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Winter Street: 1940
... fingers and nose thanks to a comfortably temperate car interior. Concerns though, about the cold-nosed Kitty, clambering onto the ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 02/05/2023 - 10:44pm -

December 1940. "Winter Street, Quincy, Massachusetts. A Syrian neighborhood near the shipyards. Slum area where many shipyard workers live." Photo by Jack Delano.  View full size.
GrouchomobileThat car just needs a pair of glasses and bushy eyebrows. Maybe a grease moustache. Don't see too many grille covers these days, even in the northeast US.
[The car: 1937 Ford. - Dave]
Lots still there!
Watch mePark right next to the No Parking sign.
There is gentrification going on nowIn the array of slums we have seen on Shorpy, this looks relatively livable. The house on the left is still there, recognizable below. If you move down the street, past the greenery on the right, whatever was there has been replaced by some nice, new apartments.  If you go the the T-intersection and turn right onto E Howard Street, the old factory building disappears.
 
"Home" is a four-letter word, tooThe phrase "slum" seems to have been used quite loosely here -- as evidenced by the number of buildings that are still extant, 80+ years later -- perhaps an ominous foreshadowing of the coming decades when "blight" became a catchall phrase to get rid of ... well, almost anything that someone in power didn't like.
Worth a VisitI used to live in Quincy, and recommend a visit to The Old House at Peace Field, the home of Presidents John and J.Q. Adams and several later generations. Most Presidential homes feel like museums, but it's easy to imagine the Adams family puttering around Peace Field.
Quincy also claims to be the site of the first Howard Johnson's restaurant; the location is now occupied by the Wollaston T station. 
My how times have changed!Personally, I think the slum shot shown above looks better than the slums today.
Cold winter nosesThe curbside Ford's owner has provided its nose with a makeshift winter radiator grille cover to aid in faster winter engine warmups and better heat retention when underway. Happy owner now enjoys warm fingers and nose thanks to a comfortably temperate car interior. 
Concerns though, about the cold-nosed Kitty, clambering onto the the left front tire.   Is it contemplating a way to access that enticingly warm, under-hood location provided by the recently parked, still warm '37?
Be careful Kitty, countless tails and various other cat appendages have been mutilated or torn off in similar, deceivingly inviting, paw-thawing hideouts!
 Old housing yes but no slums there.The shipyard in the background is now long gone. The brick building was the headquarters of Bethlehem Ship Yard, owned by Bethlehem Steel. Later it was sold to General Dynamics. 7000, seven thousand men and women worked there in three shifts around the clock. They built Navy ships and in later years liquid natural gas tankers.  It was the bread and butter for hard-working men and women.
As to Winter Street, it may look old and rickety but it was a clean neighborhood of families and shipyard workers. It still stands today but the Shipyard is now a stinking parking lot for an automobile distributor. A waste of valuable land and deep water docking.
Anything hiding under there?Inquisitive cat peeking up under the Ford's left front fender.

Slum?What good is making a comment if it just gets tossed. Don't give me the so many comments talk, there were two or more comments submitted beyond mine and they were published.
I'll think twice before I support this site.
[No need to stop at twice. - Dave]
Big things happening beyond the end of Winter StreetWhen this photo was taken, the Fore River Shipyards in Quincy were ramping up their operations in case the United States entered World War II. Construction was underway on the battleship USS Massachusetts (BB-59) and light cruisers USS San Diego (CL-53) and San Juan (CL-54) - all three of which were still afloat and in action at the war's end. 
Now a museumThe shipyard is gone. Not sure where shipbuilding is still happening, but it's not in Massachusetts. I think the labor costs for one of the most expensive metro areas in the country got to be too much, and the shipyards were deemed "inefficient".  That was in the 1980s. The Reagan Administration hit the off switch in 1981. By 1986, General Dynamics shut this spot down.
A sliver of silver lining. The yard has been repurposed for some local businesses, including dredging and chemical fertilizer depots. There is also a museum dedicated to the Quincy shipbuilding tradition. And yes, it is used as a car distribution lot for dealers - for American cars. The Google map view shows the vehicle awaiting a home are Chevrolets, Jeeps, and GMC trucks. Much smaller than ships, but still helping the US economy.
(The Gallery, Cats, Jack Delano)

Chez Prez: 1920
... I've ever seen a side-cut out on a building like that with interior windows. You'd think they would have just put windows on the side of ... attached to it or very close to it, in which case, the interior windows would still have been odd. [Townhouses on interior lots ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 10/07/2013 - 4:19pm -

Washington, D.C. "Woodrow Wilson house, S Street." Residence of the former president and his wife starting in 1921, and where he died in 1924. National Photo Company Collection glass negative. View full size.
Looks as good as ever!I wonder if its haunted?
View Larger Map
Concrete?What can you tell about the odd contraption that may be a concrete mixer?  Can I make one to pour my 800 foot long driveway?
[Concrete mixer. -tterrace]
My next moveMy next move I am calling Security Storage Company!  Look how well they wrapped up that chair!
Odd DesignI am perplexed by the design; at the opening on the right, there are windows. They appear to be facing the back of the front of the building. Why would they do that?
Any architects out there?
[The light-well or air-shaft style of construction was common in big townhouses and apartment buildings around the turn of the century. - Dave]
Pass the Grey Poupon?According to that slit on the side of the building, the neighbors to the rear are a mere arm's length away.
[That's all the same house, not "the neighbors." - Dave]
Interesting architectureI don't believe I've ever seen a side-cut out on a building like that with interior windows.  You'd think they would have just put windows on the side of it, unless there was once a building attached to it or very close to it, in which case, the interior windows would still have been odd.
[Townhouses on interior lots generally don't have side windows -- the neighbors are just a few inches away, or physically adjoining. - Dave]
Light and AirThe right hand side of the house is built as a solid party wall, most likely right on the lot line with the adjoining property. If another house had been built right up to the lot line from the other side, there would be no possibility of placing any windows or other openings on the right hand side of the Wilson House. The fact that there is no house built that way there now does not mean that the builders could reasonably expect that there would never be a house built to "block" that side some day. The indentation in the Wilson House's volume provides the same source of fresh air and natural light to the interior parts of the house as the air shafts between the "dumbbell" tenements of New York City, but hopefully in a much better fashion.
[The other possibility is that the house next door was demolished after the property was purchased to make room for Wilson's driveway and garage. - Dave]
According to the bird's eye view feature of Bing Maps, there is an identical indentation on the left hand side of the Wilson House, where there is an actual party wall situation. Perhaps it was done on the right hand side for the sake of symmetry ... 
Lot next door/windows/changes to original floorplansThe lots on S Street were subdivided and planned for a full, contiguous row of townhouses, but the Wilsons' good friend Bernard Baruch bought the as yet un-built lot next door and allowed them to construct a garage.  The slab being poured in the image is for the driveway, but the garage hasn't been built yet.  Later the Wilsons cut through the bottom portion of the air shaft to make a door from the driveway.  
The windows in the airshaft provide light for the servants' stair case, the butler's pantry and two bathrooms.  
This photo was taken on the first week of March 1921.  All the furniture was in and ready by March 4 when the Wilsons left the White House. And the staff of the Wilson House still use Security Storage to move exhibition cases when needed!
(The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, D.C., Natl Photo)

California Modern: 1950
... comes around... I'm from New Zealand, and this style of interior is becoming extremely popular again. I think it's wonderful, nothing ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 12/05/2008 - 12:47pm -

1950. Cocktail hour at the Spencer residence in Santa Monica. Note the mirror-view television sunken into the table. Architect: Richard Spencer. Color transparency by Julius Shulman. View full size. Is Uncle Miltie on tonight?
Where is Hugh Hefner?This is reminiscent of the mood of the old TV Show "Hugh Hefner's Penthouse Party." It was all so "chic and stylishly sophisticated" and only the young and beautiful need apply.  I do LOVE the streamlined clean look of it all but the guy standing by the fireplace appears to be wearing sandals with a suit, kind of a strange combo.  And the powder blue chenille chair in the left foreground would have left lots of lint on black clothing.  Quite a slick depiction of the trends of 1950, although most of it is timeless good design.  Thanks for the flashback, I love your Shorpy time machine.  
Meaningful Look...... between Standing Man and Black Dress Woman. Who knows what else they have in common besides biblical footwear? The night is young...
Time and placeSandals and a suit? Hey, this is California -- not only that, Santa Monica. As California goes, so goes the future, and it was true in 1950. Granted, I was only 4 then, and my family wasn't in any way immersed in this kind of lifestyle and fashion, but I grew up aware of it, so this scene is completely believable. About the only thing not cutting-edge that I can see are what appear to be 78-rpm record albums (they were literally albums) on the bottom two shelves.
1950 ArmaniWhen I saw this, I immediately thought of Armani Casa, the style is so similar.  And the woman on the right in the black dress with the small pois pattern is pure Emporio.
SandalsSandals on men are just wrong. Sandals with a suit are an abomination. This guy wuld probably be wearing flip flops to work today.
Steak TartareIs that a big plate of raw hamburger there?
[Probably not. - Dave]
Name that tune.How about you all guess what suave, very cool and modern music that fits the scene might have been playing on the stereophonic hi-fi in 1950. I'm guessing something with Les Paul and Mary Ford.
[There was no stereo hi-fi in 1950, but what the heck. Miles Davis. - Dave]
Books!The thing that struck me immediately was the prominence of books in this otherwise very spare room.  Note the tapered, built-in bookcases, the hard-bound volume carefully placed on the coffee table and the stack of books in the centre unit of sectional couch.  Clearly, those who "dressed" this room could imagine the living room as a space where people would read, and they wanted to project the possibility.
Today's living rooms -- and the "entertainment units" with which they are furnished -- are designed around electronics, with some allowance for a few magazines or decorative items.  Bookcases, where you actually find them, tend to have oversize shelves for binders, photo albums and magazines, not octavo sized books.
Soviet ChicI love the Soviet Chic concrete block wall. It reminds me of the university building where I currently work. Probably constructed in about the same era.
Two observations: (1) without a ladder, how do you reach the books at the top of the 12-foot-shelf? (2) I love that the flask on the table matches both the drink on the table (which looks like Hawaiian Punch to me) and the pillows behind the bored blonde.
[The "flask" is a table lighter. - Dave]
Huaraches Going out on a limb here that those sandals are huaraches which were big in the 60's. I know because I had a Rat Fink surf themed LP, Surfink, in the 60's that mentioned huaraches. I suppose that qualifies me some.
Modern and Cold...I like a lot of the modern designs from the 50's. However, this one looks too cold and industrial. This is one cocktail party that I am glad I didn't go to. Just look at how much fun they are having! Oh my!
Swank padThe future was going to be so cool, and look what we did with it.
Shag?Is that SHAG carpetting on the chair?  And why is Mr. Spencer wearing Birkenstocks with his suit?  Even the ladies shoes seems to be.... less than fashionable.
House overall seems somewhat dated, but functional, but the furniture (except maybe the TV) needs to go.  And the TV needs to be an LCD pop up with something like Microsoft Surface.  Otherwise, this looks like a bad retro-istic look at yesterday's today.
Looking like today!High ceilings, simple, sparse furnishings, even the fashions look contemporary.  Usually there would be a grey brick fireplace and evidence of robin egg blue palette or chrome and blond furniture around for the fifties.  This could be 2009 decor.
Santa MonicaSo, tt, what was "this lifestyle" that was on the periphery of your awareness?
Spooky ChicThe  very chic woman on the right looks so contemporary it's almost spooky.
Going DownI thought it was simply a blocky coffee table, until I saw the opening to the steps leading to the chic pleasure dungeon.  
The guy in the suit and the blonde are obviously planning an immediate descent. 
Playboy PadThe guy in the suit and sandals looks like a cross between Woody Harrelson and Hugh Hefner.
Yeah, Baby . . . So Cool!This is probably the first Shorpy pic that truly makes me want to time travel and immerse myself completely into this scene. I love the coolness and sleekness and the fact that 58 years later, this looks like something that I could probably mimic today without too much fuss. Well, except the smoking.
About Santa MonicaI phrased that poorly; my intention was to zero in on Southern California in general, not Santa Monica specifically. What I was driving at was that Southern California had long been a place where the new, the novel, the offbeat was a familiar part of the culture; also that there was a particular style of upscale living - influenced by, among other things, the climate, the movie industry and that tolerance for the idiosyncratic and unusual. A scene like this, in a ritzy, high-concept-design postwar modern living/entertaining room, with a guy in open-shirt designer garb in sandals, well, this is so totally Southern California that I can't stand it. And it's 1950. We're witnessing the dawn of casual chic.
Hi-De-FiThe hi-fi system is highly unusual. They were not commonly built into coffee tables! They were commonly custom built, however. The components often didn't come with cabinets. 
I assume that the TV mirror is so thick because it has a layer of that zebra-grain plywood on it. I also assume that the preamp sticking out near Black Dress's knees tucks in when not in use.
There would also be a record changer that slid out when the records needed changing. As someone noted, the records are those old-fashioned 78s. The 33 rpm LP record was just coming into vogue at that time, being introduced c. 1948. 
The draperiesThe draperies--I assume that is what they are--are amazing. But I really, really want that lamp on the right.
[Those are probably boards set at an angle. Your classic mid-century room divider or window baffle. - Dave]
True date of this photoThe unbroken horizontal top of the bodice on the sleeveless and strapless gowns gives me pause about the date 1950. I've found only one photo of 1950, "Carmen's Armpit" by Norman Parkinson, that shows a model in such a gown, but the top of that bodice has a break in the overfold to suggest cleavage. By 1952 such gowns as appear in this photo were worn; by 1954-1955 they were common. The short hairstyle on the blonde belongs to 1951-1952, or to 1955, especially if she has a flip curl in front. This image could be as late as 1955. Perhaps a source for the unusual TV setup will help pin down the exact year.
[This photograph was taken in 1950. - Dave]
More on the SpencersI found the Spencers' wedding announcement (in the January 28, 1949 Long Beach Independent). Based on the accompanying photo I'd bet that they are the two standing by the fireplace. Most remarkable was her wedding dress - "an apple green dressmaker suit and orchids."  He was described as an industrial engineer, originally from Denver, who studied abroad.  She was the former Josephine Caruso, whose parents had a Long Beach address and who graduated from Polytechnic High. "They will make their home in Santa Monica Canyon."
Neal Cassady by the wallWith Kerouac chatting up the local hipsters, while traveling "On the Road."
HotDo you suppose the fire is actually burning that wood? If so, Mr. Sandals wouldn't be able to keep his hand on the fireplace screen very long. That is unless he is so mesmerized that he doesn't notice.
[Some people are just too cool to get burned. - Dave]
As seen on AMC's Mad MenThe woman on the right sure looks like Betty Draper.  Of course this would have been before she met her future hubby, Don.
Time TravelerI can't believe that woman in the black outfit is from 58 years ago. I am intensely curious as to how she aged in the following decades... How did she look in 1965? 1974? 1995? The writer Robert Benchley once had to console a man who was in love with a woman who'd been dead for a hundred years. I feel myself falling in love with this woman, and wish I had a time machine.
The lobbyistsThis room looks more like an upscale lobby or waiting room than a room in somebody's home. I'm guessing the little Spencers didn't play in this room.
I think one of the biggest reasons the woman in black looks so contemporary is her millennial borderline-underweight figure, in a time when most of the starlets were more pneumatic. 
[You'll note from the caption that the owner of the house is the architect who designed it. - Dave]
That mirror TV cabinetLet's see if we can figure out how that mirror cabinet for the TV worked...
We need two mirrors to keep from reversing the image. Could the TV screen be facing the photographer, with one mirror out of sight reflecting the image up to the mirror we can see? No, then the viewer would see a sideways image, unless the TV is on its side. Probably the TV needed to stay upright? Or could it be on its side, or upside down?
[Mirror view televisions, whose sales peak was sometime around 1948, were used for the larger screen  sizes (17 inches and up) back when the bigger picture tubes were too long to fit front-to-back in a standard cabinet. Generally the tube was wired to display a reverse image. The standard design was an upright cabinet with mirrored lid. Some used a prism or extra mirrors. They were superseded by direct-view sets once picture tubes got short enough to fit front-to-back in a 24-inch-deep enclosure. Custom installations continued to make use of the principle. - Dave]

Time is relative...Our family was totally working class, but, I remember the homes (and offices) of more "sophisticated" people looking much like this when I was a kid. Ours was a two-university town. This looks like the home of a prof or department head, and it resembles a lot of the university architecture being built at the time, the time being the early 1960s for me. It took a decade or more for California Chic to percolate down (and up) to the likes of us in Southern Ontario.
This room is ugly and the people look strange.Why does the woman in black appear to have been decapitated and then had her head put back on the neck? What is wrong with this picture? There certainly is a lot wrong with the room. It's about as homey as a public toilet.
Another worldWow.
I can't even imagine how wealthy one would have to be to live like this in 1950. When I first saw the picture I assumed these people were all movie stars. My father was born in 1947, and his working class upbringing in Northern England, in an unheated home lacking an indoor bathroom, would have been almost literally on another planet compared to this. Astonishing.
Kind of Cold In Here...I agree with all those who find this room cold and impersonal, but I suppose it would be a good place to hang out and smoke a couple packs of butts, like these people are doing.  Girl in the black dress is exceptional by the standards of any era.  For those who like this room I suggest a visit to Aqueduct Racecourse. That was built in 1961, but style hadn't changed all that much, and the little foyer below the grandstand escalator is still furnished something like this. A real time warp. 
What goes around comes around...I'm from New Zealand, and this style of interior is becoming extremely popular again. I think it's wonderful, nothing like a public toilet.
(Art & Design, Julius Shulman)

Jiffy Lube: 1904
... which can be removed when the engine is cold to access the interior of the boiler and the throttle valve. The third dome from the ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/17/2012 - 10:31pm -

