay 90s fare was like. I suspect it was a lot like 1950s middle American fare. 1958 Impala Roof ScoopThis is likely a roof scoop from a 1958 Impala. A favorite customizing trick from my perusal of the car magazines in my misspent youth. Holiday SedanCan't really tell without seeing more of the interior, but it is either a Super Holiday or a Holiday Sedan, definitely 1956. Color could be Alcan White, which was a standard color, or Antique White, which was an option on all 1956 models. Holiday Sedans came with Ivory Moroccan bolsters and a speckled cloth upholstery, while Super Holidays had Ivory leather bolsters and a sort of basketweave upholstery. Those are accessory wheel covers, and dual exhaust, too. (The Gallery, Kodachromes, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Eateries & Bars, Found Photos)
Bonbon Noir: 1949
... caught my eye are the small showcards at the bottom of the interior window display placed among the candy. In large cities, small signs ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 05/27/2021 - 12:04pm -

April 28, 1949. "Barton's, business at 790 Flatbush Avenue, Brooklyn, New York. Exterior." 4x5 inch acetate negative by Gottscho-Schleisner. View full size. 200 million"Millennial/Gen-Z/Gen-X milieu of Brooklyn today" You do realize that those generations include everyone born in the fifty year span between 1965 and 2015ish, right? That's over 200 million people in the US, or nearly two-thirds of the country's population. Or maybe that refers to the so-called "hipster" population of Brooklyn? Besides "hipster" not really being a thing now for many years, it only ever applied to two or three small neighborhoods of a borough with more than 2.5 million residents. Light and darkAs brightly lit and glassy and vibrant as Barton's appears, there's the place next door with the blinds drawn, though it does proclaim a public telephone. Just one (long) sniffI'd love to stick my head into that window display and simply inhale. Barton's bonbonniere's subliminal message: Need a gift for May 8th? We have enough for EVERY MOM in the five boroughs. Would fit in todayThis business would feel right at home in the Millennial/Gen-Z/Gen-X milieu of Brooklyn today. No bodiesIn all the Gottscho pictures of commercial enterprises, he appears to follow one of the strict rules of architectural photography: no cluttering up the shot with humans. God forbid anyone should link these environments directly with the people who’d use them. Maybe the bodies would serve as distractions. In any event, whether Gottscho shoots stores from the outside like this or interiors of department stores, it always seems to be nighttime. The presence of people is naturally assumed but never shown. I don’t find it creepy, but maybe just a little bit clinical. Design disconnectI feel like there's a huge aesthetic gulf between whoever designed the neon sign and whoever designed the window display. C'est si BonbonI can not imagine a store that only sells bonbons. Authentic RetroI do not have a sweet tooth, so my appreciation of this scene is strictly visual. The door/entrance, neon on stainless facade, reverse channel letters with exposed neon is just beautiful. Designers today are attempting to simulate this very classic look. But what really caught my eye are the small showcards at the bottom of the interior window display placed among the candy. In large cities, small signs such as these were often the mainstay for sign shops. If you were fast and had good layout ability, you could make a living at these. The larger paper sign above was no doubt a promotional poster from some manufacturer. I would like to see this in color to just see the neon color. (The Gallery, Gottscho-Schleisner, NYC, Stores & Markets)
Shoe City: 1920
"Hahn's Coliseum, interior." A flag-bedecked footwear sale held by the Hahn's chain of shoe ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 02/04/2014 - 9:59am -

"Hahn's Coliseum, interior." A flag-bedecked footwear sale held by the Hahn's chain of shoe stores at Washington D.C.'s Center Market in July 1920. National Photo Company Collection glass negative. View full size. 11 o'Clock BulletinOver 200 salespeople! Click to enlarge. Reserve Stocks at Consistent ConcessionsAm I right in interpreting that all these men looking at the camera are sales clerks waiting for customers? They are all wearing similar clothes: rolled-up sleeves and no jackets. Would any business ever ask patrons to pose in this way for the camera? I count 60+ clerks, an astounding ratio of salespeople-to-square-footage compared to today's norms. Washington Post, June 20, 1920. The Pick of the Market in Women's White Shoes Joins the Great Mark-Down The fame of Hahn's wonderful Mark-Down has spread through the market—and makers are giving their co-operation in offering us their reserve stocks at consistent concessions. We are very discriminating in what we accept, however, for even at Mark-Down prices the Hahn standard of quality must be maintained. … The Mark-Down is making broken lots and short lines rapidly and as fast as they are created we're turning them into the ‘Bargain Sections’— where you can make your own selection—and our assistants will help to fit your choice. Tomorrow you'll find rare choosing—especially of the popular White Shoes—the variety is large; and so are the values—and you can be sure of your size in one style or another. Shoe salesmenstanton_square's speculation about all those guys being sales clerks is correct. Until recent times (well, if you can include my childhood years as "recent") each customer was waited upon individually, even in the humblest shoe store. The stock was kept in a mysterious (to me) area accessible only to the salesman via a drapery-shrouded portal. I still feel a bit weird doing everything myself in these self-service days. Presumably this photo was taken before the doors were opened to hordes of shoe shoppers yearning to be shod. Center MarketSo here you see why the building would be familiar in the Herald ad. (BTW I bought most of my shoes from Hahn until they went out business in 1995.) "I'm born and bred to be a shoeman"I think I see Al Bundy! Odd man outThat's his bow tie and he's stickin' with it! Not WalmartIt's amazing to see so many people and not one who is obese. Crisis of solesThat ad is the first I've heard of the Great Shoe Glut of 1920. Was that a thing, or mere ballyhoo? MemoriesWe used to shop at the Hahn Store at Albemarle Street and Connecticut Avenue NW, now all I have as a reminder is a steel shoe horn they used to include with a new purchase. An excellent store with a good staff. But that shoe horn takes me back about 56 years to when I was in high school. Late again!Did I miss the sale?? Where are the crowds of consumers rushing to stock up on shoes I'd heard about? (The Gallery, D.C., Natl Photo, Stores & Markets)
A Tale of Two Charlies: 1925
... and for the next decade worked for the Agriculture and Interior Departments. (The Gallery, D.C., Natl Photo, Portraits) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/12/2011 - 7:22pm -