Circa 1904. "Michigan Central Railroad. Oiling up before the start." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size.
That Other Dome...The rear dome is the steam dome, where the steam collects before it is piped into the cylinders.
What's the pipe?What's the pipe just behind the big left driver? My first thought was sand, but you wouldn't sand, behind the wheel. Neither would you vent something wet, like steam, onto the wheel. Anybody know?
Safety couplerNote that the coupler is resting on the pilot deck. It is swung out of the way so that it will not catch an object that on the track. Modern diesels have snow plows that  deflect objects that might become lodged under the wheels.
Enough with the pipes already!The two pipes coming from the sand dome are for SAND!  One for forward and one for reverse.  The lever from the cab to the dome is for turning on and off the flow of sand.  Perhaps out of sight behind the trailing truck is a rail washer because leaving the grit on the rails after it's needed causes friction and unnecessary wear on the wheels of the rest of the train.
The small pipe in front of the valve chest is for oil from the hydrostatic lubricator in the cab.
What I don't see if a boiler check or a line from the injector to feed the water to the boiler.  I don't see it on the color photo either.
WowMore like this please!
4-4-2 Atlantic typeBuilt in 1902 for fast passenger service.  A sister locomotive, Detroit Toledo & Ironton #45 (also built in 1902) survives at the Henry Ford Museum.
Fifty years to go before the diesel engines outnumbered steam locos.
Sand, yesMy guess would be sand, for reversing perhaps? Also since that rear pipe leads up to the same spot the pipe in front of the front drive wheel goes...
TractionYep, those are sanders. You need them both forward and reverse. From the looks of the tires on those drivers, they were used plenty. (They're called "tires" even though they're metal.) Here's how they change them: 
http://www.sps700.org/gallery/0411drivers_part1.shtml
As for the pipeThat pipe is a sand dispenser.  Think of this way.  If the wheels start slipping backward, the sand would be delivered to the right spot to regain traction.
Also, when the train reverses direction, which they did in railroading to improve stopping.  Remember the airbrakes took several seconds, up to a minute to get the rearmost car to brake.  So you have the front of the train going backward as the rear of the train is still going forward.  Kind of results in a lot of steel on steel as the couplers crash against each other.
The other domeThat's the one for whipped cream. Sorry; I couldn't not get into this comment thread.
Re:  What's the pipe?Notice that there is also an identical pipe ahead of the other driver wheel.  Obviously, you might need to sand the track for more traction whether you are pulling or pushing with the engine.  Thus, you have sanding pipes on either side of the drive wheels.
Mystery pipeConsidering that the pipe comes from the same location as the pipe that goes to the front driver, and considering that trains can go backward, it's a pretty safe bet that it too is a sand pipe. The sand delivered to the front wheel, when going forward, will still be on the rail by the time the rear wheel gets to it. Same when going in reverse.
Sand PipeThat is, in fact, a sand pipr behind the rear driver.  Note that it comes down from the sand box as does the other pipe in front of the front driver.
The Pipe is a Sand PipeFollow the pipe upstream -- it's connected to the sand box, and was used to afford traction when the locomotive was backing up.
What's the pipe?I think the sand pipe behind the wheel is used when going in reverse (??)
Re: the pipeI think sand is probably the right answer, since the pipe would be in front of the wheel when the engine was in reverse.
Note the very similar pipe in front of the other driver wheel.
What's the pipe?I believe it was for sand...for backing up.
Reverse gearI believe it's a sand pipe for going in the opposite direction. 
SanderAnonymous, your first thought was right.  The pipe behind the rear driver is to deposit sand on the rails during backing moves.  There's another sand pipe ahead of the front driver.  Both pipes lead from the sand dome atop the boiler, and you can also see the control linkage that allowed the crew in the cab to apply sand when needed for traction.
I think sand is the correct answer.An identical pipe runs down the side of the engine to just in front of the forward driver wheel, and both pipes originate from the same dome on top of the engine.  Sand is the most likely explanation.
My best guess as to why they would have pipes on both sides of the driver wheels would be to provide traction while the engine runs in reverse.
Sand it is!The two diagonal pipes coming from the "sand box" (first dome behind the bell) carry sand to the drivers when needed. The engineer can operate a three-way valve for forward-off-reverse sand application. You can see small air lines to the sander valve which run under the jacket. Sand would be applied automatically on an emergency brake application. I am more curious about the lever arrangement to the sand box.
The sand had to be perfectly dry to flow through the pipes. Was this lever used to break up clumps of sand in the box? One good question deserves another!
Sand Gets in your Eyes, and Elsewhere.The pipe behind the rear driver IS for sand, when backing up.
These high-wheeled engines were very slippery when starting and when the engine brake was applied.
A sliding wheel, as opposed to a spinning wheel, will develop a flat spot very quickly, which can damage the rail each time it goes around.
Without sand the Engineer might not be able to start a train at some locations, especially if the rail was wet or greasy.
Modern Diesel locomotives still use sand applied in front of the leading wheels for traction.
If too much sand is applied when not necessary, the locomotive will run out of sand and have none when it is really needed.
Sand also blows back along the train, getting into parts where it is not desired and mixes with grease or oil, and, into the eyes of patrons on passenger trains without air conditioning, the windows being open.
Some streetcars had sanders, the sand being in bins under the seats which folded up to fill the hoppers from within the car.
What's the pipe x2A similar pipe hangs down in front of the other driver, right by the guy's left leg. Both seem to originate from the bell shaped thing on top.
Backwards sandingYou would sand behind the driver if you needed traction when starting in reverse.  Both pipes are coming from the sand dome.
What's the pipethe pipe behind the left driving wheel is for sand, but when the loco is running backwards. if you look on the right had side just infornt of the mans leg you will see the same thing and that is for sanding going forwards.
That other dome...That's the steam dome. It contains the opening to the main steam pipe and its purpose is to allow this opening to be kept well above the water level in the boiler. This arrangement acts as a simple steam separator and minimizes the risk that water will be carried over to the cylinders where it might cause a hydraulic lock - this is also known as priming. 
 When starting a steam loco, before you start to move, you open the cylinder drain cocks to get any condensate out of the cylinders.
As far as keeping the sand dry, that's one of the reasons for putting the sand dome where it is, boiler heat helps keep it dry. The sand is pushed through the sand pipes by compressed air, and in the example you can see the air connections and valves where they enter the dome. Sand was dried and stored in steam heated "sand houses" before being loaded to the locos.
 Nowadays, AC traction control has helped immensely, but sanding, and knowing when to sand is still needed. 
The PipeIt's GOT to be for sand. Note that both the "fore" and "aft" pipes go up to the same dome, which has a rather loose-looking lever connected to the cab by a rod (that is ALWAYS slightly bent in these pictures). So the "after" pipe is for those times when the engine must BACK UP on slick rails. Just makes you marvel, at driving wheels tall as a man, and the double-barrel compound cylinders (first the high pressure steam, than rather than wasting the residual pressure, let it work again in a low pressure cylinder). To the true locomotive experts out there - how does the sand get INTO the dome?
The SandpiperSomething tells me the goddam pipe is for sand.
Whipped cream would be nice, but...That second dome is the steam dome. As the water in the boiler boils, steam is withdrawn from the steam dome, which allows pickup of the steam from a point which is always above the water level. 
Sand DomeThanks. I found an explanation of the Sand Dome. That's about the last place I'd have looked for sand.
Give Me a Brake!It is worth noting that the four wheels of the leading truck have brake shoes to assist in stopping the train, or just the locomotive when operating alone travelling to from it's train.
If there is rain, grease, oil, grass or frost on the rail head, a steam locomotive can be VERY difficult to control, thats where the sand comes in to play.
If the rail is 'bad', an Engineer will often apply sand just before the train stops so there will be sand beneath all the driving wheels for starting.
It appears the front coupler is of a folding-up design and is lying on top of the pilot beam.
The Engineer has poked the spout of his oiler into the hole provided for the purpose and is oiling the wrist pin within the crosshead on the front of the main rod that connects the crosshead with the crankpin on the rear driver.
The crosshead and main rod convert the reciprical motion of the pistons within the cylinders to rotary motion at the wheel.
The right crankpin usually leads the left by 90 degrees on a two-cylinder engine.
There is a relief valve on the front of the steam cylinder to admit air when the engine is drifting with the throttle shut, otherwise there would be a vacuum or air pressure within as the pistons move constantly when the engine is in motion.
The small curved pipe just visible in the steam above the valve chest carries valve oil from the lubricator in the cab and into the steam supply for lubrication of the piston valve and the piston below.
At each end beneath the cylinder can be seen condensate drains which are opened from the cab with links and levers to drain water from condensed steam from the cylinders before it can accunmulate to a level to stop the piston in it's travel, damaging the cylinder heads or causing other mechanical damage.
A QuestionDo any of you fellows know what that pipe behind the driving wheel might be for. Sand, perhaps? Whipped cream?
Dome, De Dome DomeThe dome behind the sand dome is the steam dome, where the throttle valve is located to allow steam to enter the clyinders through internal piping in the boiler. The next open dome area is where the whistle and poppet valve (pressure relief valve) is to allow excess steam pressure out. 
Domes Galore.The front dome is for sand, as mentioned in several posts. The Engineer pulls a lever in the cab, the rod of which is seen, and this moves a plate beneath the sand in the sand dome until holes line up above the outlets to the pipes leading to the front or rear drivers.
There is another handle in the cab which admits compressed air front or back to force sand down the pipes to the wheels, their control air pipes also visible at the base of the sand dome.
There usually is a round recessed lid on top of the sand dome with a recessed hand hold, secured with a length of chain within the dome cavity, where sand is poured in on the shop track when servicing the locomotive between runs.
Two little steps can be seen bolted on to the boiler side to access the sand dome, bell etc.
The heat of the boiler keeps the sand dry and 'fluid' if rain does get in.
Coal and water would be added to the tender at the same time, and the cab supplies such as oils for lubrication, grease for some bearings, and lamp oil for the various lamps on the engine.
This engine does not yet appear to have a steam-operated electric dynamo nor an electric headlight. It may have an Acetylene headlight?
The second dome along the boiler-top from the front is the Steam Dome.
Within it's sleek casing is a heavy flat-topped dome on top of the boiler proper which houses the steam throttle valve above the water level in the boiler.
The throttle valve is opened and closed thru a rod which passes thru a gland with packing against the boiler pressure to the Engineer's throttle handle in the cab.
Moving his handle lifts and lowers the balanced throttle valve in the steam dome, admitting steam to the cylinders.
On top of the steam dome proper there is a round heavy metal plate bolted down with a steam-tight fit which can be removed when the engine is cold to access the interior of the boiler and the throttle valve.
The third dome from the front is called a 'pop dome' and on top of it can be seen pressure safety valves, 2 in this case. These valves, when both are open, MUST be able to pass more steam than the boiler and firebox can produce under all firing conditions.
One safety valve opens, usually, 3 to 5 pounds sooner than the second.
The vertical round cylinder just ahead of the cab roof, but behind the safety valves is the whistle.
The bell ahead of the sand dome is air-operated on it's right side, the small air pipe visible. The left side of the bell has a rope so the bell can also be 'rung' by the fireman on the locomotive's left.
Dome, de dome, domeNow that we have solved the sand dome mystery including the pipes, valves, and control linkage what is the pupose of the other dome beside or behind it?
The Rules of AttractionIf anything at Shorpy attracts (pun intended) more attention than a pretty girl, it has to be a railroad engine!
New RulesOr tterrace!
D'Udder DomeThe rear dome is called the Steam Dome. It is the highest point of the boiler and is where the throttle valve is located. Taking the steam from here keeps water from going into the "Dry Pipe" and hence into the steam cylinders up front. 
Domes a plentyThe other dome behind the sand dome is the steam dome.  It was where the steam was "gathered" prior to being sent to the cylinders.  Most all horizontal boilers on trains and traction engines have steam domes.  Vertical boilers typically don't need steam domes.
Two domesMust mean it's a lady locomotive.
The other dome  The dome behind the sand dome is the "steam dome".  That is where te steam is drawn from the boiler.  If it was lower on the boiler there is more of a chance of picking up water instead of steam which would not be good.
  You can see the steps on the side of the boiler below the sand dome.  They are there because this was somewhere that needed to be serviced (filled) often.
ThrottledThe dome behind the sand dome is the steam dome which contains the throttle.  Immediately behind that is the auxiliary steam dome which has the whistle, safety valves and most likely a dry pipe for the turret in the cab which supplies steam to the appliances.  
Bactrian LocomotiveThere are two domes because this is a Bactrian Locomotive, not a Dromedary locomotive!
The other dome is known as the Steam Dome.  Inside this dome is a pipe which collects the steam made by the boiler and is eventually sent to the pistons to power the locomotive.  The dome puts the steam pipe as far away as possible from the boiling waters below so that only steam, not water, gets into the steam pipe. Water, being incompressible, will break the pistons or cylinder covers.
The other domeThe other dome is the steam dome.  What you actually see is just a cover.  
The throttle is located inside of the steam dome.  There is also a Dry pipe to the turret located inside of the steam dome.  
The reason for the dome is to allow dry steam to exit the boiler.   
Percolator DomeNow, out of which pipe do you get the fresh-brewed coffee?
I have no choice!I had to chime in on the discussion about all the "pipes", seeing as I am employed as a rail road "Pipefitter" Lol!
1. It is for sand
2. It's still used
3. Yes, it has to be bone dry because they still constantly clog.
Snappy shoes!Hmmm.. that oiler is wearing what appears to be a sharp-looking pair of dress shoes.  A little surprising considering the working environment!
Alumni  Did anyone notice this beauty was produced here in Schenectady NY? The General Electric Alco works, produced some of the finest and biggest locomotive engines ever to run the rails. Sadly, Alco is being demolished for condos, and only a few of these magnificent steamers still ply the rails.  
(The Gallery, DPC, Railroads)

A Big Load: 1890s
... forest east of the Mississippi River. Hike into the interior trails and experience "what it was like" before the upper Midwest was ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/29/2012 - 10:08am -

Michigan circa 1890s. "Logging a big load." Continuing our Michigan travelog. 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size.
IncredibleThis picture blows my mind.  On the one hand, my first inclination is to call it a gag photo.  But there it is -- before the days of Photoshop.  On the other hand I am left to wonder: How can two horses pull such an enormous load -- on sled runners no less, in snow-covered dirt?  All the lumberjacks present suggest we are at the forest, not the mill.  How long is the horse-pull to the mill?  How were the logs piled so high?  I take it there was a steam derrick somewhere abouts.  etc. etc. People want to know, Dave.
Can't resistThose lumberjacks sure have a lot of wood.
Hardly toothpicksHope that load didn't become firewood. Can't tell the species from the bark, but that's marvelous timber -- straight, free of limbs (and, thereby, knots and/or crotch wood) -- and some of the logs must be approaching 3 feet across. I see lots of furniture there.
I'm SpeechlessThese guys are nuts!
2 HPI'm surprised that kind of load can be pulled by only two horses.  Hope they don't have to pull it uphill.
PuzzledHow the heck did they stack those logs that high?
How the heck do just two horses pull that load?
Regardless, pretty darned impressive. 
Special ShoesThe horses were generally shod with special "clawed" shoes--sort of studded tires of the day. This gave them extra grip in the ice and snow. Also, it would be easier to drag this over the ice (once it was moving)than over dirt roads.
I am a native Oregonian and remember seeing trees like this going through the small towns of my childhood on the back log log trucks.
Maybe the Run is Downhill?But surely even these brawny experts didn't saw the logs so neatly by hand, so there must be a steam-driven saw and crane nearby.
[The trees were felled and sectioned by hand. - Dave]
Double DutyFrom the photo below it appears that the horses not only had to pull the sled, but they had to help load it too.
It's a livingAren't you glad you're not a horse?
Timber SledsHere are a couple photos I used in our project about Michigan White Pine Lumbering in the mid 1800's.
Logging in Upper MichiganThe sleds were pulled on ice roads made by spraying the trails with water.  The drivers had to be especially careful going down a grade as the load could overrun the horses.  If they had an uphill grade they would add a couple helper horses.  Another problem was crossing lakes, if the sled fell through the ice it could pull the horses in.  These sleds were a big reason why logging was done in the winter in upper Michigan.
"Life in a Logging Camp"There's an interesting illustrated account of white pine logging in Michigan in the June 1893 issue of Scribner's magazine.
It describes a load of logs "18 feet long, 15 feet wide, and 33 feet 3 inches from the top to the roadbed, weighing over 100 tons ... hauled by a single team" over the specially prepared ice covered roads, and says it "will be placed on the grounds of the Columbian Exposition as one of the wonders of the world."
A book on the era The book "White Pine Days on the Tahquamenon" is a good read on the Michigan logging days.      
WowCan you imagine what the forests looked like with all the trees that size? 
Pulling PowerTwo impressive draft horses there.
Lumber SealerMy great-grandfather, Albert Schuitema, was a lumber sealer in the early 1900's.  Maybe he worked in the vicinity of these pictures.  Can anyone tell me what a lumber sealer did?
Down to the RiverThe horses did not pull the sled to the mill. Trees were cut in the winter only and the horses pulled the sled on a pre-iced trail to a river. 
The logs were put into the river in the spring and floated to a sawmill. The lumberjacks made a water corral out of some of the logs by chaining them together end to end. The bulk of the logs were put inside the corral. 
Steam tugboats pulled the log corrals out into the great lakes and to the sawmills on the main inland rivers. The Tugboats waited in an area where the logs would appear just like a taxi waits for a rider.
This was a seasonal business for the lumberjacks. Winter and spring only.  
The Forest TodayThere is still a large piece of virgin forest left in Michigan's U.P.,  it is called  the Porcupine Mountain Wilderness State Park.  The park sits along the shore of Lake Superior and is about 70,000 acres.  This forest holds the largest stand of unharvested old growth forest east of the Mississippi River.  Hike into the interior trails and experience "what it was like" before the upper Midwest was logged.  The white pine and hemlock trees are huge, the air is cool and pure, and the silence of the forest is deafening!
Total respectAfter a week of felling and logging up 16 large oaks with the help of two Sthil chainsaws and a powerful quad and trailer I have nothing but respect for those loggers of the past. THEY had it tough!
Lumber sealerA lumber sealer was the fellow who would mark the ends of the lumber with the "seal" of the company who was doing the logging. Remember, this was when logs were driven to the mill down river, the same river that every other logging company used. Marking or "sealing" was a way of identifying your logs from those of other companies at the mill, it's simular to branding cattle.
Shorpy U Rides Again!Once again, I learn more here than I did from living a few years in WA (logging territory) or from even more years in college!
Love the bit about the sealer...
Thanks, guys and gals!
1893 World's Fair LoadThis load of white pine was cut on the Nestor Estate near Ewen, Michigan, in Ontonagon County in the Upper Peninsula. It was a world's record load of more than 36,000 board-feet of lumber. The two horses did indeed pull the load approximately a quarter of a mile. It was then loaded onto railcars, along with the sled, and sent to Chicago. The load was reloaded as part of the Michigan Lumber exhibit at the 1893 Columbia Exposition.
-- Hartwick Pines Logging Museum
Very coolI own my family hunting land and it is located in the northern section of the lower peninsula of Michigan. I think this photo is amazing! All Michigan antique photos mean something to me because my family first settled in MI in 1883 (from Oklahoma on horse carriage)
(The Gallery, DPC, Horses, Mining)

1950s Record Store
Interior of the Holiday Shop record and camera store at the Roeland Park ... 
 
Posted by John.Debold - 06/25/2008 - 2:05pm -

Interior of the Holiday Shop record and camera store at the Roeland Park Shopping Center in Roeland Park, Kansas. View full size. [A fascinating member-submitted photo. Just the thing for a Saturday night. Like a number of the commenters below, I would place the date here around 1950-51. - Dave]
Records?Records?  What's a "record"?
1950s Record StoreA great photo. I would date it at 1950. On the right are a dozen or so 10-inch Columbia LP's released that year, then re-released around 1955 as 12-inch discs.
The Record StoreThis is a great photo...seems to be from a pretty-good-sized negative, given the detail coming across on the scan.
I would concur with "Anonymous Tipster" that it's a bit earlier than 1955. She/he is correct about the datings for the 10-inch LPs on the right. Plus, the Columbia 33 rpm LP was a brand-new technology in 1948, and so the stuff at the left of the photo to play the "new LPs" wouldn't have been any big deal in by 1955.
But then, I was surprised that there was any sort of consumer reel-to-reel on the market just then (left of photo; $109 = serious money); I would have expected that a few years later.
But, lots of fun nonetheless. Given that the Christmas records are on display, I guess we can assume it's late in the year.
[This was scanned from a print. Below, a newspaper ad from October 1950 for the Ampro-Tape recorder shown in the photo, at the same price. - Dave]

LPsLooked up a couple of albums from the rack. Went by the cover design since I couldn't make out very much of the text. Doris Day did Tea for Two in 1950. Bing Crosby's Christmas album was from 1949.
Couldn't find a manufacturer's name on the tape deck. Looks like it went for 109 and change. Checked a dollar inflation conversion table, and that 109 circa 1950 would be 938 in current dollars.
[The manufacturer, whose name can be seen upside down in the lid, is Ampro. - Dave]
No. 1 on my hit paradeWhat a fantastic image! This store is so cool and serene; it's hard to believe record stores would change so much over the next twenty years.  I have so many questions about this photo.  Where was it taken?  Can anybody identify the children's record player in the display case on the left?  What's the story behind the photos displayed high on the wall?  (They don't seem to have anything to do with musicians or records.)
I'm adding this photo to my list of Shorpy all-time favorites.
[That's a Frank Luther record player. Frank was a country singer who also did kiddie songs. Check out John's other photos. I especially like Lunch on the Pennsy. - Dave]
Edith PiafI can't add anything definitive since I don't know which Edith Piaf album that is on the rack, but the little inset photo on the album cover is the famous Piaf photo taken in 1948.  That seems to jibe with the assumed 1950 date.
Photo At Upper LeftGreat pic not just for the record collectors but audio hobbyists like me. But what is that thing in the photo at upper left? I've zoomed in it and I still am not sure what to make of it.
Frank Luther and 10-in. LPsWow! A great nostalgia photo! The first records I ever "owned" when I was a tiny lad were very small 78rpm items that featured Frank Luther singing children's songs. One nonsense ditty that sticks out in my mind began "A frog he would a-courting go, 'Hi-Ho' says Toady; The cat, the rat and little froggy, with a roly-poly gammon and spinach, 'Hi-Ho' says Anthony Toady."
As for those 10-inch 33-1/3 RPM Columbia records...I had almost forgotten that such things existed. I had quite a few, mostly featuring the Boston Pops orchestra.
[There were also 7-inch 33-1/3 discs, as we can see on the left. - Dave]
AllmusicLooking at the Hal McIntyre and Harry James records on the top row, I'd say 1950. The first band only released two albums, the second being "Dance Date" in 1950. Harry James cranked out a bunch, but I find one in 1950 called "Your Dance Date" which can be decoded from what I see in the picture. Both were released on Columbia, BTW.
The pictures at the top intrigue me as well. Part of me suspects that they are from old calendars.
[The pictures along the top are examples of photo studio work. Meaning this could have been a record-camera store. - Dave]
Edith PiafI'm not surprised in seeing the Doris Day and Bing Crosby records on the wall on the right, but I am a little shocked that Edith Piaf features on that wall.  
Though she was massively popular in France and in French Canada in the 50's, I had no idea she was known in the USA... let alone be popular enough to be displayed in a prominent spot like that.
Can we see a close-up of the other records to see the other artists?
Der BingleThe Shorpy sleuths seem to be correct [again] as to the vintage of the photo -- in our basement stash of records is the album "Christmas Greetings" on the  Decca label from 1949 -- Bing Crosby with the Andrew Sisters, a 3 record set. If this were late 1949, the shoppers as dressed here would seemingly be from a Southern state.  For what it's worth, in my small hometown in 1952, I was the first to buy a reel to reel tape recorder, a RCA model similar to the Ampro shown for about $125 if I remember correctly, and still it have in A1 shape.  A friend of the mine had an Ampro wire recorder.
Time TravelAmazing. Photos like this make me wish time travel was a reality.  I would love to insert myself into this scene and go wandering around that bright and shiny place. 
But for now, photos like this one are a pretty good substitute.
Don't suppose anyone knows the name and/or location of this particular shop?  I wonder how long it remained a record store?  Was it there when Elvis hit the scene a few years later?  The Beatles?  U2?
Excellent photo and thank you for sharing it!
Or is it Memorex?Despite my husband's insistence, I must say, this photograph, well, the photo itself is lovely; too lovely. Something about it doesn't set right with me. I am not sure if it is the fit of the dungarees of the guy on the right, the girl's shoes, the fact that the kid's victrola is locked  in the showcase yet the expensive reel to reel sits right out in the open. or maybe it is the streamlined look of the counter and wall, or the way the high up pictures are displayed, and their subject matter. Could one have gotten by us?
[No. Page through a 1950 House Beautiful or the LOC's Gottscho-Schleiser archive. This is that, on the nose. Below: 1951 music store, 1957 record department, 1951 radio showroom. The tape recorder is where it is so it can be demonstrated to customers. UPDATE: This is the Holiday Shop record and camera store at the Roeland Park Shopping Center in Roeland Park, Kansas. - Dave]