Washington, D.C., 1925. "Charles Widmayer, Margaret Monk and Charles Smoot." National Photo Company Collection glass negative. View full size. ObitN.Y. Times, Sept. 22, 1991 Charles Edward Widmayer, a founder of Editorial Projects for Education, which published the weekly Chronicle of Higher Education, and for 30 years the editor of the Dartmouth College Alumni Magazine, died Thursday at Alice Peck Day Memorial Hospital in Lebanon, N.H. He was 83 years old. He died from acute respiratory failure, the family said. Mr. Widmayer, a native of Washington, graduated cum laude from Dartmouth in 1930. After a year's graduate study at Harvard, he returned to Dartmouth and Hanover, N.H., where he lived for the rest of his life. He taught English at Dartmouth in 1932-33 and served as director of athletic publicity in 1933-1934. He joined the staff of the Dartmouth Alumni magazine in 1933. In 1957, he became a founding member of Editorial Projects. Surviving are his wife, Alene G. Potter Widmayer, to whom he had been married for 53 years, and two sons, Frederick P. and Martin G. Widmayer. Her PrinceMargaret is quite attractive, given the lack of modern makeup, and seems to be wearing a sort of knowing smirk. Mr. Smoot is rather dashing in a wealthy sort of way. But Margaret is leaning toward Mr. Widmayer, isn't she. Hmmmm. I agreewith Nate. There is definitely some body language going on there. Besides Mr. Smoot got really carried away with the Pomade in his hair. That Privileged LookCharles Smoot has all the grooming and the patrician features of a young Joe Kennedy, older brother and once Presidential hopeful of brother John Kennedy. Central High StudentsThese three were all Central High students when pictured here. I have yet to find the common thread that links them all. [As in aside, my first association with the name Smoot is not the Smoot-Hawley act (a.k.a. Hoot-Smalley) but rather the non-standard unit of measure for the length of the Harvard Bridge connecting Cambridge to Boston: 364.4 Smoots. One Smoot equating to 67 inches.] Washington Post, Nov 15, 1925 Central Quill Clique Opens Year's Meetings The first meeting of the Quill Clique, Central's honorary publications society, was held recently at the home of Miss Alla Rogers, last year's editor of the review. This year's officers are Charles E. Widmayer, president; Miss Elizabeth Howard Wright, vice president; J. Canfield Marsh, recording secretary; Miss Margaret Moreland, corresponding secretary, and Charles Smoot, treasurer. Is he in the other Smoot picture?Charlie Smoot looks like the little boy in the shot called "Meet the Smoots." I suspect he's the youngest child, on the far right. [He's a bit young to be the boy in the 1910 photo. Charlie was a student (and cheerleader) at Central High when this photo was made in 1925. Senator Smoot, whose sons were Harold, Harlowe and Ernest (probably the boy in the sailor suit), did have a grandson named Charles, born around 1917. - Dave] Oh, she is cute.But I'll tell you what: It may be stylish and trendy, but that hairstyle does not work with that shape of face.I'm reminded of the stylist who invented the Jennifer Aniston hairstyle and who was politely furious at its fame; she said people were wearing it who just plain shouldn't. 364.4 smootsThe smoot is a unit of measure at MIT, tracing back to a 1958 fraternity prank whereby one Oliver Smoot was repeatedly laid down on a bridge to measure its length. Bill Maher '25Charlie on the left is a dead ringer. Bona dragThey all look very nicely dressed and elegant, the 20s were really a high point in fashion, very timeless. What they are wearing wouldn't look too much out of place even today. Also, the young men's suits are really nicely tailored, and the young woman is elegant without being gaudy. Charles E. Smoot 1908-1999The Washington Post - Oct 1, 1999 Charles Effinger Smoot, 91, a former assistant general counsel of the Federal Communications Commission and co-founder of the Ski Club of Washington, D.C., died Sept. 23 at Suburban Hospital in Bethesda of respiratory failure. Born in Staunton, Va., Mr. Smoot moved to the District in 1917 and lived in Washington until shortly before his death. He graduated from Central High School in 1926 and for the next decade worked for the Agriculture and Interior Departments. (The Gallery, D.C., Natl Photo, Portraits)
Rust Belt Riviera: 1941
... Wonder Boys and Kingpin. You can see the exterior and interior in this clip: https://youtu.be/gO0VwzCuuBM Update: Beaver ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 11/06/2019 - 1:36pm -

January 1941. "A section of Rochester, Pennsylvania, on the Ohio River. Photographs show Ohio River town in western Pennsylvania -- bridges, houseboats, coal barges, railroad yards. Abandoned stove and glass works. Automobile graveyard. Cemetery and gravedigger. Substandard housing occupied by Negroes." Photo by Jack Delano for the FSA. View full size. High WaterIn 1937 there was a devastating flood. So my guess is that there is not a whole lot close to the river. I live in Leavenworth, Indiana. A town that was moved uphill after that flooding. Prime Real EstateOther than that gaggle of railroad tracks that property right next to the river should have been prime real estate. So why was it a slum area? Did it flood often? What is it now? Inquiring minds want to know. Beaver Valley BowlingThe tall building has been repurposed as a bowling alley, and a Goggle street view spin around Rochester shows it has survived in the Rust Belt better than many places. Mostly Highway NowIt's difficult to approximate exactly where the original photo was taken. The area now has a divided highway and a jumble of access ramps running though much of it, but my guess is that the photographer was standing somewhere along Pleasant Street at the top of the bluff. The large building in the center of the photo still (mostly) stands, and appears to now house a bowling alley and pool hall. It's available!https://www.timesonline.com/news/20181211/beaver-valley-bowl-building-fa... Hollywood beckonedThe large brick building was the Beaver Valley Brewery, and is now home to the Beaver Valley Bowl. The bowling alley appeared in two movies: Wonder Boys and Kingpin. You can see the exterior and interior in this clip: https://youtu.be/gO0VwzCuuBM Update: Beaver Valley Bowl also appears in the Netflix series: I'm Not OK With This. Looks uninvitingA short distance behind the photographer is the Beaver River, where it joins the Ohio. Across the Beaver River is the town of Beaver, where my grandfather died 5 years to the month from when this was taken. There's little wonder why my grandmother packed up dad and his brother and moved back to the Philly area where she had family. Still StandingThe large building in the upper center of the frame and the smaller buildings farther away from the camera are still there as are all four mainline tracks. The Pennsylvania Railroad signal bridge has been replaced by another one a a few hundred yards west of this location. This view is looking east toward Pittsburgh from Rochester and likely was taken from the bridge crossing the tracks and then the Ohio River. Small Town, Big Railroad"The Standard Railroad of the World" - The Pennsylvania Railroad (Now part of Norfolk Southern) looms large in the town. Tony Dorsett (Footbal) and Christina Aguilera (Singer) hail from here. (The Gallery, Industry & Public Works, Jack Delano, Railroads)
Model Citizens: 1924
... 1906. His father served as an Assistant Secretary of the Interior under President Theodore Roosevelt. He attended Roosevelt High School ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/03/2012 - 10:42am -