Another Soon!I'll put up another record store photo soon. I'm a little busy right now so hopefully by this coming Wednesday. Thanks for the nice comments and information.
The next one has Frank Sinatra!
-John
[We can hardly wait! And you know what would be great, if possible, is a higher-resolution scan of the record-store photo, and whatever you can tell us about it. What might be written on the back, for example. It has caused quite a stir. - Dave]
Newfangled SinglesOn the right of the counter, that revolving rack of Capitol singles in boxes really takes me back. This was when 7-inch microgroove (long-playing) records were new and different. They did that for just a few years before going to paper sleeves.
Edith PiafThe Piaf discography includes dozens of releases on American labels in the 1950s.
[Below on the left, "Chansons Parisiennes" from 1949, an early Columbia Microgroove (LP) release. At right is the one in the photo -- "Edith Piaf Sings," Columbia ML-2603, a 1951 release. - Dave]

7-inch discsThose boxes on the revolving Capitol rack, as well as on the right side of two shelves behind the counter, do indeed contain 7" 45rpm discs, but they're albums, not "singles." Eventually the 45rpm format came to be used exclusively for singles, but initially it was also used for complete multi-disc albums, duplicating the contents of a standard 78rpm album. This was when the RCA/Columbia format war was still underway.
45rpm singles were always issued in paper sleeves, just like their 78rpm counterparts. The thin items on the left side of the two shelves behind the counter are 78 singles. You see a small section of 7" singles on the shelf behind the hand of the customer on the left.
Counter KidsWhat exactly are the people at the counter doing? Did you have to pick out the record you wanted from a list or something, and the clerk would retrieve it?
[Or she would order it for you. - Dave]
Record Store UpdateThis is the Holiday Shop record and camera store at the Roeland Park Shopping Center in Roeland Park, Kansas.
Harry JamesHi there. Nice picture! I happen to own a copy of the Harry James 10" depicted in the photograph: "Your Dance Date With Harry James" (Columbia CL 6138). It's dated 1950, so my guess would be 1950 too.
Love your site.
The Record ShopHere is a nice pic of the local record store circa 1954, named fittingly, The Record Shop. It closed sometime in the 1970's. They also sold audio gear and had a service center in the basement, which the service center remains. One of the original repair techs took over the service center and he's still there servicing.

Frank Luther Record PlayerThis Billboard Magazine from December 9, 1950 has an ad for the player on Page 15 (upper right):

Browsing BoxesThe "browser boxes" seen below in the "Record Shop" comment were created by Capitol Records' Fred Rice. His team brought the records in music and department stores out from behind the counter to self-service displays that let the customer leaf through the albums and see the covers. Counter-service stores would normally place them with the spines facing out as shown in the main photo above. 
(ShorpyBlog, Member Gallery, Stores & Markets)

Bathgate Avenue: 1936
... synagogue was underneath 1663 on 173rd and Grubmans Interior Decorators was underneath 1663 on Bathgate. (For some unexplained reason the interior decorators' center of NYC was Bathgate between Clairmont Parkway and ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/30/2012 - 10:50am -

December 1936. "Scene along Bathgate Avenue in the Bronx, a section from which many of the New Jersey homesteaders have come." View full size. Medium format nitrate negative by Arthur Rothstein for the Farm Security Administration.
Nothing really changesFunny, I've seen scenes just like this (with different languages on the signs and different clothes) in Cueramaro, GTO and Oakland, CA within the last few months. We don't really change as much as we think sometimes...
Billy BathgateI lived on Bathgate and 187th four years ago when I went to school at Fordham.  Looking at the address on the bulding I wonder what the cross-street was at this time?
The one little boyThe one little boy appears to be carrying a toy airplane while the stroller has a piece of wood being used to keep it from rolling away.
TK
http://unidentifiedfamilyobjects.blogspot.com/
Bathgate AvenueI googled the address and it is shown to be between Claremont Parkway and East 172nd Street. It was never considered a Garden Spot.
Pop vs sodaThis shows that the word "pop" was still in use in NYC at that time, with the word "soda" presumably meaning an ice cream soda.  The word "soda" has all but obliterated "pop" for soft drink in most of the country now. If you still say "pop" you're really from the hinterlands. 
Bathgate AvenueI used to go shopping on Bathgate Avenue with my mother in the early 1950's. I was still a kid and it was an exciting place. Open display cases in front of the stores, the smells of dried fish and ethnic foods baking in the sun. The area was much more crowded in the 1950's. If I remember correctly there were still some pushcarts in those days. Bathgate Avenue is near Crotona Park.
BathgateI lived across the street from this address at 1599 Bathgate  Avenue in the late 60's thru the mid 70's and my fondest memories were that of Melvin's Eggs right next to this location. This store was right in the middle of the block. Next door to me was F.W. Woolworth. The Manager was Mr.Blackman, funny how some names you never forget. The cross street was Claremont Avenue and that was 172nd street. The next street over was Washington Avenue and the Deluxe Theatre, where I went to my first movie by myself for 35 cents. Gosh I feel old and I'm only 46.
Great times playing stickball and kick the can on Sundays, everything was closed because of the Blue Laws.
Tone2020@gmail.com
Pop vs Soda MapSee this site.
Bathgate Avenue ShoppingI lived on Washington Avenue during the same timeframe (mid 60s through late 70s) and can remember a poultry shop where you could buy freshly slaughtered (right in front of you) chicken.  Also, the smell of roasted peanuts sold from the fruit stands on Bathgate is something I remember.  
My first job while in Junior High was at a small variety store across the street from Woolworth (I can still hear the 3rd Avenue El rattling as it heads towards the Claremont Avenue Station).   
Bathgate AvenueMy grandparents owned a small store called Tillie's Specialty Shop from about 1945 to 1957 on Bathgate Avenue, just next to the stores in the photo and a few doors down from Woolworth's. Tillie's sold housedresses, hosiery, robes, etc. During the summer, when I wasn't attending P.S. 4, I'd sit next to the hosiery display at the front of the store and sell stockings. I also collected baseball cards, which my mother threw out. My guess is that I had a bunch of Mickey Mantles. Wish I still did!
I recall a haberdasher (when was the last time you heard that word?) on the corner of 3rd Avenue and Claremont Parkway. The el still stood then. Crotona Park was two blocks away.
Nice to remember...   
Fond Memories of my youthMy grandparents lived at 1663 Bathgate Avenue and 173rd Street. My grandfather owned a tomato store near the corner of 173rd. I was only a small child then but can remember the delicious smells in the hallway when entering the building from all the cooking.  There was Italian, German, Irish, Greek and Jewish food that created the most wonderful aroma.
I remember all the stores that had their products outside under awnings.  There was clothing, shoes, toys, food, etc.
My mom used to take me to a clothing store south of 173rd on the east side of the street. I remember a heater in the middle of the floor in this clothing store.
I also went to a pool a few blocks away, must have been Crotona Park Wading Pool. I remember the water not being very deep.
For some reason many things have stayed with me and the memories are cherished.
Memories of a fellow Bathgater..I was born in Apartment 4C at 1663 Bathgate, the southwest corner of Bathgate and 173rd, in December 1933. My dad died in 1934.
Vogel's Grocery was on the northwest corner and I delivered groceries for them. Schactner's Haberdashery was opposite 1663 as was the Daitch Dairy. The orthodox synagogue was underneath 1663 on 173rd and Grubmans Interior Decorators was underneath 1663 on Bathgate. (For some unexplained reason the interior decorators' center of NYC was Bathgate between Clairmont Parkway and 173rd, three blocks with about a dozen interior decorator stores. As kids we used to marvel at the chauffeured limousines carrying elegantly dressed ladies from Park & Fifth Avenues in Manhattan to Bathgate to buy extraordinary fabrics for their apartment & mansions.)
Tillie's Specialty Shop may also have been Zweigart's Specialty Shop, whose daughter, Sally, I once dated, when I was a student at P.S. 4 on Fulton Avenue. There were many such shops.
Freshly slaughtered chickens and live pike & carp for Friday night's "gefulte" fish was a given. Mom used to keep the fish alive in the bathtub so we could see them when we came home from school!
Punch ball on 173rd from Bathgate to 3rd Avenue started promptly at 10 every Sunday morning and ended promptly at 2 pm when all the Italian kids had to go home for their traditional Sunday pasta dinner. If there were cars parked on 173rd, we pushed them out of the way. Spectators lined both sides of the street and total bets could be $100 or more.
I could punch a "spaldeen" 3 sewers, but Rocky Colavito, the eventual Cleveland Brown slugger, could punch the ball onto the 3rd Avenue Elevated tracks, almost a whole block away!
Correction: The movie house on Clairmont and Washington Avenue was the Fenway, not the Delux. Admission was five cents and we were there on Saturdays from 11 to 5 -- two feature films and about 25 serials and cartoons.  Our moms came to pull us out for dinner. If you went in the evening, you would also be awarded a free dinner plate. My mom collected an entire service for eight, some of which my niece may still have!
The Delux was at the corner of Arthur & Tremont, also 5 cents. The Crotona on Tremont was 10 cents, the more resplendent Loewe's farther east on Tremont at 15 cents and the famous & magnificent Loewe's Paradise at Grand Concourse and Fordham Road, admission was a hefty 25 cents, but well worth the beauty of that particular movie palace!
I left Bathgate in 1953 to go to college and never returned. I'm 75, but those memories are as fresh in my mind today as though they occurred yesterday.
Please pass on to your Bathgate cohorts !
Fair Winds,
Jack Cook
Reprinted from an email I received today from Jack.
Eat at Paul'sMy grandfather had a deli on Bathgate Avenue. I have a pic taken in 1932. The awning on the store said Eat at Paul's, my grandpa was Henry. That was the way the awning was when he opened the store. Does anyone remember? or know the address number of the store.  I want to see what is on that spot now.
I remember MamaI was born in 1946 and shopped with my mother on Bathgate as a very small child. I remember watching her choose a flounder at the fish market, and kosher pickles from the barrels on the street. One of the women in the Rothstein photo looks just like my grandmother. She shopped there too. What if? 
1593 Bathgate AvenueThe window appearing in the upper right hand corner of the picture is that of a top floor apartment at 1593 Bathgate Avenue. From the early 1940s to the early '60s, our family (Tosca) lived on the first floor (same line as the window) in Apartment 6.
1589 was Geller Bros., a candy stand which in the fifties became somewhat of a supermarket. 1591 was a full fresh fish market, huge water tank and all. The ground floor of 1593 housed a kosher meat market and as well Mr. Cherry's grocery store. 1595 was another tenement. After a few shops, there was a Woolworth's, a drug store and Meyers & Shapiro Deli. After which more shops and at the end of the block 1599, another tenement. Further down from the other side of Gellers, a huge poultry store. With no doubt, hundreds of live chickens daily sold, slaughtered & quartered on the premises. Many many thanks for affording "Junior" the trip down Memory Lane.
1991 BathgateI lived at 1991 Bathgate apt 1A at the end of the 60s into 1976 and I love that neighborhood I still go back there once a year I walk down towards tremont where St josephs church is i had great times there if anyone was from around there at that time email me at bronx1966@hotmail.com
Crotona Park PoolI taught myself to swim in the shallow pool and then was daring enough to dive off the diving board towards the ladder opposite in the semi-circular diving pool. I am 83 and still a good swimmer. I recently found a site where I could see the pool and the shallow one is still active but the diving pool has all the boards gone and a fence around the pool to keep people out! damn lawyers for making an end to diving boards due to  their incessant suits!
Bathgate Avenue1575 Bathgate Avenue, 1946 to 1952: from my grandmother's apartment, I could look across the street and see Daitch Dairy.  Sometimes I would be sent there to get butter.  Then, it came in a large block, and they would chop you off the amount you wanted, either by the amount or amount of money I was given to buy it.
I was never board, after all, I could visit the chickens, watch the fish swim in a tank, go to the deli for chicken salami (which I don't believe is made anymore).  Through my grandmother, the shop keepers knew me, so I always got a slice of salami.  There was Woolworth to walk around in.  The Sugar Bowl for ice cream, the shop around the corner for ices for 5 cents, the leather shop (to smell new leather), and produce stands everywhere.
Loved to go to Crotona Park and climb what I thought then were mountains, but just big boulders.  You could hear and see the world just by sitting at a window, and ride on a merry-go-round that came by on a truck.  Most night the third avenue L put me to sleep.
Everything was simple then, yet an awful lot of fun.  Good memories they were indeed.
Brings tears to my eyesMy Dad and his brothers{ the Geller Bros.} had the candy store, which later turned into a grocery store.  There was Bobby{Isadore} Max, Sam, Harry,and Jack. My dad. who was the oldest, lived above the store with his four brothers and two sisters, Faye and Dottie.  Will have to post a picture of all of my cousins standing in front of Geller Bros.  My uncle Jack and Aunt Millie had the Sugar Bowl, and my Aunt Faye and Uncle Jaime had the chicken market. My dad Bobby died several years ago, and I have fond memories of going to the markets, and visiting grandma Sophie .  If you have anything to share, I would love it!  This all brings tears to my eyes.  Melody                 Please e mail me @  melody.dancer@cox.net thank you
City Girla short video shot on Bathgate in 1958 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hgxr03mcVAs
Moe, Irv and Max from BathgateMoe, Irv and Max from 1648 Bathgate Ave. in the 1940s are all doing well! I am Max's eldest daughter Aylene. My Dad wrote an article I attached below which was published in a magazine. I spotted this site and couldn't help but to send it to you. Should you wish to reach out to my Dad Max, his e-mail address is primeno19@aol.com. I am sure he would love to reminisce about the days at Bathgate!
GOLDMAN’S YARN on BATHGATE AVE.
Your last issue on Goldman’s Yarn store prompted me to reflect on some very fond childhood memories. When I was asked for my address as a young boy, at about the age of 11-12, I usually responded, “1648 Bathgate Ave., across the street from Goldman’s”. Mentioning Goldman’s as part of my address not only pinpointed my house but in my mind it elevated the status of my building. To the people in our area, Goldman’s was a neighborhood landmark. It almost ranked with the Loew’s Paradise Theater. 
My recollection of the Bathgate Ave. area in the late 1940’s was that shoppers associated the ‘market’ as the place to get bargains. My friend claimed he purchased a pair of pants and received a price reduction when he traded in his old pants. The pedestrian traffic on Bathgate Ave from 171st to 174th caused it to be among the most populated areas in the Bronx. Stores were continuous on both sides of the street. There were bakeries, grocery stores, shoe stores, clothing stores, butchers, novelty stores, candy stores, the very first Daitch store, and Olinsky which specialized in appetizing foods. Also, there were many, many vegetable stores which had stands extending half way out onto the sidewalk. Every woman had her favorite stores where she shopped. Also, stationary pushcarts were on the street lined up back to back selling vegetables which added to this already congested scene. In between the pushcarts one can see many horses (how else did the pushcart get to the location?) on the street and some parked cars. The cars which dared to travel through Bathgate Ave. were crawling at 5 mph. This was the environment where Goldman’s was situated. Goldman’s Yarn and Barash Decorators were considered the upscale stores in the area. These stores attracted patrons from affluent Bronx areas, such as the West Bronx (Concourse area), Riverdale, and Parkchester. 
During the early evening hours (after dinner), Bathgate Ave. took on a different appearance. Pedestrian traffic subsided, pushcarts were leaving, stores were closing, sanitation crews came in for their nightly clean-up job, and many of the residents in the buildings came outside to recapture their street. Mothers relaxed on their chairs outside and discussed the day’s activities with a little gossip injected to spice up their conversation. Friends from various age groups would congregate for their evening activity. One vegetable stand was used for a nightly card game by the older kids. One evening, that card game ended abruptly when a woman in the building above the stand poured a pail of water on the card players for making too much noise. Needless to say, they never played cards at that stand again. 
For a few years, one of the street games I enjoyed was ‘off the point’. This was a variation of ‘stoop ball’. In this game, we threw a spaldeen at the metal bar just below a store’s window. We used Goldman’s Yarn store for our game because it had a sharp point on its metal bar. On an accurate throw at the metal bar, a ball could travel far and hit the building across the street. If not caught, it‘s considered a home run. Occasionally when we were not so accurate with our throw, we would hit the store’s window above the bar causing the window to vibrate. Of course we kids could never think of the possibility of breaking a window. Evidently Mr. Goldman had a more realistic viewpoint. One evening, as my friends (Pete Palladino, Joseph Greco, and Angelo Pezullo) and I were playing this game, Mr. Goldman ran out angrily chasing us away from his store. The following evening, we needed a substitute activity. We decided to make picket signs which read, “Goldmans is Unfair to Kids”, and jokingly marched in front of the store with these signs. Apparently Mr. Goldman did not see this action as amusing. On the following night, as we were picketing again, 2 policemen from a patrol car stopped and approached us. They took our signs and told us to leave the area. Obviously Mr. Goldman called the police. This was a dramatic event for 11 and 12 year old kids. Who would believe we had a confrontation with the police at that age? During the next few years, I noticed many stores on Bathgate Ave were installing accordion gates. At that time, I naively thought the store owners installed the gates to curtail our evening game ‘hit the point’.
Max Tuchman
1657 Bathgate in the 1920s (and maybe 30s)A great-great grandfather of mine (Solomon Beckelman) lived at 1657 Bathgate with his wife (Minnie) and at least one of their daughters (Pauline) in the 1920s. His son, Abraham, was my great-grandfather. Solomon was a tailor, and Abe was a cutter and dressmaker who was married with children by 1912. From the maps I've seen, 1657 and the whole block of houses is (long?) gone. 
2068 Bathgate AveMy great-grandaunt, Anna Havemann, lived at 2068 Bathgate Ave from at least 1936 (the year of this photo) until maybe 1950.
The building that stands there is a large apartment building. Near as I can tell, it's the same building.
(The Gallery, Arthur Rothstein, NYC, Stores & Markets)

Gentlemen Will Not Get Gay: 1925
... fun and merriment in summer amusement parks. The spacious interior of the amphitheater has been entirely remodeled into a new midway, in ... which they later built a catwalk through and decorated the interior with fluorescent paint and black lights. Apparently they got tired of ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/03/2012 - 11:56am -

Funhouse at the Glen Echo amusement park in Maryland circa 1925. Note the many cryptic signs. View full size. National Photo Company glass negative.
Ride it, too!There is still one of these operating at Luna Park, which is right on the Harbour in Sydney, Australia.  Leave it to the Australians to take litigiousness out of the equation--have you seen how little padding their footballers wear?
"The Nauseator"Boy, that ride looks truly thrilling.
Human RouletteWashington Post May 21, 1911 

A New Glen Echo
Outdoor Amusement Grounds Present Many Attractive Features

With the opening next Saturday afternoon of the Glen Echo Park, which under its new management of local business men, has been practically rebuilt in the last few months, the Washington summer outdoor amusement season will swing into full stride.
No single department has been slighted in the complete rehabilitation of the Glen Echo Park, in which 50 attractions will be in operation when the gates are open next Saturday.  Important among these is a new open air dancing pavilion, ample enough in area to permit of its use by 500 persons at the same time, and this is only one of a dozen structures recently erected to house the newest devices to provide fun and merriment in summer amusement parks.  The spacious interior of the amphitheater has been entirely remodeled into a new midway, in which have been placed ten of the latest contraptions with which to defy the trials of the "dog days," including a "human roulette wheel" and a "giant slide-ride," said to be the largest in the United States.  Other attractions include a novel marine toboggan, the "social dip," a thrilling topsy-turvy ride, Ferris wheel, modern miniature railway, a new boating pavilion at the canal bank.
Some Observations1.  It is awfully loud in there - See the kid lower-center.
2.  Gentlemen Still Do Not Get Gay - 2008.
3.  The Carneys are as well dressed the patrons.
4.  Sometimes the Bull Moose isn't so fun - It's at those times that it may be necessary to actually shoot the Bull.
Was this ride called the Bull Moose by chance?  Don't Shoot The Bull meant don't loiter after the "ride" is over??
[Also, who can tell us which building this is. - Dave]
Dangerous ridesWhen I see photos of old amusement park rides I'm always amazed how dangerous they look. They use the throw people around like rag dolls. They would never have such rides nowadays. Maybe people were tougher back then- or maybe they didn't have good personal injury lawyers!
Sign, SignEverywhere a sign.
1. Sit down on the wheel don't stand up.
2. Do not get on or off roulette wheel while in motion.
3. Last night we hung one rowdy. The rope still works.
4. The operator is a bird. He is perched high just to make the wheels hum.
5. Forget your cares. Be a kid if only for an hour.
6. Gentlemen will not get gay. Others must not.
7. The bull moose is for fun. Don't shoot the bull.
8. If you find a four foot round square please hand it over to ru---.
9. Rowdyism is the birth-mark of a rough n---.
10. The answer to the question "Why is a mouse when it spins" is the higher the fewer.
Human roulette wheelNo doubt Dave will remember the "human roulette wheel" from the Fun House on the Boardwalk in Santa Cruz, CA.  It was a great ride except for flying off and smashing into someone else or being smashed into.  Funny but we all had a great time, survived, and didn't feel a need to sue anyone for a few bumps and bruises.
[I think you mean tterrace. - Dave]
High Ladder to slide....Look how high the children climbed to get onto the sliding spiral....that must have been half the thrill climbing up that high...
Getting GayBased on one OED definition of gay:
Forward, impertinent, too free in conduct, over-familiar; usually in the phrase "to get gay". U.S. slang.
I'd translate the sign from 1925 slang:
"Gentlemen will not get gay. Others must not"
Into current vernacular as:
"Real gentlemen won't act like jerks. Others had better not."
Spinningtterrace does indeed remember a fun house ride like this, but at San Francisco's Playland at the Beach rather than Santa Cruz. Not sure what the official name was; I called it the turntable. It was smaller and less elaborate than this, and just one of many things in the Fun House. Know what the best thing was about these things? They were made of wood! Highly-polished (in large part by the posteriors of the fun-seekers) hardwood, like this one. The giant slide was, too, as well as the tumbler, a big revolving cylinder. Those were the days when falling on your keister was fun.
Fun houseI spent many a fun filled hour in the late 1950s in the Fun House. The slide was a favorite and the long climb in the narrow, steep stairs was kinda cool also. Do you remember "Laughing Sally"?
Laffing SalI didn't realize until I just now did some searching that it's "Laffing," not "Laughing" Sal, and that the automaton was not exclusive to SF's Playland at the Beach, but a standard fixture of old-style amusement parks since the 1930s. Additional surprise: the Playland Sal is now ensconced at the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk. Man, if they only still had that giant clown face, what a then-and-now pic that would make, but they shut the fun house down in 1971 for liability reasons.
Why is a mouse when it spins?I'm pretty sure the sign at the far right says "Why is a mouse when it spins?", not "house." This is a pretty well-known example of an "anti-joke" (others are the classic "Why did the chicken cross the road?" and the shaggy-dog story "No soap, radio"). There are various different "punch lines," but Google suggests that "the higher, the fewer" is the most common.
I'm sure a historian of humour somewhere would be interested to find this documentation of the joke from 1925.
[Yes it should be mouse. The joke is mentioned in an 1899 newspaper article ("Mr. Scullin' connundrum"). - Dave]
Rowdyism and ReminiscencesThe one sign must be "Rowdyism is the birth-mark of a rough neck."
Here in the Twin Cities, we had the Excelsior Amusement Park (on Lake Minnetonka) up until the early 70's.  It was built in the early 20's and replaced a park that had been on Big Island in the middle of the lake.  Excelsior Park had a fun house with similar attractions.  The "roulette wheel" was rarely operational by the time I was around (in the 60's), but I do remember riding it once and staying on it until the operator gave up (I was near the center, didn't weigh much, and had sweaty palms).
There was a revolving barrel, which they later built a catwalk through and decorated the interior with fluorescent paint and black lights.  Apparently they got tired of rescuing people who fell down trying to walk through it.
There was a giant slide, and one of those obstacle-course-like things with sliding or jumping floorboards.  It was equipped with air jets, presumably for blasting ladies' skirts into the air, but no one was ever operating them in my day.  There were a couple of other attractions in the fun house as well.
I also remember that they had "Report Card Day".  You could bring your report card, and for every A, you got 3 ride tickets, for every B you got 2, and for every C you got 1.  Very nice of them.
Other attractions included bumper cars with metal bumpers, a rotted wooden roller coaster that occasionally jumped the track (my folks never let me ride it), a little train that took you out on a pier over the lake and many of the usual rides - ferris wheel, scrambler, tilt-a-whirl, etc.  The carousel was a work of art by the Philadelphia Toboggan Company.  It's the only part of the park that survives and is now an attraction at Valleyfair - the modern-day, sanitized theme park in the Twin Cities.  Here's a link to a picture of the carousel:
http://www.nca-usa.org/psp/ValleyfairPTC/001_34.html
You can see others by clicking Previous or Next.
Where's Sal?I thought Playland's Laffing Sal lived at the Musee Mechanique now (http://www.museemecaniquesf.com/).  
The SlideLongtime visitor, first time commenter ... love Shorpy.
Anyway, there's a slide almost identical to this, from the same time period, in my home town of Burlington, Iowa. You can still go on it, and it is indeed terrifying climbing up those steps -- you don't realize how high it is until you're about halfway up.  I have a photo but am not sure how to post it.
[First, register as a user. Then log in and click the Upload Image link. - Dave]
Re: Laffing SalHere is the Laffing Sal at Santa Cruz.
As seen on the Silver ScreenI've seen this ride in a silent movie -- if I recall correctly, it was "The 'It' Girl" with Clara Bow.  Looked like fun -- if I ever make it to Australia, I'll have to check it out!
Looks boring for the womenNot much a woman of the time could have had fun doing there, modesty ya know.
OopsYou're right, Dave, that was tterrace:
https://www.shorpy.com/node/3695
No matter, thanks for stimulating so many great memories.
Doug
Playland-Not-at-the-BeachI am enjoying the posts about the old Fun House at Playland-at-the-Beach. In our Playland-Not-at-the-Beach museum in El Cerrito, California we have many artifacts from the beach amusements.  A few points I would like to correct:
1.) The Fun House was not demolished in 1971.  It was torn down after September 4, 1972 -- the date the whole park closed and was demolished to make room for condominiums.
2.) At San Francisco's Playland she was named Laughing Sal -- the variant spelling "Laffin' Sal" was used in many other parks across the country.  She was also known as Laughing Lena and many other names. The Sals were mass produced and purchased by amusement parks out of a catalogue.    
3.) The Laughing Sal that is now at Santa Cruz was the final Sal at San Francisco's Playland.  There were earlier ones that wore out. Santa Cruz purchased her from the John Wickett estate for $ 50,000.  Wickett had purchased her for $ 4000 decades before.
To learn more, visit our website: www.playland-not-at-the-beach.org, or better yet, visit our museum for the time of your life!
Richard Tuck
Playland-Not-at-the-Beach
10979 San Pablo Avenue
El Cerrito, CA 94530
Website is www.playland-not-at-the-beach.org
email: Richard@playland-not-at-the-beach.org
(510) 232-4264 x25 for reservations
(510) 592-3002 24-Hour Information Line
Does anyone else rememberDoes anyone else remember the "disembodied head" versions of this Laffing Sal thing that were a gift-store fad in the late '70s-early 80s and scared the crap out of me( and probably most other small kids) at the time?  They don't seem to have stuck around very long, for obvious reasons.
The WheelThe wheel at the Fun House in SF which I used to frequent in the early 40's I remember as having a low fence around it into which you slammed when you were eventually swooshed off the platter.  Am I misremembering?  This one looks a bit hazardous for passersby.  Scariest thing for me?  Those big padded spinning wheels you had to walk between to get in the place.  My friends were usually well on their way before I worked up the nerve.
Laughing Sal - East CoastFor those of us on the East Coast, the "Laughing Sal" who used to reside on the Ocean City, Maryland, Boardwalk is currently on display at the Ocean City Life-Saving Station Museum.  She's no longer mobile and they have her enclosed in a glass case, but you can push a button to hear a recording of her laugh.
In fact, if you click  here, there's a (not very good) photo of her at the bottom of the page, and a sound clip of her laugh will automatically play, so turn up your speakers!
Going UpSimilar slide in Burlington, IA:
http://www.nolamansour.com/images/Thanksgiving07-08.jpg
It is scarier going up than down.

Crapo ParksI was born in Burlington & grew up in a neighboring town. I know I've gone down that slide but it's been years and I can't remember if the slide is at Dankwardt or Crapo Parks. (For those not familiar with the area, yes Crapo is an unfortuante name for a very pretty park. Pronounced "cray-po").  At Crapo, there are two artillery guns (I don't know exactly what they were - they had seats & long barrels).  They were up on a bluff and I remember sitting on them and shooting imaginary shells to Illinois.
Chautauqua AmphitheaterAccording to the historical marker at Glen Echo, this building was the original Chautauqua amphitheater built in 1891. It opened as the fun house in 1911 and operated till 1948. In 1956 the termite ridden building was burned to make room for a parking lot.
Attractions in the building included, the Rocking Pigs, the Whirl-i-gig, Crossing The Ice, and the Barrel of Fun. The Anonymous Tipster (07/25/2008, 4:36pm.) is remembering correctly: the roulette wheel was later altered by sinking it into the ground resulting in a low wall around the edge. 
Thank YouI appreciate the translation, I've been sitting here (in our current Internet vernacular) going o_O trying to figure that one out, ha.
(The Gallery, Natl Photo, Sports)

Little Red Wagons: 1965
... MGB Had a '63 myself -- white with a red leather interior. I'm of the opinion the thing has been sitting there since the ... 
 
Posted by tterrace - 06/24/2009 - 4:53pm -

Diamond Bar, California, August 1965. The owner of the MG across the street isn't having quite as good a day as my niece and nephew. I shot this on 35mm Kodachrome. View full size.
The Missing BehomethsNotice that the usual big American cars are curiously absent.  There is a Rambler/American Motors(?) type station wagon in the driveway, a smaller Ford in the street, the MG, and a VW up the cross street.  I guess all the Pontiac Bonnevilles were parked at the office.
The neighborhoodIs that the Brady Bunch house up the street? 
Color, color and more colorI can't believe the gorgeous color that you've still got in these photos. Even the one of your mother's wedding just pops! I have photos from the 70's that are faded to orange and yellow that were taken on Kodak film with a 35mm Minolta. Was it the Kodachrome, the way you took them or the way they were processed, I wonder. I suppose you processed your own. We sent them out.
[One reason these look good is because they are scanned from transparencies (slides or negatives), not prints on paper. The other three reasons are Kodachrome, Kodachrome, Kodachrome. Plus of course it was taken by tterrace, the camera-ninja boy wonder. - Dave]
No punch backsPunch buggy green! My nephew hit me with that old line over one of those 'new' VW bugs.
No place like home, TotoHaving lived in California all of my formative years, I did not need a label to know where this was taken.  I think it has a lot to do with the sidewalks, "bike" ramps at the corners and, unfortunately, no trees.  Not gorgeous, but home.  Thanks for the refresher.
Flat.Tire slashing vandals in such a safe-looking, peaceful neighborhood?  I still have my 1969 MGB. Wish it looked as good is this one. With fully inflated tires, of course.
SubdivisionsAll the trees and bushes are small and paltry; they all have that recently planted look about them.
The concrete sidewalks look pristine, no cracks, no heaving, no stains.
The houses and the yards all look fresh and new.
The trees across the street in the hapless MG owner's yard still have guy wires to keep them up till the root system matures.
There's still mud in the gutters, implying there was still construction going on in the neighborhood.
I'm guessing the subdivision must have been pretty new. 
SlashedThat's what he gets for putting white walls on an MG. What's the keen green wagon on the left? Nash? Rambler? Stude? At first I thought International, but their quarter panels didn't look like that until the '70s. And the Travelall was taller.
[Hudson Rambler. - Dave]
Colorful attributionsThose wedding photos are from delworthio's eye-popping Kodachromes. (My folks' marriage predates the introduction of Kodachrome by three years.)
Then and NowWould love to see this same scene exactly as it is today. Possible?
Tire Slashing Vandals?...Perhaps the dastardly deed was perpetrated by some public spirited citizen who knew (as everyone did back then) that all MG drivers were leftist pipe-smoking History or English literature professors who listened to Miles Davis and always carried a well thumbed copy of "Quotations from Chairman Mao." They were also fond of wearing Harris Tweed jackets with leather elbow patches.(With matching tweed caps, naturally). Although wearing stringback driving gloves would be going too far!
Hmmmm....wait....this guy doesn't seem to fit the description. Oh well, I suppose it's more likely that the car simply hasn't run in months and the tires went flat from just sitting there.
Just ask the man who owned one.
New subdivisionThis was about two years after my sister and her family moved into their new place here.
KodachromeKodachrome, Kodachrome, Kodachrome indeed. The images taken with Ektachrome are all (with rare exceptions) fading into history. Kodachrome was a "dye-additive" processed film where the colors/dyes were added to the film matrix during processing. Ektachrome (and to a similar degree Anscochrome, Agfachrome et al) were "dye-subtractive" where unneeded colors were bleached out of the film during processing leaving behind only those colors necessary to form the original colors. Those 4x5 Kodachromes that Dave posts here are to die (or dye) for!
Diamond Bar NowView Larger Map
CriminalsFrom the looks on their faces, I suspect these tykes are just returning from a trip up the street to slash some more neighbors' tires. 
When California was actually affordable.Suburban homes like those in the picture are for sale out here in San Jose for sometimes over a million bucks. I wonder if working and middle class people back then would ever imagine that they would soon not be able to afford their own home if they had to buy it again. A shame.
"Made me sigh"Today on Lileks, tterrace gets a shout-out from the man himself.
New suburb smellAh, a freshly minted suburb - note the saplings with crutches, the kerbside landscaping and the dirt in the rain gutters. We often forget that every development - even the late Victorian and Edwardian ones in my own city - once had this raw look.
Slashed?I would think not. In those halcyon days we used to take the cap off and then sit there patiently holding the valve down until all the air was out. Slashing is a Gen X sort of thing.
MGBHad a '63 myself -- white with a red leather interior.
I'm of the opinion the thing has been sitting there since
the last time it ran and the tires went flat. 
Held my breathLileks says "You almost expect the ghost of the photographer to show up in the picture." To say nothing of the goose-bumps forming on the skin of the actual photographer.
The Old photoGorgeous! That could have been a pic of myself and sister in Pleasanton, 1969
FlashbackMy immediate response on seeing the picture was "Hey! Southeastern L.A. county, or northern Orange county."
Sure enough. I moved away nearly 40 years ago, but in an instant I was back again; except that I remember Diamond Bar before the houses started going in. (I grew up in Whittier, my father lived the last 20 years of  his life in La Habra.) Thank St. Eastman for Kodachrome.
Little red wagonI was just trying to explain to my wife last night about little red wagons, she's Filipina, and how my friends and I, when we were about the age of the boy in the pic, used to ride them down a hill that ended at the brick wall of my house's garage. Sure you could steer the wagons, sorta, and you could use your feet as brakes but often as not the rides ended with boy meets wall. Good times, so much joy to be had. Helmets?  Helmets were for fighter pilots and spacemen.
'63 MGB,I currently have a '63 MGB, and I tell you (honestly!), it's the most reliable car I've owned. (Wait, does that say more about me or the car?)
Anyway, that MG is, at most, two years old, and washed and everything. Someone was probably sending a message about buying those furrin' cars, or the owner is, in fact, an insufferable, rake-shaking, "get offa my lawn" prat and this is what he has reaped.
Weeding the lawn again?Is that a dichondra lawn? Insanely labor-intensive! Still, they used to be popular in the area, especially among those employing Japanese gardeners.
AmazingDo MG's actually run? I thought they just sat in mechanics' lots.
Then and NowHere we are today.  No MG in site so he either got it fixed or it was towed.  I took this from the street since I didn't want to stand on their front porch.  Looks like the tree's finally grew.  I'm not sure about the hill in the background, but our neighbor once told us that an enormous amount of dirt had been moved to make the high school.
Enjoy!

That's My HouseI've really enjoyed reading everyone's comments about our house.  
We moved to Diamond Bar in '62, and we were the first people on the street.  Everyone else's Including the photographer's, was still being built. In this picture, it is a brand-spanking new neighborhood.  That is my dad out in front looking at my oldest sister's MG. We also had a Pontiac that he kept for 13 years before replacing it. 
To solve the mystery, the MG had been slashed to bits... the tires and the tarp.  Here's the story;  We were going to the beach with the church youth group, and she parked the car at the DB Congregational Church.  While we were getting ready to go, there was a terrible accident on DB Blvd, which she witnessed.  When the police came, she told them who's fault it was.  When they left, we all went to the beach and when we came back, it was vandalized. We knew who did it, but could not prove it. 
The "now" picture from 2010 shows the house after the folks had passed away.  Dad in 2007, and Mom 11 months later. My nephew and his wife who were their caretakers, remained in the house for a while, and remodeled (as nothing had been done since my parents originally moved in in '62, the electrical was a mess as was the plumbing), and they sold it shortly thereafter.  
That hill was eventually leveled down to build Diamond Bar High School.  It was part of a huge piece of empty land, with a big gully in the middle of it. Like all the other hills in the neighborhood (including the one on our bank in the back yard), it has eroded into almost an even flatness.  The lawn is not dichondra, it was originally St. Augistine and I think my nephew replanted something else, but not dichondra. I saw it when it was growing in, and I think it may have been some sort of fescue. 
In the before picture; Yes the trees show the wires as the yard was just planted. He loved trees and planted one for each of us girls (4 of us) and one for Mom. They indeed grew HUGE.  Also missing is the huge bird of paradise that Dad planted right near the front "banister".  It was a huge eyesore, but he and Mom loved it. My dad and a neighbor put in the sprinkler system and the grass.  In those days all the neighbors took turns doing each other's lawns.  It was a great time.
So thank you for the pictures tterrace, and for another last look at my Dad.  I remember your family well, and always wonder what happed to Big Frank, (You should've seen him ride a skateboard) Rosemary, Jimmy and Mary Rose.  My Mom and Dad were The Ropers, Mel and Vickey who lived and died in that house for over 40 years. I'm Diamond Bar Girl.   
(ShorpyBlog, Member Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Kids, tterrapix)

Extreme Makover: 1950
... the President in case of nuclear attack. [The interior of the building was on the verge of collapse. - tterrace] ... water, electrification, telegraphy, telephony, radio, interior kitchens becoming normal, modern building reinforcement, etc. As such ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 03/25/2013 - 10:50pm -

March 9, 1950. Washington, D.C . "White House renovation. Second floor Oval Study above Blue Room. North wall and part of floor removed for installation of steel shoring columns." Photo by Abbie Rowe. View full size.
I Wonder?Considering the date, the U.S. was in the beginning stages of the post WW2 cold war, with the fear of nuclear annihilation all around us.
Given the fact that they were adding "steel shoring columns", this begs the question of whether this was just a simple renovation, or an attempt to better protect the President in case of nuclear attack.
[The interior of the building was on the verge of collapse. - tterrace]
There's a famous storyBefore this renovation, the White House was still the building, to all intents and purposes, built in the 1790s, prior to gassification, running water, electrification, telegraphy, telephony, radio, interior kitchens becoming normal, modern building reinforcement, etc.  As such the White House was stone and wood, with patchwork upgrades (well done, but patchwork nevertheless) to add features for the convienence of the President. However, it was still an essentially a building that had been built with wood using 18th century construction and had been continuously occupied and used for about 130 years; maintenence of key areas had never been able to be performed.
Bess Truman played the piano, and so they had a piano brought into what is is now the "Formal Family Dining Room" (there are four dining rooms the First Family uses; that one, also called the Prince of Wales room, is used for intimate, but not private, meals, and is the second most public).  The floor, however, eventually gave out while Harry was playing.  Harry used that as an excuse to strong-arm Congress (which had just canceled the then-planned West Wing expansion due to cost) to rebuild the entire White House except the East Wing.
Here is a link to see some history of this specific room.
That ceiling gives me the heebie jeebiesI've never seen those types of terra cotta blocks used for ceiling construction.  My neighbor has a garage with walls built of those.  I can't imagine building long horizontal expanses such as a ceiling with them.  Surely they wrap structural beams of some sort and serve the purpose of insulation, more than anything.  I'd certainly hope they aren't in any way load-bearing, and surely would not want to be under them during an earthquake.  
Re: tterrace commentIndeed!  One of my all-time favorite Weekly Reader stories back in the 60's was on the renovation of the White House.  One particularly fascinating picture showed a part of the interior that had been gutted down to the sandstone walls and a front end loader driving around inside.
Simply out of habitI remember reading somewhere the explanation that by this time "the floors were holding up simply out of habit!"
The Terra Cotta Block CeilingIn 1927, the roof of the White House was raised and a third floor inserted where the attic had been.  The terra cotta blocks in the picture look like products from the 1920s and probably were installed in 1927.  Although the White House likely was weakened by various alterations over the years (e.g., cutting through beams for plumbing and wiring, moving a load bearing wall to enlarge the State Dining Room in 1902), I have read that the added weight of the 1927 third floor addition probably was the straw that broke the camel's back.
(The Gallery, D.C.)