August 12, 1924. "International Boys Leagues. Thomas W. Miles and Simon Zebrock of Los Angeles at White House." View full size. National Photo Co. Tom and SimonAccording to my research, Thomas W. Miles was born in West Virginia in 1907, and died in Washington, DC, on April 9, 1997. Simon Zebrock (official records indicate spelled Zebrack) was born in Missouri in 1908, and was killed in WWII in 1943. The UndergraduateAmazing how much the fellow on the right looks like a young Dustin Hoffman! Tom and SimonThis is Joe Manning again. Further research seems to indicate that the Thomas W. Miles who died in Washington, DC is not the same as the one in the photo. In addition, I just discovered that the Thomas Miles I originally tracked down in the census in Los Angeles, born in 1907, turns out to be white, and the Thomas in the photo appears to be African-American. So it looks like I got this one wrong. I'll work on this some more. Tom's ShoesI like Thomas's shoes very much, wonder what they are called. Thomas W. MylesAccording to my research (including numerous articles in the Los Angeles Times digital archives), Thomas William Myles Jr. (not Miles) was born in 1906. His father served as an Assistant Secretary of the Interior under President Theodore Roosevelt. He attended Roosevelt High School in Los Angeles. He became a lawyer and married Dorothy (maiden name unknown) in 1929. When he was 18, he traveled to Paris for a convention of the International Boys League and was elected the organization’s president. He was also president of the California chapter of the junior branch of the NAACP. He was an active advocate for civil rights for African-Americans, and ran for the California State Senate in 1938. He died in Los Angeles on May 2, 1985. I could not locate an obituary, and do not know if he had any children. TomHe could be wearing spats over regular shoes---I think that was still fairly common in the '20s. Not so easy to find now, but you sometimes can find them through theatrical costume suppliers. I really like the shine on the shoes!Looks like those fellows knew how to do a good spitshine. Did they have patent leather in '26? [More than they do today. - Dave] FatherI was wondering if that was a picture of my Father, Thomas Myles born in 1906 attended Roosevelt High and was a lawer (The Gallery, D.C., Natl Photo)
Tourist Auto Co.: 1910
... in and out of them. It looks like a long step from the interior to the running board and then again from there to the street.( I ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/21/2012 - 12:00pm -

Detroit, Michigan, circa 1910. "Tourist Auto Co. (Tourist buses in front of church with Hotel Tuller at right)." Detroit Publishing glass negative. View full size. Coming back into fashion?It seems like I’ve seen some high-performance cars with tire profiles close to the bus on the far right. TodayJust another vacant lot. View Larger Map ConveyancesThe two longer buses at either end intrigue me. At three persons per seat they would have held at least either 9 or 11 passengers if two sat up front with the driver. They must have been rough to ride in with those solid rubber tires. I also notice that they are all right hand drive, note the clutch and brake levers on the one on the far right. Being open-sided they would be a bit breezy even at the best of times. If caught in a sudden shower you could not help but get wet. I like the fold down windshields on Car #8881 and #8886. The others do not seem to have windshields at all. Ladies and gentlemen both would need to be careful getting in and out of them. It looks like a long step from the interior to the running board and then again from there to the street.( I wonder it they had portable steps to aid in that process.) Last but not least, it looks like the Addams family has decided to lease their home, there on the right. The cupola room with the round window would be the perfect spot for Uncle Fester! Oh, the opulence!The plump, plush upholstery on the skimpy, less-than-knee-height doors of the left-most bus are most amusing. And yes, most North American vehicles had right-hand drive until Henry Ford challenged that paradigm in 1908: The control is located on the left side, the logical place, for the following reasons: Travelling along the right side of the road the steering wheel on the right side of the car made it necessary to get out on the street side and walk around the car. This is awkward and especially inconvenient if there is a lady to be considered. The control on the left allows you to step out of the car on to the curbing without having had to turn the car around. In the matter of steering with the control on the right the driver is farthest away from the vehicle he is passing, going in opposite direction; with it on the left side he is able to see even the wheels of the other car and easily avoids danger. With the wheel at the left, the hand levers are operated with the left hand leaving the right hand to do the more delicate work of steering the car. Source: http://www.brianlucas.ca/roadside/ 8881-8886Ah yes, remember the days when there were so few motor vehicles on the road that you could line a random assortment up and get consecutively numbered license plates. CadillacsThe cars appear to be early Cadillacs, maybe 1905-ish Model E's. The car on the left certainly bears a resemblance to a 1905 Cadillac Model E. But I'm not positive. I have no idea what the buses are. Possibly something coach-built. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Detroit Photos, DPC)
Beer Boulevard: 1938
... long history is was a house of ill repute and the entire interior had been painted pink. The closing of the mill was hard for everyone ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 11/26/2017 - 12:49pm -

July 1938. "Main street (Franklin Avenue) in Aliquippa, Pennsylvania." Which you don't even have to cross if you're in the mood for a Duquesne. (If you're thirsty for an Iron City or Union Beer, you might have to dodge some traffic.) Photo by Arthur Rothstein for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Doo-KaneRecently heard a local newscaster in Erie Pa say "Doo Qwes Nee" There goes the neighborhoodThis is a case of the entire neighborhood disappearing over time. The Joseph Building seen at the end of the street still exists as a shell on the Google Street View images, but the White Castle "clone" next to it and nearly every other structure in this picture is long gone, buried under a highway project. Those were the daysWhen this photo was taken, Aliquippa was home to a Jones & Laughlin steel plant. It closed -- I think -- in the late 1970s. In the early 2000s, I used to ride the 16A Aliquippa bus into Pittsburgh. That's probably an early version of the 16A in the old photo. ConstitutionalThe year before this photo was taken, the U.S. Supreme Court decided in National Labor Relations Board v. Jones & Laughlin Steel Co. that the Wagner Act (formally the National Labor Relations Act) was constitutional. The case arose from the Aliquippa steel mill's termination of workers for unionizing. The decision was one of two in early spring 1937 that signaled President Roosevelt (and a switch by Justice Owen Roberts) had tipped the Court's balance toward generally upholding New Deal measures. The picture shows the "Wye" area of Aliquippa, where three major streets came together near the entrance to the tunnel serving as the vehicular entrance to the J&L mill. The name of the roadway whose overpass design devastated the intersection and surrounding areas (with help from the mill's ultimate demise) is Constitution Boulevard. J&L MillBoth of my grandfathers worked in the J&L Aliquippa Works, and my father worked there part-time while in college. My father took me to the mill once during a visit to Aliquippa when I was a boy and we happened to be there during a shift change. I have a vivid memory of what seemed to be hundreds of men entering and leaving the mill at the same time. Later that night, while trying to fall asleep in a guest bed at my grandparents' house, I saw the sky glow orange every so often in the direction of the mill, due to the round-the-clock operation of the open blast furnace. Ford countryL-R: 1931 model A Ford; 1937 V8 rear view; Ford signs and lamps. The only tractor available in 1938 was the English imported Fordson model N. This would change in 1939 with the introduction of the Ford 9N tractor featuring the Ferguson 3 point hitch system forever changing farming for the better. Ah, Duquesne!"Best beer in town!" I mean, you can't lie on a billboard, right? I saw J&L close.During 1981-84 I lived in Ambridge, directly across the river from J&L and witnessed it's final death throes. In 1981 the sky was yellow from the mill's output. By 1984 the sky was blue, J&L shuttered, and Aliquippa was becoming a ghost town. Ambridge is often seen on Shorpy, but I wish I had a photo of the row house we rented while in grad school. At one point in it's long history is was a house of ill repute and the entire interior had been painted pink. The closing of the mill was hard for everyone in the community. Odd topsWhat are the domes on top of the light poles? Victoria CoupeThe Victoria Coupe facing away from us, on the right side of the photo, is a 1934 or 1935 Buick - probably a Series 60, Model 68. (The Gallery, Arthur Rothstein, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Small Towns)
Washington Shopped Here: 1913
And Lincoln, too. Interior of the Apolonia Stuntz toy store on New York Avenue, seen from the ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/12/2011 - 12:26pm -