Schwinners: 1970
... new, black 1960 Ford convertible with black and white interior. We had first period class together so I would most often see him in ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 11/29/2022 - 4:27pm -

From around 1970, somewhere in Suburbia, comes this Kodachrome of two lovely lasses attired in Easter egg pastels, and a tricycle not long for this world. View full size.
Pretty in Pink, Striking in YellowAnd Fast on Old Blue ... nice shiny chrome fenders.
Winnie Cooper'slil' sis? There's more than a little resemblance. But ultimately of more importance: in the distance not one but two VW's ; Detroit's - and by implication America's - decline from industrial supremacy to (simply) "leadership" is well underway
Missing WheelThe tricycle may get hit by the car in the driveway, but the dented car on the left won't be backing into it.  A rear wheel seems to be missing. 
[Not to worry. It's there. - Dave]
Look before backing!Maybe that was a new bicycle - but hope they aren't cycling in those clothes and shoes!
Sad thing, but I'm reminded of the time my aunt Shirley backed up without looking and killed Grandma's dog Trixie. I was about 10, and it was a sad day ... though I didn't witness it, I heard her last yelp from across the field. Still want to cry, and always look before backing up!
Trike, Trixie, backing up --
They are lovely lassesVery likely best friends.  No way to tell if this friendship lasted years or somewhere along the way they lost touch.  Most of us have experienced both.
The two license plates I can see are dark blue with yellow letters/numbers.  That makes one possible state Pennsylvania, which I'm going to run with based on the neighborhood, distant terrain, and everything else.  I can't read that street sign.  Dave, can you? 
[The street name is four letters; the second letter looks like an i. Something like BIRD, RICE, BIBB, along with CR or CT. I also note a preponderance of evergreens. - Dave]
The CarsOn the left, a dented 1960 Ford Fairlane; on the right, a (now mid-size) 1968 Fairlane 500 with the side marker light that became mandatory that year. In the driveway behind it, a Chevy Corvair convertible with the top up. Blue sedan on the left is a 1964 Chevrolet.
There was a classmatein my junior college days who drove a brand new, black 1960 Ford convertible with black and white interior. We had first period class together so I would most often see him in the parking lot when he drove in with the top down. I lusted after that car but couldn't afford anything even close to his ride. Man that was beautiful vehicle and I would still like to own one but they are very hard to find. It's odd that 1950's Chevys are plentiful but Fords not so much. 
Sympathy for the PedalAll the Schwinners are Saints.
Upstate NYThe license plates are New York, 1966 to 1973 series. Pennsylvania was a good guess, but they did not use front plates. Given the view, we can rule out Long Island, but this scene would fit almost anywhere else in the state. 
Those smiles thoughThat's just about the cutest thing I've seen all day. The sweet girl on the right is almost certainly my age. I had a dress very like hers except mine had sleeves and it was made of ice blue dotted swiss. My sister's outfit had a few style differences from mine, and was green. Our mother sewed the frocks for us to wear on Easter in 1970 and we broke the mold by going to church that year.
Oh those lovely stockings!I remember how sophisticated we felt in those textured stockings. And believe me, those weren't no pantyhose, no sirree. Those were two individual stockings held up by awful, uncomfortable garter belts that would unsnap and let you down from time to time. But paired with these simple, A-line shift dresses, those stockings made us feel like we just stepped off the page of a fashion magazine.
No curbs, sidewalks or even drainage?I drive through neighborhoods delivering packages, and this time of year is especially dangerous as the large ditches in neighborhoods like these are often filled with recently fallen leaves. I see no sign of drainage measures taken in this shot, am I missing something? 
[There's a big drain next to the street sign. - Dave]

HURD CTI believe this photo was taken looking east from the corner of Hurd Court and Bontecou Road in the Town of Stony Point, New York.  I base this in on the following:  The houses match what is shown on google street view, but the perspective is so different it's difficult to tell.  The utility tower in the distance is still there but you have to move up quite a long way to see on street view.  The contour of the mountains match what you would see if you had a clear view today, they are on the opposite side of the Hudson River from Stony Point.  The biggest hint was that YEARS ago a photo identified as being in this neighborhood was posted on Shorpy, possibly even the same street, but facing west as I remember.
[That's it! Even the storm drain is still there. - Dave]

(Bicycles, Easter, Found Photos, Kids, Stephen Kodachromes)

Confederate Veterans: 1917
... featured a curved roof and was supported, without any interior columns, by a series of enormous iron and steel trusses. 1893 ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/11/2011 - 9:00pm -

The Gray and the gray. "Confederate veteran reunion, Washington, 1917." National Photo Company Collection glass negative. View full size.
The last soldierThe last Union veteran to die was in 1947 in Minnesota. Life Magazine had a write up on this. There is one veteran from WW1 now living. It is in the newspapers as I write. He is 108 and lives in Pennsylvania.
[The Wikipedia article on last surviving veterans, which is never an exact science. The most we can usually say is that someone is thought to be the last survivor of a particular war. That article has the last two Union vets dying in 1953 and 1956. - Dave]
Johnny Reb in his 60'sThis was an eye opener for me as to just how long ago the Civil War took place. These guys were teenagers when it happened and here they are they are in their 60s in 1917. A cool and timely picture.
Convention Center MarketBuilt in 1874, the city’s first convention center extended the length of Fifth Street between K and L Streets, and was known as the Northern Liberty Market. It was an immense single room 324 feet long, 126 feet wide and 84 feet high at the center. The architecturally significant structure featured a curved roof and was supported, without any interior columns, by a series of enormous iron and steel trusses.
1893
A second floor was added to form a large auditorium, with seating for 5,000. The building was renamed the Convention Center and popularly known as the Convention Hall. The facility operated there for 50 years, hosting revival meetings, fairs, auto shows, roller-skating, bowling and a variety of amusement and sporting events.
1930
By the early 1930s, Center Market – the city's largest building – was located at Pennsylvania Avenue and Seventh Street. It was later demolished for the government's Federal Triangle construction project. Many of that market's vendors moved a half-mile north to the Convention Center building, which was renamed New Center Market.
News Travels SlowlyLooks like the Gillette Safety Razor was slow to take hold in the South.
Great image!I'm guessing that this group from Nashville had ridden with Gen. Nathan Bedford Forrest based on the flag they carry.  I bet they all could tell stories to keep you going for days if anyone would listen.
Commander at the front looks like he takes his position very seriously.
Old DixieDying (slowly) for their cause.
StubblyI must say, Confederate vets knew how to rock the facial hair.
UniformsObviously these men are better dressed than they ever had been during their war when the Confederate uniforms were nominally gray, and later "butternut" but sometimes ended up being whatever you could find or even scrounge off of dead bodies. I wonder how many of our images of Confederate soldiers and how they dressed come from seeing images like this and the studio portraits that the young men going off to war had taken rather than the reality of the field.
Yes they all look oldYes they all look old, but what does that say about me? I can remember when the last Confederate (in fact the last Civil War) veteran died, sometime in the 1950s, and the reason that it is in my memory bank is that it happened near where I lived at the time (Baytown, Texas) and the high school band from Robert E. Lee High School (Go Ganders!) played at the funeral. I would later attend REL. And apparently, things going the way they are, I will live to see the last WWI veteran die.
A Mighty Host of Gray1917 marked the 27th annual Confederate reunion and the first to gather outside of the Confederate States. I've extracted only a few of the many newspaper articles of the time, and in just this small sample, there are inconsistencies regarding the age of the youngest. 
[Upon Stanton Square's blue fingers, I hereby bestow the Purple Heart. - Dave] 


1,500 Veterans in City
Special Trains Bring Gray Hosts From as Far as New Orleans.

More than 1,500 Confederate veterans, representing a majority of 22 States that are to send delegates to the annual Confederate reunion that opens here tomorrow, were registered at headquarters yesterday.  In addition incoming trains from the South brought Sons and Daughters of the Confederacy and thousands of others whose sympathies are Southern.
Col. Robert N. Harper, after hearing reports from John Dolph and others of the registration committee lat night again expressed the opinion that the total number of visitors, including delegates, will reach the 75,000 mark before the first day of the reunion is over.
From an early hour yesterday shifts of volunteers were busy constantly registering the veterans at the Union Station, where scenes similar to those that characterized the inauguration preliminaries prevailed.
An extra force of policemen was on duty at the station handling the crowds and seeing to the necessary enforcement of rules.  As early as 6 a.m. the "vets," many wearing the suits of gray that will be conspicuous here during the week, began to arrive.  Many were intent on attending the memorial exercises at Arlington and to obtain a glimpse of President Wilson.
The first excursion train to pull into the station was the "Tom Green Special," from the cotton belt, bringing veterans from Memphis, Texarkana, Pine Bluff and the vicinity.  Closely following it came others from Augusta, Ga.; Newberry S.C., and New Orleans.  At noon several special excursion trains, each carrying an average of 300 veterans and others, arrived.  In the afternoon, the Elliott Tour Special brought large delegations from Birmingham and Atlanta.
H.F. Cary, chairman of the transportation committee, said yesterday that at least 38 specials from every point in the South would reach Washington before Wednesday.  It is conservatively estimated that of the 40,000 survivors at least 5,000 will attend this year's reunion.
...
Veterans were taken either to their hotels or to the "tented city" not far distant from the station.  Last night, close to 200 of the visitors slept under canvas.  The majority were fatigued after long journeys and expressed a preference to "stick close to quarters" rather than see the sights as some suggested.  More than 500 were quartered in a large red brick structure at the corner of New Jersey and C street northwest.  Arriving there they were assigned to rooms.  Meals were served under a large canvas tent close by.

Washington Post, Jun 4, 1917 



Sidelights of Confederate Reunion

About a half hundred veterans responded to the sounding of the dinner gong at the tented city yesterday and enjoyed the first meal served "under canvas."  The menu consisting of vegetable soup, fresh pork, prime ribs of beef, new potatoes, green peas, stewed tomatoes, assorted pies, iced tea, coffee and bread and butter, was a sample of the generous treatment the "boys" can expect during their stay in camp.
...
When some one had the audacity to inquire of A.B. Rowland, of Fulton Ky., one of the party at the tented city, as to his age he answered, "I'm one of the kids.  I'm only 72."  As a matter of fact, the youngest Confederate veteran is 69.

Washington Post, Jun 4, 1917 



Dixie's Sons Own City

Washington surrendered yesterday to a mighty host of gray - without a struggle.  White-haired and gray-coated veterans owned the city.  Streets and avenues were a dense gray mass from early morning until late at night.  Hotel lobbies were crowded to the doors.  Public parks, the Capitol, government buildings and nearby places of historic interest were given over ungrudgingly to the venerable guests from Dixie.  Bands played familiar airs, fife and drum corps beat age-old battle marches and buglers sounded the reveille and taps.
...
The Tented City on the Union Station plaza was the mecca last night for veterans and sightseers from all parts of the District.  The large mess hall was the busiest place in Washington from 4 p.m. yesterday until 8 o'clock last night.  Nearly 15,000 meal tickets had been issued to veterans since Monday morning.  Camp fire meetings were held last night in every nook and corner of the plaza.  War time stories were "swapped" and Southern songs filled the air with melody.
Officials of the registration booth at Union Station said last night that between 15,00 and 20,000 veterans had arrived in Washington since Sunday morning.

Washington Post, Jun 6, 1917 



Sidelights of Confederate Reunion

Editor C.A. Ricks, of the Courier, Huntington, Tex., who was born February 28, 1851, claims to be the youngest Confederate at the reunion.  He enlisted August 1, 1863 in Courier battery at Shreveport, La.
...
The Georgia delegation greeted the President with a shower of peanuts, while the ladies literally bombarded the stand with flowers.

Washington Post, Jun 8, 1917 



Third Veteran Wins Bride at Reunion

The third Confederate veteran to take unto himself a wife while attending the recent reunion is Dr. John A. Pollock, 71, of Kingston, N.C.  His bride is Miss Lula L. Aldridge, 50, of the same city. ...  Dr. Pollock also is the next to the oldest of the three "vets" who are going South with brides.  The oldest was Frank H. Raum, of Richmond, Va., who was one of Mosby's men.  He is 73.  The "vet" who got the youngest bride is James A. Thomas, 63, of Atlanta, Ga.  He married Miss Elizabeth Roberts, only 25.

Washington Post, Jun 10, 1917 


ObservationsNotice Santa Claus on the left has a peg leg. As for facial hair, if you look at silent movies of the period they usually have old geezers shown with similar whiskers. I think this stereotype was based on truth, that the oldsters kept the style from their youthful days.
There are only about 11 confirmed WW1 vets still living, as listed on Wiki. All of the Central Powers guys are gone.  Only 2 remain who actually spent time in the trenches.
MedalistsSeveral of the veterans, including the officer in the frock coat, are wearing the Southern Cross of Honor. These were given by the United Daughters of the Confederacy starting in 1900 to Confederate army and navy vets. The Confederate States of America did not issue any medals. 
And the last Civil War widowI read the article below a few years ago.  The Shorpy photo brought it to mind. 
"Civil War widow, final link to old Confederacy, dies"
The cantankerous 81-year-old man struck up a few conversations with the 21-year-old neighbor and a marriage of convenience was born.   
They were married in a civil ceremony at the courthouse in Andalusia on Dec. 10, 1927, and 10 months later had a son, William.
The story actually gets better but I'll leave it to everyone to read the whole thing.
It still amazes me that so much history walks among us.  Whenever I get the opportunity to talk to a WWII veteran I grab it because they are fast disappearing also.
Oldest Confederate WidowThere may still be a couple of Confederate widows among us but it's their choice to remain in anonymity. Maude Hopkins was the last one publicly known. She died Aug. 17 2008.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maudie_Hopkins
Why did young girls marry veterans old enough to be their grandfathers? The pension was attractive in Depression days.
BeardI think the guy on the far left bought his beard at the Acme Novelty Shop so he could join this Facial Hair Club for Men reunion
WW2 VetsI saw on Fox News on Veterans Day that there are about 2.1 million veterans of WWII left. About 900 die every day.
Actually, the United Confederate Veterans were organized locally into camps and drew from veterans living in the area.  They took their names from famous officers, units and the like.  
The label on the flag here is more likely the name of the camp from Nashville.
Southern Cross of HonorThe UDC awards a Cross of Military Service to any veteran of WWII or Vietnam upon application.  The only additional requirement for the award is that in addition to proof of their own service, he or she provide proof of direct lineage to a soldier similar to one of the men shown in this fine picture. These crosses are beautifully made pieces and serve to establish a remarkable lineage to the present day.
Many, if not most, of the men shown in this picture had grandfathers or great grandfathers who were soldiers of the American Revolution--and many of their fathers served in the War of 1812. 
Shades of GrayI've colourised this picture at https://www.shorpy.com/node/11187 if anyone's interested.
(The Gallery, Civil War, D.C., Natl Photo)

Official Business: 1942
... the front doors is longer; the thin wooden slats on the interior roof of the Chevy took the place of a headliner; and the shadow of the ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 01/16/2023 - 8:02pm -

October 1942. Milwaukee, Wisconsin. "Women in war. Supercharger plant workers. To replace men who have been called to armed service, many young girls like 19-year-old Jewel Halliday are taking jobs never before held by women. Her job is shuttling workers between two Midwest war plants for Allis-Chalmers Manufacturing Co." Photo by Ann Rosener for the Office of War Information. View full size.
Don't mess with me, mister!A wonderful shot, dramatically lit, conveying the sense of the subject being all about business.
[Photographer Ann Rosener would be a Missus. As opposed to her assistant crouched next to the steering wheel. - Dave]
The estate of affairsLooks like a 1942 Buick 40B Estate Wagon - for all your war labour transport needs.
I'm a big fan of wooden boats, so the idea of beautifully varnished wood on a mechanical conveyance is not foreign to me.
The US Army bought a ton of the 2-door and 4-door sedans for use as staff cars, and it would appear a few of the woodie estate wagons too.
Jewell HallidayJewell (correct spelling) Halliday married Rudolph A. Pollak in Milwaukee, on June 20, 1946. He was a World War II veteran. Jewell passed away in Milwaukee on November 20, 1974. Rudolph died in Florida, on November 24, 1999. I was unable to determine if they had any children.
It wasn't just womenIn 1944, my Dad (16 years old) was driving the street sweeper in Coronado, Calif.  He had an hour between 5-6am, to sweep the downtown business district.  The next hour was spent on a rotating basis thru the different residential areas.  By 7am he was headed home to get ready for school.
Restating "The estate of affairs"While looking very Buick-like, this is actually a 1942 Chevrolet Special DeLuxe Station Wagon.  The wood panels and trim are different; the Buick's fender sweep into the front doors is longer; the thin wooden slats on the interior roof of the Chevy took the place of a headliner; and the shadow of the Chevy's rear door hinge can also be seen below the door handle.  The Buick's hinge was above the window line.  
Chevy built 1,057 while there were only 327 of the 1942 Buick Model 49 Estate Wagons (including one for export).  At $1,095 it was Chevy's most expensive model, and it was also their heaviest model at 3,425 pounds. Only three of these Buicks are thought to still exist, and half of the 1942 production is believed to have gone to the federal government for the war effort.  Cost of the Buick was $1,450, and it weighed 3,925 pounds (500 more pounds than the Chevy!).
Comparison photos from early 1942 catalogs are below.  Note that because Chevy used two different body builders for the station wagon bodies the trim shown in the Shorpy photo is slightly different from the catalog drawing (which was also produced months in advance of actual production beginning).
(The Gallery, Ann Rosener, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Milwaukee, WW2)

Tenement Kitchen: 1905
New York circa 1905. "Interior of tenement." All the conveniences, including a somewhat incongruous ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/23/2012 - 3:43pm -

New York circa 1905. "Interior of tenement." All the conveniences, including a somewhat incongruous couch on wheels.  8x10 glass negative. View full size.
A Tree Grows in BrooklynThis could be straight out of the book.
It's funny how nice a "lowly" tenement room can look without modern plastic junk all over the place.
Nice place!It was a lot more run down by the time the Kramdens moved in fifty years later.
Royal BustsI think the busts are of Tsar Alexander III and Tsarina Maria Feodorovna.  Any other ideas?
The picture on the shelfThe one behind the clock looks like it might be a cased Civil War era half plate Tintype of a mother and her baby.
Godfather Part IIAll that's missing here is Vito C, Clemenza, and Tessio...all sitting around the table with a big bowl of pasta and a jug of vino.
Immigrants from the UK?Busts on the wall shelf are of King Edward VII (reigned 1901 to 1910) and Queen Alexandra.
On the shelfBusts of Queen Alexandra and Edward VII? Plus a photo of a magician? Never saw a radiator like that.
Changing marketsPretty spacious and spiffy for a tenement! Bet it now rents for $7k a month to a junior law partner.
The Curious SofaThat incongruous couch on wheels is a late and decidedly on-the-cheap version of the Victorian lounge sofa, now popularly called a fainting couch. Lounge sofas were a kind of casual daybed, and the cook in this very tidy tenement kitchen might have had it there to rest her back while she was waiting for the dough to rise. The shiny, pleated upholstery on this one looks like the sort of imitation leather typically used on the cheaper versions of these sofas, and the tied fringe is made of the same material, probably a nitrocellulose-coated thin canvas. Many types of 19th Century household furniture were mounted with small cast brass caster wheels. They were hell on floor finishes. Here's a similar lounge sofa that has been reupholstered in a cheery and completely non-historic furnishing fabric.
Apt furnishingThe couch is to assist an Edwardian lady experiencing an attack of the kitchen vapours.
Another viewof a similar kitchen in this post. At first I thought it might be the same room, but the stove-corner artwork is different.