And Lincoln, too. Interior of the Apolonia Stuntz toy store on New York Avenue, seen from the outside in the previous post. View full size. The Newspaper...on the ceiling fixture. At first I thought it was put there by the photographer to dampen the light for his exposure. But it is a gas fixture. Seems a little dangerous. Otherwise, I LOVE the photo. A real toy store, with real toys. No electronic do-dads. And a whisk broom for every occasion!No home should be without one! Nice to see that they haven't changed a bit through the years! They're simple, effective, practical and inexpensive little gizmos; just the thing for cleaning off dirty children. Just lookingWhat a joy to be able to glimpse inside Stuntz's toy store. The cupboards spill over with toys that only needed imagination to provide fun: dollies in fancy dresses, their furniture and tea sets, push toys that clink and clank, horse heads on a stick to ride upon, and drums. Not a video game in sight. Mrs. Stuntz's CounterWashington Post, May 26, 1901 Tales of the Town Famous Penny Counter There's many a Washington man now drawing nigh to the time of life which necessitates the occasional letting out of a link the waistband, and many a Washington woman creeping along to the period when she anxiously scans her hair in the hand glass for the first gray ones, who must have experienced a tender, if not mournful, flood of memories when the announcement was made in the papers the other day that old Mrs. Stuntz, of New York avenue, had died. For a good deal more than a generation this good old lady had kept a little toy and candy store on New York avenue. Only the quiet old folks of Washington are able to remember when Mrs. Stuntz did not preside over this establishment. And perhaps even the quiet old folks cannot remember when Mrs. Stuntz herself was not a quiet old little lady. Mrs. Stuntz made a specialty of her penny counter for the young ones. On this counter she exhibited an almost unbelievable number of wondrously beautiful articles - some to eat and others to behold and to fondle — for a penny. The young ones of the days long ago would line up with wide eyes in front of those windows and play "choosins," whether they had the requisite penny or not. Sometimes it would take actual hours for those who had wheedled pennies out of the parents to decide how to invest the same. No sooner would a shaver in possession of a penny decide upon a horse-cake — one of those big, brownish affairs, from which it was the custom to bite the head, tail and legs first, reserving the body for the climactic gormandizing — than he would be torn with doubt as to whether a black licorice "nigger head," with red eyes, would not, so to speak, be a better money's worth, because it was an affair to be sucked, thereby prolonging the penny's worth of happiness. Many a little pig-tailed girl — now a mother of children — has stood first on one leg and then on the other in front of old Mrs. Stuntz's window, racked with doubt as to whether she ought to invest her penny in a tiny wooden churn or washtub, or in one of those little paper dolls of olden time, with red or blue tissue paper skirts much spread out. There was always at Mrs. Stuntz's counters the struggle between appetite and the embryotic artistic sense of the patrons. There was something powerfully satisfying in a cent's worth of Mrs. Stuntz's jujube paste, or in one of her hunks of yellow taffy on a stick, or in the three neatly wrapped, old-fashioned chocolate caramels, or even in the two little cakes of pure white sugared chewing gum that tasted like a combination of tallow and wax — and was good at that. Put all these fine things alongside such permanencies as 1-cent glass taw allies, or those exceedingly diminutive and hopelessly nude china dolls, or the terrifying bean-blower, or the ear-splitting tine whistle, or the cute little paper parasol — and the struggle between a yearnful, youthful appetite on the one side and an equally strong youthful desire to get something to have and to hold on the other, often drove the young ones of a past generation to something mighty like distraction. And the worst of it was that when all the doubts had been dispelled and then penny purchase had been made the purchaser almost immediately experienced a feeling of gloom over a sudden conviction that, after all, the wrong thing had been bought. The degree of patience which the kindly little old woman displayed in the many years she dealt with the children is well remembered by her customers who have arrived at an age to apprehend these matters. The penny-clutching, doubting young one was never told to "hurry up" by Mrs. Stuntz. The younger one was privileged to feast his or eyes on the marvelous penny bargains until such a time as a decision was reached, no matter how long it took. Such humiliations as the children of other years ever encountered in Mrs. Stuntz's shop they brought upon themselves. There are memories, for example of a nice red wagon in the window of Mrs. Stuntz's shop, and of an exceedingly little chap who, having been a penny customer of the little old woman's for some time, coveted the wagon, imagining that it couldn't possible cost more than a cent, for the simple reason that he had never bought anything from Mrs. Stuntz of greater value than that. The very little chap got hold of a penny and pranced boldly into Mrs. Stuntz's and announced that he was about to buy the red wagon. Mrs. Stuntz took it out of the window, and the little boy handed her over his cent. "But, sonny, the wagon is a dollar and a half," remarked the little old lady, smiling. The little chap took back his penny, his face flaming, and marched out of the store. It is likely that he has never at any subsequent time felt so utterly cheap as he did at that moment. There was many an eye that, losing the focus and becoming blurred, saw away beyond the newspaper, and far back into the yester-years, over the announcement of the death of Mrs. Stuntz, of New York avenue. Smoke AlarmI believe the paper hanging on the gas heater is a 1913 smoke alarm. If the paper starts on fire, well -- there you go. Light controlThe paper on the gas lamp is hooked on the lamp knob, and is just to control the amount of illumination in the back. The paper was safe as long as it didn't touch the globe. The wall-papered ceiling is a really nice job, an artisan's work for sure! There are several Restaurants and antique shops in my area (upper NY) that look exactly like this, only more cluttered. (The Gallery, D.C., Harris + Ewing, Stores & Markets)
New England Fish Inc.: 1904
... tenders stacked up like that before on both schooners. No interior obstructions whatsoever. Add: Thanks chicagobob! Cool info ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 06/29/2014 - 12:57pm -

1904. "Fisher schooners at 'T' wharf, Boston. George H. Lubee at left." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. Rope FetishYup, if you have one, this is the job for you. Joe PalookaWhoa! You did not want to give any trouble to the guy on the far right of the wharf! Yes, the one with a granite jaw and hands like baseball mitts. Stack of TendersI've never seen tenders stacked up like that before on both schooners. No interior obstructions whatsoever. Add: Thanks chicagobob! Cool info DoriesThose aren't tenders, they are dories, the reason for the existence of the schooner in the first place. The schooner would carry the fishermen and their dories to the fishing grounds, perhaps the Grand Banks or a similar area, where the small boats would be dispatched, usually with a man and a boy, to fish with longlines or by other methods. Cod was the most common prey. The dories' thwarts (the seats) could be removed to allow them to nest on the deck, as shown in the photo. Dories were well-designed to hold great loads and still be manageable in rough seas. They could be sailed or rowed. Fannie Belle AtwoodThe George H. Lubee was launched at Essex, Mass. in 1902. The other schooner might be the Fannie Belle Atwood, launched from Essex the following year. Dories A dory can carry 2 men and 1,000 lbs. of fish. I've never heard of them being sailed, or known them to have centerboards to make that possible. Regardless, they're very stable boats! Here's an example of a dory I saw on the L.A. Dunton at Mystic Seaport in Mystic, CT. We're HereThe life of these fishermen(including the process of stacking dories)is well described in Kipling's Captain's Courageous, which I re-read every year. Delightful to see fishing schooners from this era in such detail. The Fabulous Baker BoiesApparently, Baker, Boies & Watson was a commercial fishing powerhouse at the Boston seaport for a long, long time... from this photo, in 1904, through their 1920 sponsorship of the Fishing Masters' Association directory, "Fishermen of the Atlantic" (image), to the 1962 dedication of Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute, which they also sponsored. (The Gallery, Boats & Bridges, Boston, DPC)
Fort Sumter: 1865
1865. "Charleston, South Carolina. Interior of Fort Sumter, with gabion reinforcements. Photograph of the Federal ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/31/2012 - 8:41pm -

1865. "Charleston, South Carolina. Interior of Fort Sumter, with gabion reinforcements. Photograph of the Federal Navy, and seaborne expeditions against the Atlantic Coast of the Confederacy." View full size. Left half of a wet-collodion glass-plate stereograph. Now a Juniper Gallery fine-art print. Fort SumterIt's interesting to visit Fort Sumter today. Before you travel over to the island you get the slick brochure that shows what it looked like pre-civil war. Unfortunately what remains today is roughly half (or less) of the original in terms of height, and the only reason that exists is because the rubble from the bombardments basically buried the walls. Here you see the sandbags and rubble, underneath, the remaining ruins of a once great fort. It was a very interesting visit, but I was disappointed to see that a large concrete lookout bunker was installed in the center of the fort during WW I , further detracting from Fort Sumter's Civil War feel. (The Gallery, Charleston, Civil War)
Sic Transit: 1910
... either by train, or horse and wagon. That goes for the interior too. No snakes But plenty of ladders. The Pit Does ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 11/08/2019 - 10:44am -

New York circa 1910. "Bird's eye view of new Pennsylvania Station." Demolished in 1963. 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. A little later and farther uptown ...Mrs. Kennedy Onassis, who regretted the destruction of Pennsylvania Station and may have contributed to preservation efforts, was a citizen of New York by the time destruction of Grand Central Terminal was imminent. One proposal for the new station was "Grand Central Lanes," a bowling alley to be built above track level! Jackie wrote a beautiful, persuasive letter to Mayor Beame urging the preservation of GCT. There were other big and biggish names advocating preservation. Betty Furness is one name that comes to mind. The tragedy of Pennsylvania Station's destruction became more apparent in retrospect and this awareness helped energize opposition to Grand Central's destruction. A great lossI remember reading that among the notables who campaigned to stop the destruction of the architectural gem was Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis. The loss of the station was instrumental in kickstarting the preservation movement in New York City. What is she doingon the rooftop at the Rikers Drugs building?? Pardon Me BoyBack in the day you could apparently leave here 'bout a quarter to four, read a magazine and then you're in Baltimore. Another Rooftop RiddleDid you notice what looks like someone sleeping on top the building, near bottom left? How did it get there?Think about this: Most of what you see in this building was delivered either by train, or horse and wagon. That goes for the interior too. No snakesBut plenty of ladders. The PitDoes anybody know what was constructed in the excavation pit? I have searched for images of that side of the station and have only found evidence of a green-grass park that existed; however, I believe the park must have been excavated to build something else. Many thanks! Another McKim, Mead & WhiteYou can see the glass roof covering the train platforms at far right. That would make Seventh Avenue the street in the foreground, at left. Across the avenue the site being excavated is now occupied by the Hotel Pennsylvania, opened in 1919 and designed by the same architectural firm as the (sadly, now gone) station. (The Gallery, DPC, NYC, Railroads, Streetcars)
The Good Life: 1960
... fresh out of his tan convertible with the red leather interior, wearing pegged and cuffed khaki trousers with penny loafers and ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 11/29/2008 - 6:42pm -

Another of the many swimming pools photographed by Frank Scherschel circa 1960. Throw in a tiki or two and we have all the makings of a Josh Agle painting. Anscochrome transparency, Life magazine photo archive. View full size. Jon Hamm, January JonesThis is almost identical to the scenes from "Mad Men" in which Jon has a "Clintonburger" (a regular burger with a little tomato on the side) and the lady at the front of the pool even looks like his wife, although she wasn't there. Notice these are strictly adults, no problematic children are pictured to complicate things. However, I must say that I found the 60's to be wonderful for the age I was at the time. We call them the good old days because we were not good and we were not old. Shag-tasticThis is, indeed, a chic get-together. Wonder if they're listening to Martin Denny on the hi-fi. Any information on where this house is? I love the striped tile design around the pool. The Exquisite LifeCertainly, a Trader Vic's approach in this family's poolside was not what they were reaching for. The Neo-Baroque clustering of the three candles is a statement of modern and fitting mores of the higher social elite that we all saw in pages of Look and Life at the time. This is a Mid-Century vision of what so many wanted--a twilight paradise with flaming dessert and coffee at the water's edge so accentuated by the muted stripes on the decking a l'Italienne. This is not a gathering that the skipper from Gilligan's Island would attend. Rather, the guests here await a dashing visit from George Peppard fresh out of his tan convertible with the red leather interior, wearing pegged and cuffed khaki trousers with penny loafers and white socks. Still the Good LifeYou would need to be very wealthy indeed not to see that photo and STILL see that as a lifestyle you'd like to lead. Gregory CrewdsonThis photo reminds me very much of Gregory Crewdson's style of photography... the bright, off-camera lighting, the way the subjects don't look at the camera, the Technicolor hues. It's a beautiful composition. Midcentury ParadiseI think that is indoor-outdoor carpet around the pool. Notice that there appears to be a "forest" next to the house, too. There is not another "ticky tacky" house stacked on top of it. Ah, how very glamorous. Where IS this place? (LIFE)
Irving Place: 1905
... by Elsie de Wolfe, the influential and very social interior designer, and her partner Elisabeth Marbury, a successful literary ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/21/2012 - 12:38pm -

New York circa 1905. "Washington Irving's home, Irving Place and East 17th Street." Where Rip Van Winkle meets Sleepy Hollow. 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. Hydrants high and lowA little trivia: This area was transforming from residential to manufacturing lofts at about this time. (The transformation never got much past 17th Street on Irving Place, though). For a period, the city ran two separate fire hydrant systems, one for everyday use, and a high pressure system for commercial areas that could push a lot more water into high-rise buildings. The short, fat fire hydrant in the foreground is the high-pressure system; the taller, skinny one in the background is the regular system. The high-pressure system went out of service in 1979, but the hydrants remained on the streets for decades, "downgraded to the simple duty of collecting parking ticket revenues for the city." You could still find them around Union Square into the 2000s. Creepy Face CloudThe cloud in the middle of the picture looks like a ghostly figure of a little girl just look closely is creepy you can see the head and hands!?! Elsie de Wolfe's PlaceAlthough Irving Place was named for Washington Irving, the long identification of this house at 122 E. 17th Street is apparently incorrect. The story seems to date from the 1890s, when the house was occupied by Elsie de Wolfe, the influential and very social interior designer, and her partner Elisabeth Marbury, a successful literary agent. Built in 1844, the house had once been the residence of an unrelated merchant named Edgar Irving, and Washington Irving lived in Tarrytown, not Manhattan, after his return from Spain in 1846. A 1994 New York Times article by Christopher Gray debunks this durable myth in killing detail. Whaddya KnowStill there. Along with much of the neighborhood. I was sure I'd hit Google Maps and see a '70s apartment complex or a parking garage. There oughta be a medal. Old and ImprovedI don't know that I have ever thought this on this site, but I actually think the scene looks better now! Aside from the addition of the big ugly box of a building across the street, the trees and removal of the ivy is beautiful. View Larger Map And let's not forget Washington Irving High SchoolStill a great NYC public high school! Famous alumnae include Claudette Colbert, the famous 1930's movie star, and Gertude Berg, of "The Goldbergs" TV show of the 1950's. Today, great kids and teachers. +107Below is the same view from April of 2012. (The Gallery, DPC, NYC)
The Secretary: 1920
... She's... inside... so she must be the Secretary of the Interior. Wonderful Concept That's a remarkably different composition ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/21/2012 - 7:52pm -