Coronation SouvenirsThe white bisque porcelain busts of Alexandra of Denmark and her husband Edward VII were produced circa 1902 by Robinson & Leadbetter of Stoke-on-Trent. Here is an identical pair.
Homeless headsThis shot reminds me of all the photos I see for sale in antique stores today.  Some of the photos are even fairly recent (1960s-'70s).  It breaks my heart that so many don't keep their family photos!  If I ever become independently wealthy, I'll spend my time "rescuing" these photos & posting them to Shorpy!
Re: HammeredNot only is plaster impossible to get nails to stick in--in some places, they used to mix horsehair in with the plaster, which actually gave it a springy quality.  I remember talking to the owners of an old home once and they described the first (and last) time they tried to drive a nail in--it came shooting back out at them. 
Re: Homeless headsYou may want to check this out, sackerland, someone is already running with your idea.
http://forgottenoldphotos.blogspot.com/
Unusual radiatorThe radiator likely appears unusual because of its context.  It is of a design that is typically hung horizontally from a ceiling.  This style of rad only requires about five inches total clearance from the wall, which is likely why it was selected for this location. One can tell that it's the original installation because foot valve it too close to the wall for there to be room for a conventional rad.
BustDefinitely Edward VII (eldest son of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert). Quite probably modelled after this one (Nov. 9, 1901)
Elegant is as elegant doesThere's no denying the inherent elegance of the family that lived here, regardless of its fiscal condition, and the artistic care someone showed in decorating this kitchen. Note the symmetrical arrangement of the pictures on the wall, the busts on the shelf, etc., and of course the spotless wood floor. Lovely.   
Kitchen differencesThis one has half as many gas lamp jets. The sink is out of view in each photo (assuming there was one actually located in the apartment, rather than down the hall), but it's safe to say that the concept of the work triangle had not occurred to anyone yet.
HammeredDoes anyone know why pictures were hung like that in the early 20th century? I have seen the exact same hanging mode for pics ranging from middle class folks to European royalty so it was clearly THE way to do it--but why not just hammer a nail in like we do nowadays?
[Ever try hammering a nail into plaster? - Dave]
That SofaIn "Ann of Green Gables" there's casual mention of someone sitting on the kitchen sofa, which gives us a pretty good hint about what wintertime home heating was like in PEI, Canada. Maybe the same thing here?
Lowly can certainly be a relative termEspecially when you consider what tenement housing was like just a few years prior to this, and still was in many parts of New York. The tenement act that sought to create places like this one had only been passed in 1901. Prior to that, this apartment probably would not have had gas fixtures, heat, or windows to capture light to take this photo. 
More a napping couchMost families living in tenements used the kitchen as a bedroom at night. 
This family appears to be working-class English. The glass and ceramic knick-knacks seem very urban North of England to me - Leeds, Newcastle, etc.
Similar kitchensThey certainly do look like the same room, and I was going to suggest that the two photos  were taken at different times with different wall decor - but then I noticed the floorboards.  Definitely different rooms.  
OCDI feel the need to straighten those pictures on the wall!
The "lowly" tenementAs noted elsewhere on Shorpy, the meaning of "tenement" has changed over time. Far from being synonymous with "slum dwelling," it originally connoted a dwelling in any tenanted building, or the building itself. Its root is the Latin word tenere, meaning "to hold."

The kitchen as bedroomI am reminded of my first historic house tour, Naperville's 1883 Martin Mitchell Mansion, when I was in the third grade. All of the beds had the pillows propped up against the headboard, and we were told that people slept with their heads more or less upright, lest lying flat should result in pneumonia or consumption or whatever. The construction of this couch would be consistent with such a belief.
Occupants of the Martin Mitchell Mansion had no need to sleep in the kitchen, but I remember a vacuum cleaner powered by a pair of bellows strapped to the user's feet!
The kitchen couchMy parents have a couch in their kitchen too. Used for watching TV, using the internet, talking on the phone, napping, or just socializing in the kitchen area.
But they don't have a radiator, especially not a work of art radiator like that one!
That amazing sofa!The "kitchen sofa" is an American Empire or Greek Revival recamier, also called a Grecian sofa or "fainting bed." This one was probably made in NY prior to 1855, when Victorian furniture came in vogue. The tight bolster indicates a "high style" piece that would be very valuable today. Tenement dwellers often kept a cradle or small bed in the kitchen for a child's nap time, which would allow Mom to keep working at the same time. This is a pretty fancy "cradle."
(The Gallery, DPC, Kitchens etc., NYC)

Road Flair: 1941
... emblem on it, so it may not be a Buick. Looking at the interior, cars were absolutely medieval back then. [The radio is an ... a kind of cruise control. Righthand knobs are wipers and interior lights. Lefthand knob is the choke. - Dave] And a ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 04/08/2022 - 6:27pm -

November 1941. "Trinkets in migrant agricultural worker's automobile. Wilder, Idaho." Medium format acetate negative by Russell Lee for the Farm Security Administration. View full size.
Such a narrow windshield... would drive me up a wall.
CalculatingSeeing this collection up close, now I'm wondering how many girlfriends our dear boy had. Or hoped to have.
[No telling what the back seat was like! - Dave]
No telling indeed. I hope if it was tricked out with pillows, the girls were armed with hatpins.
Trinkets, schminketsHas anyone identified the car yet? Those controls on the steering wheel have to be a clue.
Car guessA Buick; about 1930 or so?
When Better Automobiles Are BuiltBuick Will Build Them.  It's a 1930 model.
Identity crisisWhat ever that big box is (heater?) it has a Chevy emblem on it, so it may not be a Buick. Looking at the interior, cars were absolutely medieval back then.
[The radio is an in-dash unit from a Chevrolet. The car is a Buick from 1930, six years before General Motors began selling cars with factory-installed radios. - Dave]
Alternate titleShould be entitled "Distracted Driving"
I'm jealous!... but I do have a pine tree air freshener hangin' from the rearview.
Toilet flapperIs what I thought I saw hanging from the rearview mirror.  Upon reflection, maybe an upside-down miniature cowboy hat.
Knobs & LeversWhat are the two knobs to the right of the fuel gauge?  The ones next to the radio.  Also, on the steering wheel, I would guess the left lever is for spark advance, but what is the right lever for?
[Righthand steering wheel lever is throttle position, which could be used as a kind of cruise control. Righthand knobs are wipers and interior lights. Lefthand knob is the choke. - Dave]

And a carburetor heat control!  I could have used one of those on my 1964 Sunbeam Alpine.  Driving in cold, damp Vermont I regularly had to get out and spray ether into the carb as the ice started to block the throat.
Shaggin' Wagon"Wilder, Idaho Edition"
Display at your own riskI hope Buick and the other auto manufacturers considered the headliner strength needed to hold up with displays such as this.
Oh my gosh mannmade! Access to your user profile is blocked now, but when you insulted me in an earlier post I remember your profile included a pic of D-Day from 'Animal House' in the homemade tank.  You want to be a cool guy, but slinging insults and anger the way you do is not cool.  The secret to belonging is to belong -- think about that.  I honestly hope you find a way to not be so angry and insulting; if not for you, then for everyone who crosses your path.
Union 76The decal on the windshield lower right:
Re: lolThat’s pretty darn crude, mannmade.  Yes, the comments are moderated on this site, specifically to keep away garbage like this.  I imagine Dave has included this comment of yours just to show he’s not blocking you utterly, as well as to show the rest of us what he has to deal with.
On THAT commentQ: What do mannmade and Kramer have in common?
A: Both banned from the fruit store.
Junk then, junk nowI believe that the match books are worth more now than most of the other stuff he has hanging. 
Left til now ...I thought the sharp-eyed viewers would have every trinket, accessory and add on identified by now. So far nobody has mentioned the ash tray mounted near to the radio. Near enough that blowing ash probably ends in the radio as much as anywhere else. I had one of those in a Model A and it sometimes shocked riders to find that the gas tank was directly ahead of it. Inches away.
I don't want to see that stuff here.I thought I was seeing things and question why you would include that post from mannmade.  It's offensive just being there. I think we would all be better off if that one disappeared.  
Claptrap and bric-a-bracAnd to think I got into a mild dispute with my parents in 1957 for hanging a pair of fuzzy dice on the rearview mirror!
Car carb heatI’ve flown small airplanes for over 45 years and am well acquainted with carburetor heat. Never heard of it in cars before. Shorpy is a constant education!
Potentially Lethal ProjectilesIn the era before seat belts and airbags, collapsible steering columns and steering wheels and laminated windscreens, driving around in cars had the potential, in a front end collision,  to project the steering column into your face neck or chest and/or shards of razor sharp glass to pepper over the injuries that haven't killed you.
(The Gallery, Agriculture, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Russell Lee)

Flood Mansion: 1940
... 1897. Descendants occupied until fire of 1906 gutted interior. Acquired by Pacific Union Club about 1909 and remodeled by Willis ... Historic Landmarks. Re: Curious I believe that the interior of the Flood Mansion was used as the location of Gavin Elster's club ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 04/18/2014 - 4:03pm -

        James Clair Flood Mansion (now Pacific Union Club), 1000 California Street, San Francisco. Built 1885-86; Augustus Laver, architect. Reputed cost of about $1 million. Flood died 1889; Mrs. Flood, 1897. Descendants occupied until fire of 1906 gutted interior. Acquired by Pacific Union Club about 1909 and remodeled by Willis Polk in 1910. New England brownstone shell (said to be first brownstone west of Mississippi); Italianate ornamental details. Fence of bronze by W.T. Garratt, at cost estimated from $30,000 to $60,000. Only Nob Hill house to survive fire. —HABS, 1940
March 1940. The Flood Mansion in San Francisco, last seen here after being gutted by fire following the 1906 earthquake, 108 years ago today. Photo by A.J. Wittlock for the Historic American Buildings Survey. View full size.
Watering the LawnI assume there is someone standing behind that corner pillar watering the grass or else there is one be leak somewhere. 
+74And in living color.
Spectacular!“I will build you a house of marble on a hill of granite”
-James Leary Flood
A closer look at the spectacular Flood Mansion.
I wonder what happenedThis young man is missing
CuriousWas this house used for some of Hitchcock movie 'Vertigo'?
[No, Vertigo's "McKittrick Hotel" was the wooden Fortmann Mansion at 1007 Gough St., demolished in 1959. -tterrace]
Thank you, tterrace, wasn't sure, didn't seem so, but thought that it was just my mis-remembering the movie.
Woolen facadeThe neatly trimmed ivy looks like a wool sock pulled up over the house for winter. Also, what's with those awful windows patched into the third floor. How uncouth!
Portland BrownstoneThe brownstone used to construct the Flood Mansion was shipped around Cape Horn from quarries in Portland, Connecticut.  This is the same stone used for the "Brownstones" in New York City.  Both the mansion and the quarries have been designated National Historic Landmarks.
Re:  CuriousI believe that the interior of the Flood Mansion was used as the location of Gavin Elster's club where he and Scottie have a private chat.
[The exterior was used, but the interior was a studio set. -tterrace]
(The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, HABS, San Francisco)

Photo Op: 1929
... collection at the University of South Carolina: Interior: medium shot man helps get everyone in place. Medium shot Supreme ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/05/2012 - 7:57pm -

March 28, 1929. "Cameramen, Stimson office." Photographers on the occasion of Henry Stimson's swearing-in as Secretary of State. Nat'l Photo. View full size.
Bill Murray... call your office. Isn't that him crouching down front and center? But, seriously, aren't those mostly Speed Graphic cameras? Ah, the days of 5x7" film stock, no feeble 35mm here. Except, perhaps, that movie camera, the film magazine looks a bit wide for 16mm.
[Most of the guys would have been using glass, not film, in 1929. - Dave]
Is that Carl Spackler?The guy squatting in front looks like Bill Murray during the Caddyshack era.
At the MoviesThose are both 35mm movie cameras. Interesting that one is sound and one a silent (hand-cranked, second from the right). The sound film still exists in the Fox Movietone collection at the University of South Carolina: 
Interior: medium shot man helps get everyone in place. Medium shot Supreme Court Chief Justice William Howard Taft administers oath of office to Henry Stimson, the new Secretary of State. Note: emulsion deterioration throughout. B&W, Sound, 5.11 minutes
Wooden TripodsThese still camera statives (I own one dated about the same era) are very stable, yet much lighter than their modern versions, included the carbon fiber ones. The movie cameras, off course, are 35 mm. Still the hand held Arri started in the '30 as 35 mm movie cameras.
IronicThere's something kind of ironic about a photo of photographers.
Speed GraphicsThose all look like 4x5 inch Speed Graphics. They produced a newspaper-sized contact print, so it was a lot faster to get a photos in the paper using them instead of a 35mm camera, which would have required enlarging the tiny negatives.
Note that a few are mounted sideways on the tripods to achieve portrait framing instead of landscape.
[Another reason not to use a 35mm camera would be that they didn't exist here. - Dave]
Let There Be LightCould not help but notice ... no flashgun, no flashbulbs, no strobe light! Surprised they are using glass and not film, give them credit, they certainly had excellent results which we today should all appreciate.
[They seem to have used some sort of auxiliary lighting -- look at the shadows. I found a second glass neg that came out a tad dark. - Dave]

Where.......is the esteemed and mischievous goat?
Speed GraphicMost of the still cameras can easily be identified as 4x5-inch Speed Graphics, from the size and visible controls for the focal-plane shutter.  Perhaps interestingly, only one is loaded - the center camera in the rearmost/topmost group.
The flashbulb had been invented in Europe the year before, but wouldn't make its way to the Americas until the next year.  This looks to have been lit from two directions - possibly floodlights, probably flash powder.
Ah, the good old days...
I actually prefer the "dark" shot, as the inclusion of the podium gives you the true, so to speak, secretary-of-state's-view of things.
[I think it's floodlights. A cloud of flash powder casts very diffuse, ill-defined shadows. - Dave]
Dressed like actual grownups!Seeing this I think men should wear suits again, wash & shave daily and see the hairdresser once in a while too. 
UncutTheir hair is surprisingly long. Funny that these same men would be calling the Beatles "longhairs" 35 years later!
Sharp shootersIt seems most of these photographers are a surprisingly handsome young lot. Not what I expected from guys who prefer to be behind the camera. They look great in front of it! 
(The Gallery, D.C., Natl Photo)

Second Home: 1943
... 50 years on the job, as did my father. I haven't seen the interior of many caboose cars but I did not see any decorated like this one. My ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/08/2014 - 12:39pm -

January 1943. "Freight train operations on the Chicago and Northwestern Railroad between Chicago and Clinton, Iowa. The caboose is the conductor's second home. He always uses the same one and many conductors cook and sleep there while waiting for trains to take back from division points." Medium format nitrate negative by Jack Delano, Office of War Information. View full size.
"Stormy" and brake tests."Stormy" Kromer was the inventor's name, the hat was a Kromer Blizzard Cap. The last one my wife bought for me was made in China, so I don't buy them anymore.
There used to be a pair of hand (lantern) signals in the rulebook to handle brake tests: Rule 12(f), the lamp swung horizontally over the head was the signal for the engineer to apply the brakes for the test, Rule 12(g), the lamp held at arm's length overhead was the signal to release. If all was well and the pressure recovered at the caboose, the next signal would be the "highball", otherwise someone would start walking the train to find the problem.
Classy RV-ingWouldn't it be great to have an RV these days that looked more like that than the generic, mundane look most modern RVs have?  I suppose one could refit an RV to look like this, but the weight of the wood paneling might be a problem, not to mention the weight of the woodstove. One can dream, however unrealistic one's dreams might be.
The Modern CabooseIn Canada at least there are still uses for cabooses. Mainly they're used on short switching runs where one or two cars are dropped off and or picked up at a specific shipper. I suspect that this is a time saving measure since it would be inefficient to keep moving the ETD (FRED) to the new end car, and it poor electronic brain might not be able to cope with a movement that temporarily splits the train in the middle.
Lots of factors killed Cabeesemost already mentioned, but there were a large number of workers comp incidents that arose in a people transporter located a mile back of slack action on a freight train.  
One of the best ways to improve safety is to eliminate the need to expose workers to the danger in the first place. 
So this was a big improvement.  Cheesecake, though, is something to be missed.
Comforting memoriesAs a young boy in Maine my brother and I would watch the trains go by and count the cars. It was a thrill to wave to the conductor.
My grandfather, an old railroad man, introduced us to a conductor friend of his and we even got a quick look inside a caboose. A dream come true for a young railroad fan.
Proper pinupsSome tasty cheesecake here. Contemporary girls a la Sundblom and Elvgren along with some smaller older pieces.
I Miss the CabooseNice man cave.
September snowThe graffiti is correct; it did indeed snow in Illinois and Iowa on Friday, September 25, 1942 - up to two inches (in Iowa Falls). Newspapers the next morning reported that this was the first September snowfall in Des Moines in the history of the weather bureau. The high school football game between Garner and Buffalo Center was called because of darkness after "driving snow" knocked out six lights. 
Wall CandyI worked on a railroad for 36 years and the cabooses never were allowed to look like that. Years ago the caboose was assigned to the Conductor for each trip he made so it was  decorated it the way he wanted it. I rode these for many years until they were replaced with a flashing rear end device. FRED
Back in the day!It would have been nice to be there.
Caboose LoreWhatever happened to cabooses? Were they stopped as a cost-saving measure, or was the conductor no longer needed on freight trains?
They were a "natural" ending to trains as they looked so different from the other cars. When they passed you knew that it was OK to cross the crossing.  Now freight trains just end and it is sad.
Part of the fun with trains was waving at the caboose.  Quite often, the conductor or whoever was in it would wave back.
Cabeese and conductorsThough the cabeese have been replaced, not so the conductors.  Their office has been moved into the cab of the locomotive..Conductors are actually in charge of the train, not as ususlly believed, the engineers.  Engineers run the locomotives and the conductors tell them where to pick up and drop off freight cars.  I prefer the caboose to the Freds that are used now.  The Freds not only have a flashing light, but they radio air pressure and other information to the engineer, but the conductor is usually a nice friendly guy, much more than the Freds,
A Place to HangI feel sorry for the modern conductor and brakeman.  They used to have a home away from home at the end of the train but now only have a seat in the lead locomotive or a seat in the empty slave locomotives.
Get a load of the CabooseGet a load of the caboose on the broad on the wall of the caboose. LOL (Am I the only one to post this obviouse joke?)
A glimpse of the cabooseFrom "I Like Trains" by Fred Eaglesmith 
Sixteen miles from Arkadelphia
right near the Texas border
traffic was stopped at a railway crossing
I took it to the shoulder
I stoked the kettle I put it to the metal
I shook the gravel loose
I missed the train but I was happy with
a glimpse of the caboose
(chorus)
cause I like trains
I like fast trains
I like trains that call out through the rain
I like trains
I like sad trains
I like trains that whisper your name
I was born on a greyhound bus
my Momma was a diesel engine
They tried to put me behind the wheel
but I wouldn't let them
You should have seen the look in their eyes
and how it turned to tears
when I finally told them I wanna be an engineer
Now you think I've got someone new
but darlin' that ain't true
I could never love another woman besides you
It's not some dewy-eyed
darlin' darlin' that's gonna drive you insane
But anymore I'd be listenin' for
the sound of a big ol' train
(chorus)
cause I like trains
I like fast trains
I like trains that call out through the rain
I like trains
I like sad trains
I like trains that whisper your name
Cabeese have always intrigued meThanks for the view of life inside a caboose, I have always been fascinated with them.
After reading Lectrogeek's link about the demise of the caboose I learned quite a bit of info about trains that I just took for granted before reading the link.
The link's explanation of the features of the FRED device does bring up one question though.
Before the days of computers and the prevalence of two-way radios from the back of the train to the front, how did the engineer get all of the air pressure and movement information from the conductor?  
Stormy Kromer!I spy an actual Stormy Kromer hat hanging on a peg!  Still made in Michigan, originally designed by Stormy's wife from a baseball cap and made to stay on a railroad engineer's head no matter how windy.  
Technology overtook them.Renaissanceman asked "Whatever happened to cabooses?"
Technology, in the form of flashing end-of-train devices (acronym is FRED, I think) and computerised detection for when the rear end passes critical points (signals, switches, etc) replaced the need for a man at the back.
Home sweet home!Except for the slack action when a long train started up, I'm sure. Note the stout rod holding the potbelly stove down to the floor. And here is an explanation for why we no longer have cabeese.
MemoriesMy brother forwarded this shot to me and boy do I love it. Our father was a conductor on the C&NWRR and the photo brought back so many wonderful memories of my childhood. As a railroading family, my father would periodically take me to the yard with him to work. One of the highlights of the trip was reaching for the curved handrail on the side of the caboose and let the train's passing movement pull you up for the ride. Once on-board, I loved climbing up to the copula for a bird’s eye view (usually it would be a trip to Proviso Yard where I could be handed off to see my uncle, grandfather or a cousin).
Thank you for any train picsMy Grandfather, whom I adored, worked on the Erie Lackawanna from the early 1910's to the late 1960's.  Any old pics of the great train days are so appreciated.  Thank you.
I find it interestingwith the cheesecake motif that in the upper left hand of this photo (near the stove pipe) there's a picture of what appears to be a mother consoling a child.
Penny for his thoughts.Pipe smoker is wearing a Stormy Kromer as well. 
 I wonder what he's thinking? How long will the war last? How long till he sees his son again? How long till lunch? How long is it gonna take this photographer to get his shot?
The end of the endTwo innovations contributed to the end of the caboose. Roller bearings on the freight cars meant the guy in the cupola didn't have to watch for "hot-boxes" from the earlier cotton-waste oil-saturated bearing packing. The advent of the walkie-talkie meant communication between the engineer and the guy on the ground taking care of the switching. 
Not Politically CorrectPersonalized cabooses like this started dying off probably by the 1950s when most large railroads and the unions agreed to use "pooled" cabooses where the caboose stayed with the train and only the crews changed.
Today it is totally politically incorrect to post lewd photos or drawings like those in the photo.  If doing such today does not get you fired, it will certainly cause you to have to attend Diversity and Sensitivity Training Sessions.  Oh yeah, most jokes are strictly off limits, too.  The railroad is a changed place these days.
It's all in the detailsAnd what a wealth of details in this photo! Like the splatter on the side of the cabinet just above the waste basket. Probably from tobacco juice, or possibly empty beer cans? Neither of which would fly in today's railroad workplace, according to several of the comments. And the guy with the pipe would probably be out of a job as well.
And what's up with the rolling pin hanging on the wall? Maybe to roll out a few pancakes for cooking on the stove when they got hungry?
The print of the mother and child on the left looks like it has been hanging there since the caboose was built.
And, echoing several of the other comments, I miss the caboose and the waving conductor. I still remember that as a kid, and this was back in the 1970s.
Outstanding photo and keep up the great work. 
Politically Correct PinupIt's in the eye of the beholder.
Working on the railroadI come from a railroad family. My grandfather had 50 years on the job, as did my father. I haven't seen the interior of many caboose cars but I did not see any decorated like this one. My dad used the downtime to study his safety rules for the next level of exam, necessary for promotion, not looking at nekkid women. Men were paid on time in grade status, but to promote you had to take a test and wait for an opening. 
Railroading was a serious job, the company took safety very seriously as did the men, particularily the brakemen because they would be out there on the track swinging the lantern to guide the engineer on his back-up as well as to switch the track. Never would alcohol be on the job, not ever. It would not be tolerated by the company, nor by the men whose lives were at stake. My dad smoked cigarettes, as did his father. Everyone smoked cigarettes and since it was not an issue like it is today, I cannot image that it wasn't allowed in the caboose. 
My dad quit railroading in the 1980s saying he was quitting because the new men coming in did not care--they were not interested in learning the job the right way, just "get it done quick, rest, play cards, and get my pay". It hurt him to see this low standard of work ethic, as it did other men. Sad commentary on progress, is it not. 
We loved seeing the trains pass--ran from our play when we heard the whistle blow just to wave, first at the engineer who would sound the horn for us, and then at the caboose where the men would wave back. it was especially nice if it was our dad in the caboose. 
Dining carI assume the "Dining Car in opposite direction" sign is a joke? If so, very clever. 
Afterlife of CabeeseA friend of ours, who has a stand of sugar maple trees and a hobby sugaring operation, got a retired Canadian National caboose (red, of course) with the idea of using it as a warming hut during the sap boiling.
He paid some nominal price, and it was delivered to his site on a flatbed truck.  He'd determined how high the caboose should be mounted -- you get the caboose only, not the wheels -- and he'd prepared a foundation for it that would place it at the actual height of a operational caboose.
To get the thing off the truck an into place, he rented a crane and operator at something like $100/hour (this was three decades ago).  Well, it took the crane operator four hours to get that caboose off the truck and onto the foundation!
Yes, it all worked out OK, and yes, there's a red CN caboose sitting in a southern Ontario stand of maples.  But that "freebie" caboose ended up costing a whole lot more.
Air on the BrakesAccording to the air brake gage on the back wall there is air on the train so the caboose is hooked up (coupled) to the train. I wonder who's cut out head is pinned to the lower left door window?
(The Gallery, Jack Delano, Railroads)