Washington, D.C., circa 1920. "National Personnel Service Bureau." This could be a shot composed by Edward Hopper. National Photo Co. View full size. Have a seatin one of the cane chairs in the foreground. This style chair is a great set item for time-period theatre productions. Hard to find used in a usable state, though. Name changeAnd today, of course, it would be known as "National Human Resources Service Bureau." Never use one word when two will do. Let's see if I have this straightShe's... inside... so she must be the Secretary of the Interior. Wonderful ConceptThat's a remarkably different composition and concept for its time. And it was a two-person shoot: one squeezing the shutter bulb, another firing a very sizable load of flash powder for light which matched the people strongly enough to equal the outdoor exposure. A very talented shooter made this one. [The photographers employed by the National Photo Co. were, by definition, pros. - tterrace] Not a typo to be seen What a pleased and composed expression on her lovely, and older, face. An accomplished professional at one with her work. Let's see, perfect margins, no misspelled words, no strikeovers. Her boss is lucky to have her. Wonder what he paid her. Hide the typewriterBig in those days were desks which actually hide the typewriter when not needed. Some had a pull-up-and cover-it desk top. But I believe this one has the typewriter bolted down and hinge is used to rotate the machine under, leaving a very nice wooden workspace for the secretary to use. DictionaryShe needed the dictionary in case her spell-check was on the blitz. [And then there are those beyond the help of spell-check. - Dave] (The Gallery, D.C., Natl Photo, The Office)
Re-THINK: 1956
... perfect condition 57 Chevy with continental kit and RED interior driving South on Highway 101. Could've pulled right out of this lot, ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/14/2013 - 11:12pm -

1956. "IBM Manufacturing and Administrative Center, Rochester, Minn. Eero Saarinen, architect." Another perspective on the desk seen here, now with a view of the parking lot. Kodachrome by Balthazar Korab. View full size. Cigarettes help you thinkYou can see this wasn't taken while the programmers were there. You can see across the room. Back in these days all the programmers smoked like chimneys. You could spot their work area by the cloud of smoke over it. American Iron outside...Yesterday I saw an all black, perfect condition 57 Chevy with continental kit and RED interior driving South on Highway 101. Could've pulled right out of this lot, given the one year time slip. I love the lighting, it's like late in the day and most have gone home. Or is it early, and the view the first person in the department gets when they walk in? It still blows my mind that they needed an architect to build this rectangular room devoid of any personality at all! Is there a defined style called Cookie-Cutter architecture? Where's my Taurus?Very disconcerting to my mind to see "antiques" out the windows and "modern" furniture inside the windows. This furniture, and cubicles in the previous pic, are almost identical to much of the furniture at US Steel Gary Works where I toiled in an office much like this one through 1999. When I look out the window at IBM, I can't help but expect to see 1990's autos! Very cool picture for that reason. The DeskI don't think it's the exact same desk. The room is completely different. My guess is it's just one of many identical desks and placards that IBM probably bought for that facility. [Same desk, unless IBM had strict accouterment placement standards. -tterrace] And not onedrab silver/grey car among those Easter egg colors! FHS '89Change the cars and remove the ashtrays and that looks like a room in my high school in the '80s! Deja vuBut for a brief moment just looking at this photo took my mind back in time and there I was sitting on one of those chairs similar to the ones used in our high school cafeteria. And I was gazing through the window, much like the one pictured, at the student parking lot across the street from the cafeteria. Students back in the 60's generally drove cars that were at least 10 years old and it was those cars shown in the photo that took up occupancy in that student parking lot so many years ago. THINK, the musicalFrom "Songs of the I.B.M." (1937 edition), the words to "Our President's Motto - 'THINK'" (sung to the tune of "Yankee Doodle"): (verse 1) T-H-I-N-K spells THINK- Our President's great motto. Saves mistakes, lost time and ink. You'll then do what you ought to. (verse 2) T-H-I-N-K spells THINK- 'Tis good for brain and body, Dark blue visions change to pink. And you'll please everybody. (Chorus) T-H-I-N-K spells THINK- Thoughts are pure and golden; Bigger thoughts and good ones too, Then I.B.M. will broaden. (Balthazar Korab, Cars, Trucks, Buses, The Office)
Model 47: 1928
... Affairs Regional Office and Insurance Center. By then the interior of the original sawtooth roof had been coverd by a dropped ceiling, ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/21/2012 - 7:52pm -

Philadelphia circa 1928. "Atwater Kent Factory for T.R. Shipp." Assembling the Atwater Kent Model 47, back when radios were the iPad of their day. National Photo Company Collection glass negative. View full size. The AK 47Is it an Assault Radio? The finished producthttp://antiqueradios.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=78447 Powerful radio!By the look of the head gasket, it's a 4 cylinder model. I still call it the wirelessAlways makes the young people roll their eyes. I workedin this building in the early 90s when it was the home of the US Dept of Veterans Affairs Regional Office and Insurance Center. By then the interior of the original sawtooth roof had been coverd by a dropped ceiling, but it was accessible. It still had the original wooden floors, covered in most places with carpeting but visible in the aisles between offices and cubicles. The VAROIC demolished the builing in the late 90s. The building's footprint is now occupied by the parking lot for the replacement building. On a prominent corner of the property a large section of the sawtooth roof truss is mounted on columns as if it were a sculpture-like artwork. The site is bounded by US 1, Wissahickon Ave., and a regional passenger rail line. (Technology, The Gallery, Factories, Natl Photo, Philadelphia)
Patent Office: 1920
... The recent renovations included covering over the interior courtyard into a fantastic covered atrium . Visible on the right of ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/07/2012 - 2:01am -