Wonderland Park: 1958
... with the stupid pictures already!" I'm enjoying these interior shots of 1950s homes. Thanks. He and She She: You call that ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/12/2011 - 10:04am -

"9038 Wonderland Park Avenue, Los Angeles, 1958. Case Study House No. 21." Architect: Pierre Koenig. Color transparency by Julius Shulman. View full size. These two look pretty sophisticated and worldly. Wonder what they're saying?
Progressive"Really, Pierre, if I hear 'Blue Rondo a la Turk' again I will just SCREAM"
Dearest Darling"Honey, could you bring me a beer, please?" (Says the woman.)  That would work for a nice gender-reversal commentary.  In actuality, it's probably close to "Goodness, I wish he'd hurry up with the stupid pictures already!"
I'm enjoying these interior shots of 1950s homes.  Thanks.
He and SheShe: You call that thing a stereo? Pfft.
He: There is no fi higher than my hi-fi. I defy you to find a fi higher than mine.
She: Hah. I've seen tweeters twice the size of your so-called woofer.
He: It's not the SIZE of the woofer, it's the excursion of the cone!
She: I've heard this song before. It's a sad one.
He: Can I get you a drink?
She: Now you're talking.
PoseursI don't mean that in a bad way, but there's a quality about this photo that feels stiff and as posed. By comparison, the photo of the Spencer residence in Santa Monica -- while it may be just as posed -- has a palpable, almost erotic (at least to me) tension about it. This is practically a sales brochure.
Still ThereAnd still cooler than the other side of the pillow.
View Larger Map
While you're up"While you're up can you get me a Grant's?"
This photo is a good match for those used in the ad campaign for Grant's Scotch way back when. Grant's is still on the shelves in liquor stores, along with Passport and Vat 69.
Time Out"Chet or Dave, dear?"
[I was always kind of partial to Huntley. - Dave]
The Architect HimselfThat's Pierre at the stereo.
http://leblog.exuberance.com/2005/06/meeting_mr_pier.html
P.S. Dave, when do we get to see the ne plus ultra of the case study houses, Number 22?
[You'll have to wait till 1960. - Dave]
CorrugatedNaked I-beams, metal roofing and an exposed pipe.  It looks more like a warehouse at the top of the room than a luxury home by modern standards.
[The Case Study houses were intended as examples of affordable contemporary design, not luxury living. - Dave]
Fab, Pre-From the outside it's not terribly impressive, is it. Kind of a Miesian mobile home.
$3.1MIt may have been affordable when it was built in 1958, but according to the LA Times it sold for $3.1 million in 2006.
TranquilGiven the era and the locale, and the rather languid look in her eyes, I'd say it's more like, "Honey, could you grab me a Miltown?"  
LA County AppraisalSquare Footage: 1,280
Year Built: 1958
Bedrooms & Bathrooms: 2 / 2
2008 Tax Roll Values
Land:  $271,000
Improvements:  $406,000
Indicated Sale Price: $3,186,031
SchnoggeredShe looks quite drunk to me. The red nose and tired, glassy eyes all add up to too many Singapore Slings or Gimlets. Pierre's thinking it's about time to put another notch on his French curve.
FrecklesAnd she's a real redhead. Now I'm interested. Unfortunately, she'd be about 75 today.
The RedheadShe may be 75-78 but have you seen Jill St. John lately?   But all is not lost for our pretty Wonderland Park subject.  She may no longer qualify as a cougar; perhaps a swamp lynx? 
Wonderland LadyShe is rather attractive, despite those wicked long fingers.
Other Worlds, Other Sounds"You beast. You know I'm helpless when I hear Esquivel!"
ParkedI'm glad to see that the "experimental garage" finally became reality.
Hi-FiWe had a hi-fi like that in the 1960s.  The only problem with it was that Grandpa, who was rather dotty, would mistake it for the sink sometimes, when clearing the table, and scrape food scraps onto the knobs and dials and reel-to-reel tape unit.
Return to SenderHave you ever thought of randomly mailing a copy of this photo to the current owners? It would be fun to see if you got a response from whoever lives at this address now. I know if someone randomly mailed me a historic photo of my house I'd be stoked.
[Something tells me they know about it. - Dave]
What he said"Be Sociable, Have a Pepsi!"
Of course, if it's raining, they can't hear each other over the racket on the tin roof.
Being thereI don't think I'd like to live there, but I'd give anything to be in the photo.
More Brubeck, pleaseNone of that Maynard Ferguson. More Brubeck, please.
Sold in 2006I found this reference to Case Study #21 going under the hammer in 2006. http://la.curbed.com/archives/2006/10/pierre_koenig_h.php Judging by the floorplan the stereo is along the east wall with the front door behind Koenig.
The house sold for a little over $3 million.
[$3,186,031, as pointed out below. - Dave]
Not tonite dearNot tonight dear.  I have a headache.  I said I have a headache. Thank you dear.  This does look a bit like a console stereo ad but its delicious nonetheless.  
Alternate conversation:
While you're over there dear, will you center that GD bird!  You keep setting it back.  I want it forward.
Thank you dear.
The ConversationHim: "I thought you said you quit smoking...? Did you really think I wouldn't find your ashtray in here?"
Her: (to self) "Crap! I knew I should have hidden it in the oven."
Branjelina, 1958Inspiration for the Brad Pitt/Angelina Jolie photoshoot?
[Amazing! Although as with a lot of attempts at "retro" styling, the actual midcentury photo (or movie) looks more modern than the re-creation.  - Dave]

(Art & Design, Julius Shulman, Los Angeles)

Downhill Racer: 1968
... The most amazing thing about that old '64 Ford was the interior. It had a thin pad across the edge of the dash but otherwise the interior (except for the bench seat and vinyl floormat, obviously) was nearly ... 
 
Posted by tterrace - 06/24/2009 - 4:51pm -

Diamond Bar, California, July 1968. My niece Mary having a good time, apparently. Neighbor has a nice early-60s Ford pickup. I shot this on 35mm Kodachrome. View full size.
You kids get offa my lawn!Looks like broken glass on the top of the cinderblock wall behind the pickup truck. That'll keep them damn kids offa the lawn!
There's one in every neighborhood - a cranky old man. In my semi-rural East Texas childhood neighborhood Mr. T (name withheld to protect the innocent) and his yappy dachshund Socrates ruled the block with a yard rake and bark alarm. We kids devised a bicycle-tire innertube mortar to launch magnolia cones and sweetgum seedpods into his yard from our tree fort - forcing him out there to pick them up, grumbling all the while "I'm a-goin' ta GIT them kids!"
Ahhh, suburbia.
Over the wallAnd on the other side of that cinderblock wall, a car I wish I'd gotten a close-up of. '58 Chrysler is my guess. Already a classic only 10 years later.
I'm also reliably informed that the stuff on the wall isn't glass, but white rocks about the size of golf balls, like the kind used on roofs at this time, and in fact you can see on the house the wall belongs to.
Total Bliss!Those kiddos are having an absolute blast! What a difference from working in a coal mine or putting together fake flowers in a tenement house. Thanks Lewis Hine! 
And what an awesome truck. I'd love to tool around in it today. 
Downhill racerNope, not glass, but white quartz rocks left over from the roofing job on the yellow house. I think the neighbors that lived there had 2 or 3 boys, but the rocks on the wall were just decorative. Or maybe to keep their own kids from climbing on them and falling off.
Notice the Dichondra lawn. All the latest in suburban Southern Calif living in 1968.
--Mother of the skateboard girl.
P.S. I sewed her dress. Did lots of clothesmaking in those days in suburbia.
JoyI was going to say, the look on that sweet little girl's face is pure joy. Or pure terror. Either way, it looked fun and it put a smile on my face. Thanks again, I am enjoying your pictures.
~mrs.djs
California RollGreat perspective here. The girl's taller than the house and twice as big as the truck.
Diamond Bar!I grew up right next to here in be-yootiful Walnut... but not until the late 70's, I'm afraid. Still, it's nice to see the San Gabriel Valley on Shorpy for once!
FordThe Ford pickup is a 1964, 65 or 66.  They used different bed styling in '63 and everything changed (for the worse) in 1967.
I had a 1964 Ford 3/4 ton camper special.  I sold it around 1980 and I still regret that bonehead move.  I should have kept it.  They REALLY don't make 'em like that anymore.
Ford interiors aren't what they once were.The most amazing thing about that old '64 Ford was the interior.
It had a thin pad across the edge of the dash but otherwise the interior (except for the bench seat and vinyl floormat, obviously) was nearly all painted or chromed metal. The steering wheel had a glorious chrome horn ring.
I challenge you to find even one small bit of exposed steel on a modern automobile or truck, let alone nearly the whole interior.
MoparOr is that car a DeSoto -- nothing else had taillights like it (except the Belchfire 88!).
Steve Miller
Someplace near the crossroads of America
What I Noticed...The Blue Blue Sky! Not any more! Not in Diamond Bar anyway! Great stuff.
Alternative Skateboard TechniquesThat's how my friend & I rode the old steel-wheeled skateboards (not that sissy urethane!) that belonged to my much older brother and sister. Or laying down on our stomachs, which is how I put a hole in my favorite shirt (purple paisley short-sleeve button-down) when it got stuck under one wheel.
Unbridled JOYOne of the most wonderful images I have seen in a long, long time.  You managed to capture perfectly the moment of pure joy from a simple pleasure - that most of us remember from our youth.
Personally I love your mix of the old with the new.
Thank you for all the work you do with this site.
Joy from MA
Skateboard wheelsThose are clay wheels, an improvement (?) over steel wheels. State-of-the-art in the 60s. Then urethane came along...  
Wow!My favorite picture on this site. It captures the care free days of my youth in the 60's perfectly. Thanks for posting that.   
Like my ChildhoodWow, this is beautiful! It's amazing to see my hometown in such a nostalgic light, since most people who live here only know it as it is now. It's also kind of fun to see kids then doing the same activities as kids do now, here. (I witnessed 3 kids going down my street today in the very same fashion, albeit on more modern boards)
Butt boarding!I can hear her laughing!
Tonka truck!The hairstyles! The blue of that truck! Looks like my Tonka toy camper blue-green! I was 13 and in Louisiana in '68, but can TOTALLY connect with this moment that the kids are experiencing-- thanks for the post!
Young lady, put on your shoes!Looks like she was having a blast!  I wonder what happened when she dropped her heels down to stop though.  I took many a chunk out of my feet when I just caught them on the ground for a second.  I'm from the East Coast though, so it wasn't skateboards but pedal cars and stripped grocery carts.
Looks like just a hint of 1966-67 Dodge Charger poking out behind the pickup.
StoppingAs I recall it, "braking" wasn't done with your heels; you simply let the board roll to a stop, or you rolled off the footpath onto the grass of the nearest front lawn.
Great photo, with great colours. 
"Yahoo! You're all clear, kid!"I've been scouring this site for an archetypal example of an image that matches my fictional mental stereotype of Kodachrome, and this is right near the top - it's violently sunny and was shot in California and it has a huge truck and suburbia. The truck has white-walled tyres. The image even has a lady in a one-piece dress, although she's not blonde and isn't wearing plastic sunglasses.
But the date is a little advanced; when I think of the colours of 1968 I think of colours that film could not capture, that could only be generated within a human mind soaked in drugs and the spirit of rock and roll. And the colour of armoured personnel carriers and helicopters in Vietnam, and of "Disraeli Gears." And a lot of third-hand mental images of things that happened in other continents ten years before I was born.
It's also a good image on an unemotional level. The photographer was smart enough to put the camera down at child-level; he pressed the button at the right time, and the other kids in the background tell a little story. Right time, right place, right direction, right film, right weather conditions etc. And on an emotional level it's wonderful.
Mopar PowerI wonder if that's a Chrysler 300 down the street.
(ShorpyBlog, Member Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Kids, tterrapix)

Gearhead Heaven: 1926
... Era of Flats In this and the previous car shop interior shot, jacks were a very prevalent item. That says a lot about the ... UFO fixtures Something I have noticed in many of these interior shots from the 20's is the light fixtures hanging from the ceiling ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/07/2012 - 9:41pm -

Washington, D.C., circa 1926. "Standard Automotive Supply Co., 14th & S streets N.W." National Photo Company Collection glass negative. View full size.
Quite a Selection......Of gaskets.  When cars were built by hand and tuned by ear.
Excellent find, Dave.
Candy StoreWow, I'm looking at everything like a kid in a candy store.  I'm amazed at the selection.  I agree with Lonestar, very good find Dave.
In StockCan you imagine keeping track of inventory without a computer?  It was all done with pen and paper.
Era of FlatsIn this and the previous car shop interior shot, jacks were a very prevalent item. That says a lot about the quality and technology of tires and roads of then vs. now. The only flat I've had in the past 20 years was when I was "gettin' on it" down a snowy street and slid a bit too hard into the curb with the rear end of my truck. Even then, I just called somebody to tow it and remount the tire.
Stuff my grandfather had......and some of which I now have. Can you imagine the wonderful *smell* of this shop? Oiled metal and gaskets and... mmmmmmm. Come here fairly regularly from Jay Lake's daily LinkSalad blog posts -- you find the best stuff, Dave.
That GirlI wish I could blow up the section of the photo with the display picturing a woman; it's right behind the column with the Blackhawk socket wrench display.  The girl looks like Norma Shearer to me...at least at this distance.

The oil can along the back wall.See the oil can with the pivoting spout, along the back wall under the head gaskets at the right side of the photo?  Those are still made.  They haven't changed much, if at all.
Lots of other stuff scattered through the shop that also looks familiar.  The forged screw eye on the floor rack, left side middle?  You can still buy those, too.  No changes in almost 100 years.
Gear pullers.  Pitman arm pullers.  Trouble lights.  Some things never seem to change.
Blackhawk WrenchesI little digging brought up a web page with the history of Blackhawk Manufacturing. The brand name is still in use by Stanley. One of the best photos in a long time. Thanks, Dave.
CranksCan anyone explain the row of cranks behind the Rees Jack display?  They each have a wheel with them and are different sizes.  Could they be hand cranked grinding wheels possibly?

Rotary GrinderMy granddad had one of those in his shop back in the 1950s. And even then, it was ancient. It had a flywheel and hand crank, or could be powered by an electric motor with a belt drive. Which may have been the case here, with the motor to the left of the grinders. This was back before electric motors were small or powerful enough to have the kind of direct-drive grinder you'd use today.
CrankedThey are indeed hand-crank grinding wheels. I've got a small machine shop and can recognize these without any doubt. They have a big internal gear that drives a small gear which rotates the grinding wheel. The hand crank actuates the large gear. I wouldn't be surprised that if you cranked it at 60 rpm the grindstone would rotate about 600-1000 rpm, which is pretty good. There is also a support fitted to these, upon which the workman would rest whatever he is grinding. All of this clearly visible in your amazing image.
Jeff Booth
Ontario, Canada
GasketryGood tool designs don't change much, but most of these look like they're finished to a level of quality that costs serious money these days. I'm fascinated by head gasket #37, it's for three cylinders of an expensive and exclusive T-head engine, that sort of thing wasn't especially common even then.

All businessLooks like a very practical store with knowledgeable staff. I love the low-digit part numbers too. Also notice the lack of accessories and other "crap" that makes up 90% of a current Autozone store!
Head Gasket No. 37There were a number of manufacturers who made six cylinder engines with the cylinders cast in two groups of three each.  This could have been for such an engine.  Pontiac did this up into the 1930's but I'm sure there were many others.
UFO fixturesSomething I have noticed in many of these interior shots from the 20's is the light fixtures hanging from the ceiling share a common style. This parts store, the De Luxe Groceteria, and the Girls' Training table etc. I call them "UFO Fixtures" because there was a famous UFO hoax using this type of fixture double exposed on an outdoor shot.
Been There, Done ThatThis reminds me of where I had my first real "paying" job.  I am old enough (or the store was) that all this is so very familiar.  Of course, I grew up in a "shop" or garage that used all this stuff.  BTW, the #251 gasket fits an 8BA Ford flathead V8.  Great pics. 
(The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, D.C., Gas Stations, Natl Photo)

St. Albans: 1941
... under direction of National Park Service, U.S. Dept. of Interior. Bellevue –- ski trails and lodge. Stone from Gays quarry used in ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 11/21/2022 - 5:05pm -

August 1941. "Small-town scenes in Vermont. In the square, facing the main street in Saint Albans." Acetate negative by Jack Delano for the Farm Security Administration. View full size.
Gone 500 MilesThe car they call the City of St. Albans.
Life goes on and you can't go back again.One of the best pictures ever. Four geezers reminiscing of years gone by. I was born in Southwestern Ontario two years later. Now I'm one of them.
Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC)A sign points the way to Chester A. Arthur Camp, where the following took place:
Built bath house, retaining wall and trench at St. Albans State Park. Constructed a road and fire tower to the top of Bellevue hill. Camp in St. Albans at “Blue Bonnet Park”, 2 miles from L. Champ. Project work was under direction of National Park Service, U.S. Dept. of Interior. Bellevue –- ski trails and lodge. Stone from Gays quarry used in retaining wall.
You can learn more about the CCC here.
Has a barber shop been there for 80+ years?Here is the view looking west down Lake Street today.  On the right, the buildings beyond the one with the arch in the cornice and The News Boy painted on the side are gone, replaced mostly by a fairly new looking Hampton Inn.  On the left, the buildings beyond the one with the Coca-Cola blade sign are gone, replaced mostly by a parking lot and the Franklin County Court building.
There isn't much retail on this part of Lake Street today -- certainly no Florsheim Shoes or Winifred's Shop for Children; most likely because there's a Walmart just north of St. Albans.  But, if you look just below the aforementioned Coca-Cola sign, you can see a barber pole.  On Street View, there is a business with the blue awning in that same location (as close as I can tell).  That business is a barber shop.