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office in Washington circa 1920. Which, after a zillion-dollar makeover, is now the Smithsonian's National Portrait Gallery and Museum of American Art. National Photo Co. glass negative. View full size. They have the patent on tilted lawnsCan anyone explain why that one section of the yard is inclined? Is there some sort of room under it? [A good question. There were a number of roof and basement skylights covered over after the building was electrified. Or it could have been a driveway ramp. - Dave] Dancing with the LincolnsLincoln's second inaugural ball took place in this building, in the gallery on the east side (not visible in this shot). It's a great 19th century public space. Kogod AtriumAhh... The old Patent Office is one of the great architectural buildings in the district. The recent renovations included covering over the interior courtyard into a fantastic covered atrium. Visible on the right of this photo is the grandest brick edifice in D.C.: the old Pension Bureau, now the National Building Museum. I strongly recommend both sites to any visitors to the area. Also to the right of the photo is the now razed Barrister Building. Washington Post, Feb 13, 1910 Office Structure Begun Foundations for another nine-story office building for Washington are being laid at 635 F street northwest, and within the next week or two the public will be able to obtain a general idea as to how large the structure will be when it is completed. The building will be called the Barrister building, and will be a modern fireproof structure, with a 29-foot frontage and a depth of 120 feet. ... Smithsonian"Which, after a zillion-dollar makeover, is now Smithsonian's National Portrait Gallery and Museum of American Art." At least they didn't raze the building to build a parking lot... The ghosts are cool, and there's a lot of them in this one! [Probably would have been harder to get a $250 million appropriation for a parking lot. - Dave] Is that a Horse Drawn Carriage sans horse?Behind the clock on the left, is that a Horse Drawn Carriage without a horse, or is that an automobile that would be considered an antique even in 1920? I mean, those are solid rim wheels! [That's a runabout. And I'd imagine the four legs belong to a horse. - Dave] I'm disoriented!I'm confused about which corner I'm looking at. Where was this photo taken from? There is a ledge of some kind in the lower left corner. Is that a window sill? Is it a roof? Also, at the end of the street heading off to the right there is a huge building that looks kind of like the National Building Museum. And what are the minaret-looking towers off to the left? What would be great is if there was a way to "tag" DC landscape photos like this one to tell us what else is in the picture. Thanks! [On the left is Ninth Street heading north; to the right is F Street heading east toward the Pension Office, now the National Building Museum. Click below to zoom. - Dave] I just can't help myself!Under the tilted lawn is the root cellar where they keep their possum. (The Gallery, D.C., Natl Photo)
The Happy Homemaker: 1940
... lovely strong fingers all three of them have! Decor Interior design by Philip DeGuard. Unmistakable Joy is writ as large on ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 12/06/2019 - 12:35pm -

July 1940. Door County, Wisconsin. "Farm Security Administration rehabilitation borrower and family. The wife made the drapes, the chair covers, and papered the wall herself." Medium format negative by John Vachon for the Resettlement Administration. View full size. Wow!All that and pretty to boot. They all look like they love their very happy home. A Homemaker, LiterallyAt some point, being called a "homemaker" became unfairly derisive. This woman's precision workmanship is remarkable. A super-zoomed inspection of the room reveals that the sofa has a box-pleated (and probably lined) skirt and every seam is welted, which is cording covered in bias-cut fabric, which was then inserted between the two layers of upholstery before stitching the seam. Harder still is to make smooth welts on the curves and corners of the cushions. Amazing, too, is that she probably did the work on a standard sewing machine. Beyond the sofa, notice that the wallpaper is perfectly matched and the seams are barely visible. The curtains appear to have an applied rather than printed contrast band, and the corner miters are perfect. I.am.in.awe. Now I am impressedMake draperies? Sure. Slipcovers? Not such a huge deal. But I damned well doff my hat to a woman with enough skill to paper a wall like that. Sacra Famiglia U.S.A.I’ll bet it was a rare thing for happy handsome dad to be sitting in his work clothes on the brand new sofa. And what lovely strong fingers all three of them have! DecorInterior design by Philip DeGuard. UnmistakableJoy is writ as large on her face as pride is on his. Indulgence in self-pity or any sense of entitlement is glaringly absent. There was enlightened self-interest but I doubt they had time for faux outrage. There's no substitute for loving the life you have, and for being committed to it in all its ups and downs. Days come and days go and there she is, making a lovely, comfortable home and devoting herself to its occupants, her beloveds. They were the greatest generation indeed. The actorHe kind of looks like Nicolas Cage. DoppelgangerDad looks a lot like Peyton Manning. Door County Cherry Harvest of 1945Door County is famed for its sour cherry orchards. Five years after this picture was taken, when WW2 depleted the local workforce, German POWs were used to harvest them. As per the Geneva Convention, they were paid 80 cents a day in camp scrip, which could be spent on canteen items or put into a savings account. (The Gallery, John Vachon, Kids)
Sport Fudge: 1924
Washington, D.C., circa 1924. "Brownley interior." A sort of fernery-confectionery. National Photo Company Collection ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/11/2011 - 4:06pm -

Washington, D.C., circa 1924. "Brownley interior." A sort of fernery-confectionery. National Photo Company Collection glass negative. View full size. Candy CryptIf there was a concession stand at Forest Lawn, this would be it. Yum!Calories at 5000 per square foot. You could gain weight just walkin' through this place. What's the address? Sweet ShopWhat a lovely Victorian looking confectionery! So very elegant, clean and welcoming. Mind if I take a seat and sample some sweets? Ant ProtectionNotice the white pots holding the legs of the cases and tables. I assume this is for keeping the ants away. A confection outside too!1309 F Street NW. A history of the Brownley Confectionery Building. [That building was constructed in 1932 -- eight years after this photo was taken. The address of the confectionery in our photo is 1203 G Street NW. - Dave] Scary sweetsBuying candy in a funeral parol, I don't think so! Flood ProtectionThe white bootees on the table and counter legs are probably there to protect the wood finishes from regular wet mopping of that American Olean mosaic tile floor. Many years ago I lived overseas in a wet-mopping zone, and none of the household furniture I saw in anyone's houses had any finish left on the first three or four inches closest to the floors. Buns?Is it possible to get a clearer scan of the sign in the right foreground? It seems to mention "French [something] Buns" at 80 cents a pound. That would amount to $10 or so in today's money. [FRENCH BON BONS 10¢ LB - Dave] (The Gallery, D.C., Natl Photo, Stores & Markets)
The Fight: 1913
... the NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission declared the interior and exterior an official landmark in 1987. Now restored to its ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 03/09/2015 - 1:42pm -

New York, 1913. "Quality Shop and Hudson Theatre." Where the audience for Bayard Veiller's drama The Fight included a grand jury probing charges that the play was "indecent and a public nuisance." 8x10 glass negative. View full size. The alphabet thiefis in town - see usiness en's unch. I certainly hopethat those two usiness en enjoy their unch at Café Signage. Business Men's LunchThree martinis and some pretzels. Quality Replacement Letters could probably be purchased at the aptly named, and handily located, shop a mere two doors down. [The letters are not actually missing, they're just semi-invisible thanks to the emulsions used in the days before panchromatic film. - Dave] Red BMLI would surmise, as letters painted with that color would show up darker when using orthochromatic emulsion (no guess as to Pantone color shade though.) Hudson Theatre is still thereIt's still in business at 141 W. 44th Street. After serving as a movie theater, studio for CBS and NBC, a legitimate theater, a porno house and finally a rock night club, the NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission declared the interior and exterior an official landmark in 1987. Now restored to its original 1903 appearance, the Hudson is part of the Millennium Broadway Hotel next door, and is used as a conference center and venue for special events. Leo. Feist, Inc.Above the theater is one of the offices of Leo. Feist, Inc., as shown on the open windows and also by the large brass plate on the corner of the building. Leopold Feist founded and ran a music publishing firm in the early 1900s. By the 1920's, Feist was among the seven largest publishers of sheet music in the world. He had offices in major cities around he globe. His largest selling piece of sheet music was "My Blue Heaven" published in 1927. Emblazoned -- at least once on every music sheet he published -- was the slogan "You Can't Go Wrong With Any Feist Song". After his death in 1930, most of the Feist music catalog was acquired by MGM. ComstockeryAccording to John Houchin's "Censorship of the American Theatre in the Twentieth Century", many early twentieth-century plays dramatized female sexual abuse (fueled by a moral panic over "white slavery"). What the authorities took exception to in "The Fight" was a confrontation set in a bordello, where the heroine (campaigning for public office) accuses her opponents of corrupting young women and the community for their own profit. In anticipation of the grand jury's visit, Veiller rewrote the second act and merely described the bordello scene, instead of showing it onstage, and after viewing the revised version, the grand jury dropped all charges. (The Gallery, NYC, Stores & Markets)
Expecting: 1920
... in those days. Strictly germ-proof this bare white interior reminds me of the old poem: Strictly Germ-proof THE ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/09/2012 - 11:06pm -

Circa 1920. "Nursery." National Photo Company glass negative. View full size. NurseryI can smell the baby powder. HazardsI count 6 or 8 strangulation hazards for toddlers. Babyhood was more dangerous in those days. Strictly germ-proofthis bare white interior reminds me of the old poem: Strictly Germ-proof THE Antiseptic Baby and the Prophylactic Pup Were playing in the garden when the Bunny gamboled up; They looked upon the Creature with a loathing undisguised;— It wasn't Disinfected and it wasn't Sterilized. They said it was a Microbe and a Hotbed of Disease; They steamed it in a vapor of a thousand-odd degrees; They froze it in a freezer that was cold as Banished Hope And washed it in permanganate with carbolated soap. In sulphurated hydrogen they steeped its wiggly ears; They trimmed its frisky whiskers with a pair of hard-boiled shears; They donned their rubber mittens and they took it by the hand And elected it a member of the Fumigated Band. There's not a Micrococcus in the garden where they play; They bathe in pure iodoform a dozen times a day; And each imbibes his rations from a Hygienic Cup-- The Bunny and the Baby and the Prophylactic Pup. Scrupulously CleanSo clean and tidy. Love the oval white enamel baby tub, although the rickety canvas-top stand wouldn't pass OSHA standards today! Quaint wicker baby scale on top of little chest. And it looks like Mother has washed out some gowns and receiving blankets, drying on the clothes rack. Room itself is so placid and restful; undoubtedly the Baby was loved & wanted. Hold still, kidThe sleek five-drawer dresser would look good in a modern home. The flimsy scale on top of it, though, is a disaster waiting to happen. One good wiggle and the baby would slip right off. Coming in or going out...It has been said we enter the world toothless, bald and crawling around in diapers and we pretty much leave the same way. Except for the scale, this is similar to single rooms in a nursing home. Sorry to be a wet blanket, I usually look at the sunny side of life, but this is a serene and sunny room and would be a happy place for a new baby. So maybe we all go back to our happy place, huh? Tinctura opii camphorataRE: "Hold still, kid" That's what paregoric was for! Look how convenient the electrical receptacle is, no bending over. And one less hazard for a crawling baby. Cloth diapers!I love the cloth diapers on the drying rack. I hope the mother had an electric washer with a wringer on it, to wash the diapers. My grandmother had to live with her in-laws when my mother was born. Her mother-in-law had a wringer washer, but wouldn't let Grandma use it, so she had to take the diapers down to the "crick" and wash them by hand. When I was young, I took care of a little old lady who was born in 1883, and had twelve children. One day, I commented that she must have spent many, many hours washing diapers by hand. She got a smile on her face and said, "But it was an easy washing. Besides, the hardest thing was getting the money to buy the cloth to make the diapers." I thought of that often, years later, as I washed the store bought, pre-fold diapers for my babies, with an electric washer and dryer, and never felt like it was a burden. (The Gallery, Natl Photo)
Loves Olives: 1956
... everywhere at the time: car paint, fiberglass boats, interior décor, furniture, home exteriors, advertising layouts, product ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 06/14/2012 - 4:59pm -

Southern California circa 1956. One of a dozen Kodachrome slides that I recently found on eBay. If the clothes here were any sharper we'd need to call 911. No T- shirts and jeans for these folks. More to come over the weekend. View full size. Pink Golden AgeIf this photo was shot in 2012, the young woman's clothing would be far different. The Pink Top would be gone and the Dress would be daringly unbuttoned. It's been interesting watching Shorpy Photos and seeing the progression of women wearing less and less clothing through the years since the camera was invented. Seems the 1950s was the happy medium. What were we thinking?I’m guessing the guy on the left is wearing suede shoes. 1955/56 were the years of pink and charcoal attire for men of the world, as were blue suede wingtip shoes. What we can see of him measures up to the standard, so I’m assuming his footwear does also---including the obligatory pink argyle socks. Pastel colors abounded everywhere at the time: car paint, fiberglass boats, interior décor, furniture, home exteriors, advertising layouts, product packages, etc. Thankfully, providence spared us the simultaneous affliction of women’s sack dresses during the same period, as they were still a couple of years off. "Mad Men," eat your hearts out!Why does the song "Sharp Dressed Man" come to mind? Seriously, the clothes are wonderful! Green olive loverThat's a really cute girl! I'm wondering what the story is about the b&w photo of the white couple. Maybe Olive Girl is biracial and those are her grandparents. I'm speaking this as a mother with two biracial kids and three biracial grandkids, as of yesterday (baby boy, 7lbs 6oz)! UnforgettableHaving been a fan of Nat King Cole, I attended some of his concerts in the early '60s. He dressed so very similar to these two men, very elegant, slender, meticulously groomed and a very smoooooth operator. As soon as I saw this picture, I was reminded of his demeanor. He was especially graceful and attentive to his fans and yet was so humble and congenial to all and his voice was one in a trillion, never to be duplicated. Even though these two do not really look alike, they both interpreted his sophisticated "style" beautifully. What my sons would say"If you could get ALL those olives in the dish into your mouth at the same time, I'll give you a quarter." This was the kind of stunts they'd pull in their teen years and beyond. Their youngest brother at age 5 had a near tragedy trying to fit a whole wedge of cantaloupe in his mouth at once. Thank goodness Mom intervened. Great Photo findThere are still many of us around from that age and that time. Dave, I hope you can get some names to attach to the pictures. I'm looking forward to the next of the set. [Alas, the only name on these slides is "Kodachrome." -Dave] B&W PhotoI don't think the couple in the photo are white noelani. I think the woman is just lighter skinned. (SoCal 1956 Kodachromes)
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