At the end of the day... the two on the right became best friends.
DIY 55-gallon gas tank
Be not deceivedBeneath this seemingly placid scene lurk ancient rivalries. St. Albans is, in fact, three, three, three towns in one.  St. Albans City is surrounded by the town of Saint Albans, which is incorporated separately from the city of St. Albans. Accordingly, the peculiar grouping on the bench hints at the schismatic nature of this outwardly idyllic tableau. If Cerberus were a city, he (it, they) would be St. Albans (or Saint Albans or Saint Albans City).There is a theological element in play (as is all too often the case), concerning the precise doctrinal significance of Saint Albans's martyrdom,  circa 209 – 305 AD.  Had we but world enough and time (and a good Thesaurus), I would unravel a triplicitous tale of treachery that would make Stephen King, of neighboring Maine, blanch in tremulous terror. Think twice before you rush off to Travel Advisor or booking.com!
Different Points of ViewTwo guys reading something, possibly the same newspaper, two guys gazing into the distance reminiscing about the good old days, and one on the right watching people.  Great photo!  Best I've seen in while.
(The Gallery, Jack Delano, Small Towns)

Ghost Convention: 1909
... extremely long exposure was the only way to shoot a large interior space with the equipment at the time. Cackled? Ha! It's ... Bell Telephone Co., which tore out much of the original interior of marble columns and decorative plaster, and covered marble flooring ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/29/2012 - 6:14pm -

June 1909. Toledo, Ohio. "The lobby, Hotel Secor." I cackled with glee upon realizing that this empty-looking time exposure was in fact crowded with spectral hotel guests. Are they still there? 8x10 inch glass negative. View full size.
Why haunt with these stuffed shades?I could be joy riding out to Calvary Cemetery in that streetcar on the previous photo, or heading down to the waterfront to look for that nifty little Toledo and Ohio Central switch engine we saw a few weeks back.
And since this is 1909, the tort lawyers haven't caused everyone to be so uptight; maybe I could get a cab ride with the train crew!
I Wonder if the photographer was using this as technique to empty out the lobby or if the extremely long exposure was the only way to shoot a large interior space with the equipment at the time.
Cackled?Ha!  It's interesting that the photographer didn't have to clear the space to get a fairly people-free view of this wonderful lobby.  What worries me most, though, is how the space has been "modernized" since the building is no longer a hotel. I hate to imagine that beautiful skylight is no longer visible. 
"Anybody see a ghost?"Dave, why would they need such a long exposure, I thought the plates were a lot faster by 1908.  Also, was the original very washed out?
[The commenter below speculates that a long time exposure may have been used to "empty out the lobby." This does seem to be the case, if the finished product -- a chrome postcard -- is any indication (click to enlarge). As for the original being washed out, the "original" is a negative -- for what we're looking at, there is no print. The positive reference image is obtained by "inverting" the negative; its appearance depends a lot on the equipment and settings used to image the plate. The goal is to extract maximum information in both shadows and highlights. Below we see the negative and the inverted positive that I used as the starting point for the Shorpy image. - Dave]

Hotel CaliforniaYou can never leave.  Heck you will never WANT to leave with all the comfy chairs and complimentary newspapers.
How Long ?Any guess on just how long a time exposure would have to be to render a bunch of mostly very sedentary (some almost apparently snoozing) gents as "ghosts"?  Most other examples seem to have been when folks were more animated and strolling about.  Too bad there isn't a large-handed clock in the view to give a clue.
Hey!Who moved my spittoon?
Spitting ImagesI believe that the cuspidors in the photograph buttress my theory of this being the first appearance in literature of Ghosts that could spit.
Spittoon CityThere are at least 10 spittoons visible in this lobby, which says something about the clientele and the times. It would be interesting to see if the Plaza Hotel in New York City provided spittoons in 1909. If it did, it would probably refer to them as cuspidors!
The man who wasn't thereI need to run (I have places to go and people to see) and don't have time to do my research, but in elementary school we had a strange teacher who used to recite the poem similar to the following (paraphrased):
"Yesterday upon the stair, I met a man who wasn't there.
He wasn't there again today, oh how I wish he'd go away."
(It definitely scared me as a third grader).
They're real ghostsThey have to be -- nobody's walking, they're just sitting there. Spooky.
[A time exposure this long (probably measured in minutes, from the look of things) might not show anything that's not fairly motionless for at least several seconds -- it would register standers (of which there is one, toward the rear) and sitters more than walkers. (Theoretically at least, the sitters could all be the same person.) As we know from the many examples of "ghost pedestrians" on these pages, the telltales of walkers in a time exposure are wavy trails for head and torso, and "centipede legs" for footfalls; there's no evidence of that here, so we might conclude that this was a fairly sedentary bunch. On the other hand, you can make the case that, if the sitters had been seated for the duration of the exposure (i.e., not walking to or from their chairs), they would have registered more substantially. My hunch is that this was such a long exposure (ten minutes or half an hour, say) that any walking around would not leave any traces, and that the ghostliest sitters were seated for less than half the duration of the exposure. - Dave]
Is this seat taken?Be advised: the potential for inadvertent lap-sitting is unusually high at the Hotel Secor.  Recline with caution.
Ptui.I really feel sorry for the hotel personnel who had to clean those spittoons!
What about now?Would love to know if all the architectural elements are still in place in the lobby today.
Hotel TelcoFrom the Toledo Blade:
After the old Hotel Secor closed in 1969, the building housed Ohio Bell Telephone Co., which tore out much of the original interior of marble columns and decorative plaster, and covered marble flooring with office carpeting by affixing harsh, damaging glue, Mr. Zaleski said.
With the Secor's best features long gone, Mr. Zaleski went about remodeling the ground floor and a few upper levels by stripping the building to its core, exposing concrete-encased walls and structural beams for a raw industrial look. The work was inexpensive to do, and the decor worked fine for his tenant mix of artists, media creators, and Internet start-ups. It also shortened the time he had to wait for the building to generate positive cash flow, he said.
(The Gallery, DPC, Toledo)

Blue Bell Hamburgers 12¢
... small tile mosaic which wraps from the exterior to the interior, as well as the same large picture windows. It would be interesting ... 1979. Whether or not it was a waffle shop at the time the interior shot was taken is put into question, by the menus reading "Blue Bell", ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/24/2012 - 11:33pm -

The Blue Bell diner at 619 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington. June 1948. View full size | Even larger | Read the menu. The Blue Bell had an upscale cousin on 10th Street, the Waffle Shop. Photograph by Theodor Horydczak.
It looks like an exact copyIt looks like an exact copy of The Waffle Shop previously featured.
Listen!That sound you hear is James Lileks desperately building a time machine.
[That's pretty good. I can't believe his newspaper canceled his column. The fools. - Dave]
Menu TypeI've always loved the old hand lettered signs. Kind of a lost art now.
Semi-interestingGoogle Maps (link to map) places the Blue Bell Diner about a block away from the old photo studio of Civil War photographer Mathew Brady. I used to work in the Brady building as a maintenance guy. There were no tenants there at the time (mid 1990s). Although the building was in perfect shape...it was pretty creepy.
Of course the two establishments were separated by almost 100 years, too.
can I order breakfast?no "people" makes for a sad picture 
$0.90 buys ...Waffles, bacon, two eggs, toast and coffee, with a pure cream-cup.
And another detail ...
"No Extra Charge For Toasting"
What a great picture I see aWhat a great picture I see a cash register rather than a computer. I guess shortly after this date in the future Mcdonalds started their 15cent hamburger stand a mere three cents more than Blue Bell
PeopleIf you look to the far right you can see the reflections of people standing outside the restaurant, looking in the window.
Any chance...that this image is available as a print? I've got a friend who would love it!
[It's on my to-do list! - Dave]
BeautifulWhat a great place. I love the horseshoe bar seating... If this place would be in my neighborhood today, I'd never cook a meal again!
But it is very strange to see it so empty - it looks like there's actually customers waiting outside, hoping that the photographer hurries up so that they can have breakfast.
Maybe good?Fruit salad sundae...
Ken made me hungry forKen made me hungry for breakfast!
YUM.
breakfastit ALWAYS tastes better in a place like this
What'll you have, hon?Looks like paper straws with the spiral design in the glass on the counter. Remember those? Not a piece of plastic in the place. Hey-- where are the ashtrays?
"Ladies" and "Gentlemen"Remember when there were "Ladies" and "Gentlemen", and restrooms for the same? Restrooms don't say that anymore, and I guess there aren't Ladies and Gentlemen anymore either.
Remember this line?I will gladly pay you Tuesday, for a Hamburger Today.
the menuthe closeup shot of the menu shows they had coke AND pepsi. you rarely see that nowadays.
Coke and PepsiMy recollection from the 1950s is that coke came in a 6.5 oz bottle while Pepsi came in a 10 oz bottle, so there was more than brand preference going on here. 
I can recall eating at establishments that had multiple bottles on offering and I would, at the age of 6, always opt for the larger Pepsi.
However, this lunch counter clearly has fountain cokes.  I would bet that the Pepsi comes in a bottle, so in addition to size you get two varieties of drink.
Separate bays?What I find interesting - and vaguely strange - is that there appears to be a gate or wall of some sort between each section, and fairly substantial ones at that. You can see them just to the left of the cash register. I've got to say, it doesn't seem overly practical too me. If someone near the Gentleman's room orders a milk shake it has to be passed through four different sections. Any idea of why it was done this way?
[You're misinterpreting the image. See comment above. - Dave]
Re: Separate bays?What you are seeing as a "gate" is a partition that does not extend all the way across the space. The hinged door is square -- the right half is hidden by the partition, which is quite a bit taller but appears to be the same height because it doesn't go all the way across.

HorseshoeThis photo is fascinating to me.  The horseshoe lunch counter is, as previously stated, nearly identical to the Waffle Shop in DC, but it is also a carbon copy of what is now Ollie's Trolley on 12th street; same horseshoe layout, which is very rarely seen, same stools, same backbar.  The Ollie's trolley and the Waffle shop both feature the same small tile mosaic which wraps from the exterior to the interior, as well as the same large picture windows.  It would be interesting to see if the exterior of this one had the same tilework facade.  I wonder if all three were done by the same contractor, and if so, who, and were there any else in the area?
Waffle ShopI did a little more looking into this.  It appears that the reason this looks so much like the floorplan used in the waffle shops is because it was, in fact one of the chain, as seen in this picture: http://flickr.com/photos/rllayman/331108956/ , which was taken in 1979.  Whether or not it was a waffle shop at the time the interior shot was taken is put into question, by the menus reading "Blue Bell", but the fact that the layout is uncommon, and nearly identical to that used in waffle shops, and that it definitely was a waffle shop later on, makes me think it was.
The menu does read, "Famous for Waffles and Good Coffee."
What do you think?
I ate there!As a youngster in the late '50s, I used to work at my dad's magic shop at 12th and Penn on Saturdays.  He would give me 50 cents and I'd walk down to the Blue Bell hamburger shop for lunch. I remember the menu,the prices, the burgers and the shoestring potatoes made fresh. Thanks for the picture, it takes me right back.  I wish I could remember what happened last week as well.
(The Gallery, D.C., Eateries & Bars, Theodor Horydczak)

The Joyners: 1956
... below. Anyone notice the vaguely nostalgic room and interior pastiches done in 50's cartoon style on the cloth for the window ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 11/24/2008 - 4:27am -

July 1956. Greenville, North Carolina. "Segregationist tobacco sharecropper Marshall Joyner and family bowing heads in prayer before dinner." Color transparency by Margaret Bourke-White, Life photo archive. View full size.
YummyMmm, turnip greens. Potato salad. And I bet anything that's some good sweet tea by god. I'd love to share dinner with these folks but I'm black so...I guess not. 
Kids' thought balloonEscape. Escape. ESCAAAPE.
Product PlacementA-1 steak sauce and French's Worcestershire sauce still readily recognizable. 
THAT'S where I got it from!!I guess this is where my North Carolina-bred dad got the idea that EVERYTHING needed to have A-1 Sauce slathered over it. I had to leave home to get away from THAT notion. Did you folks konw that steaks actually had a flavor of their own?? Weird, huh? Sorry, family flashbacks today.
Life in the SouthIf one examines the Life editorials, articles and irate letters from the magazine's Southern readers during that era it's easy to conclude that its reporters and photographers were very often strongly resented whenever they appeared in that region. More than once they were accused of posing as doing a "sympathetic" story only to have it appear in print as quite otherwise.
Margaret Bourke-WhiteI've been lost in Bourke-White's photographs since the Life archive went up four days ago. Her images on Google present a staggering, sprawling document of the Depression, WWII, and the birth of the Post-War era, not just in the US but around the globe. I do believe you have found the only assignment on which she used color.
[She took some color photos in South Africa. It's hard to say without a bit of digging. The number of results returned for any query seems to be limited to 200. In any case we'll be seeing more of her work from this assignment. - Dave]
The labelI wonder what the context was that the "segregationist" label was significant.  It's as if some rare species has been captured on film.
[Margaret Bourke-White took hundreds of photos contrasting the lives of what seem to be two white families and their black counterparts for this 1956 assignment on segregation in the South. Probably just about any white family she picked would have fit the bill. I don't imagine there were many pro-integration white North Carolina tobacco farmers in 1956. - Dave]
Curtains With NostalgiaI summered many many times in the early 1960's in Craven County and know this scene well. I *was* that kid with the thought balloon mentioned below. Anyone notice the vaguely nostalgic room and interior pastiches done in 50's cartoon style on the cloth for the window curtains? Odd retro yet non-retro approach to nostalgia. Mom's control of the scene is very evident. She even matches the canister set.
Almost All the Colors of the RainbowGoodness, the colors just ...shriek at you. The sky and fields outside the window even are so bright. It's like a Technicolor life. (As long as the colors aren't too brown.)
The good sideWell this is not the norm today. Most families never eat together at the same time. There was a study done that showed that families that ate together were much stronger, and the kids are less likely to do drugs and get into trouble. My family (wife and four children) still eat together and (gasp) pray before our meals. 
On the TableDo my eyes deceive me, or is that pickled okra and hush puppies?  And bacon?  But who ever heard of eating greens without buttermilk?
1956The armed services were desegregated in 1952 and then the major struggle for integration really begun. In 1956, the writing was on the wall. What exactly were they praying for?
[The usual things, I'd imagine. - Dave]
The Way We WereThis amazing photo pretty much captures the essence of an American family in the 50's, regardless of their geographic locale or politics.  Most middle class families were very much united in this way, eating meals together, praying together, sharing jobs -- as obviously Dad worked hard, Mom took care of all the domestic chores, the kids were good students, clean-cut and had chores, and God was acknowledged, regardless of which God they worshiped.  Aside from the derogatory word "segregationist" every creed, race or religion definitely had prejudices, it was a factor just evolving into integration.  If we throw out the label, this depicted an idyllic family scene. If only families could have preserved this "all for one, one for all" togetherness, most youngsters would be so much happier today.  I am amazed at how so many of our current generation's kids really feel as though nobody cares about them and feel they don't fit in anywhere.  We are all products of the values instilled in us while we were kids. These kids had security.  They also had good healthy food, lots of vegetables and accountability.
[There's nothing necessarily derogatory about the word "segregationist." It describes people who favor segregation of the races. - Dave]
1956 ReduxActually Truman ordered the desgregation of the armed forces in 1948, with the last "colored" unit being ended in 1951 or 1952. Brown v. Board of Education was 1954, but Little Rock didn't happen until 1957. The Montgomery Bus Boycott began in December 1955 and didn't end officially until December 1956. The writing may have been on the wall, but the struggle was only just beginning, and people like Marshall Joyner probably still thought they could win. 
Re: 1956They're obviously praying for the missing buttermilk.
Also, I'm pretty sure that people who worship a god still acknowledge that god even as we speak.
My grandadparents' house.I'm only 31 years old. But this was the way I grew up in rural Tennessee. Both grandparents had smallish houses in a semi-rural area. The kitchens was where you ate, the walls and trim were coated with extremely shiny, oil-based paint, and all the appliances were of the chrome and white porcelain enamel variety, complete with 1950's emblems. One was a scary looking roaster device. The cabinets were all honey colored plywood.
 To this day, I haven't had Southern food done right compared to Grandmother's. I live in California now and there's a few places that claim to have "true Southern cooking." Not so. Typical meals at Grandmother's included various overcooked vegetables soaked in butter. Carrots, green beans cooked with bacon bits and onions, extremely tender roast beef cooked with potatoes and broth, as well as large quantities of canned things like homemade pickles, beets, and jelly. For dessert it was banana ("nanner") pudding.
 The yard was similar: little concrete critters like a donkey pulling a cart as well as several whitewashed tractor tires for planters. Pretty cool idea as they were indestructible and could be hit by the 60's era Sears riding mower that I still actually have.
I agree, sitting down at the table is something you don't see a lot anymore. I'm not sure if children were necessarily happier though. My grandparents were strict people. Stern might be a better word. No work on Sundays since it was the Sabbath. That, and if I cussed (which was hard to avoid since Granddad cussed profusely), I got a nice "whuppin."
Segregate the Condiments!They've got the salt and pepper cozied right up to the sugar bowl and the A-1 and Worcestershire sauce. 
Greenville is the seat of Pitt County, which voted 54% to 46% to integrate the White House a couple of weeks ago. Wonder how the Joyner kids (now in their 60's) voted?
I spy something red.Can anybody guess what Ma's favorite color might be?  Red countertops, red dress, red seat backs, red canisters, red salt and pepper shakers, red over the paper towel holder, red accents on the curtains, red stripes on Junior (which I bet Ma picked out the fabric that she then sewed up into that shirt) and I think something's red in the sink.
SegregationistThe term is indeed derogatory.  It connotes a decidedly low view of fellow mankind while self-aggrandizing his own superiority.
I doubt I'd want to break bread with any segregationist.  I prefer not to tolerate the intolerant.  Takes too much energy best devoted to other endeavors.
[You're confusing "derogatory" with "condemnable" or "something we disapprove of." Derogatory would be something like "redneck cracker." - Dave]
Margaret's Little Joke?What a great name for segregationists - the Joyners! 
Surely Margaret and her team had a jolly sense of humour...
Segregation is the context.Segregation is the theme of the article for which this picture was originally taken - its context. If the article had been about Catholicism or Socialism, the title would have been "Catholic family" or "Socialist family."
And they thought Blacks were inhumanThere is no amount of white-washing you can do to present people like this as anything other than ignorant, insufferable humans. Just because they are praying does not absolve them from the misery and suffering they propagated. I love the South dearly, but there are still a lot of people down there just like this.
[If you were a white person in South Carolina in 1956, you'd probably think just like these people did. This is generally the kind of comment I zap right away. Moral judgment, retroactive righteous indignation -- so tedious. And if you really were around back then fighting the good fight down South, I congratulate you on your superior moral virtue. But you've already done that. - Dave]
I Didn't Think This WayYou are wrong, Dave.  Not everybody thought the way this man did, in that place, at that time.
[I didn't say everyone thought that way. I said the odds are that if you were white, you'd be a segregationist. - Dave]
Re: The Way We WereI guess I'm too simplistic, but when I looked at that picture, I did not see anything negative, though I'm sure that just as any other time in our history there is much to be mentioned about the period that can be seen as negative.
What I saw was much of what was mentioned in The Way We Were post. I saw a family sitting together for dinner, praying (even in their own imperfection -- just like us! hey!) and this all brought back many wonderful memories of times such as these.
Were we perfect? Was the world perfect? Heck no! But, compared to the way things are today, it makes me long for a time such as this again. Family. Where did it go?
I love seeing your pictures! Takes me back to some better days, as far as I'm concerned.
A Different TimeThe segregationist context aside - and it was indefensible - this photo shows what I miss about this time, when I was 4.  These people are not wealthy, not even really middle-class, yet their house has been upgraded as much as possible, given its cheap construction (evidenced by the matchboard walls).  A carpenter has built kitchen cabinets that emulate the expensive ones seen in magazines of the time, and a Formica countertop and a drop-in sink add sanitary features the house wouldn't have had when new.  The table setting is modest, with oilcloth for a tablecloth, but the dishes are 1956-fashionable, with all the silverware matching and laid according to Emily Post. Mrs. Joyner has raided the nearest Woolworth's to add fashion to her kitchen with her red Lustro-Ware canisters and some curtains she probably made herself, considering how well they fit the window.  The women have permanents that were very possibly done at home; everyone is clean and pressed.  We are well rid of segregation, but I wish we could get the simple dignity of homes like this back.  
Why was " segregationist" neededWhy was "segregationist" needed in the picture?  These types of words are usually added to cause and stir debate and alot of anger.  We really know nothing about this family, at least I do not.  What facts do we know about them that would make them any different then any other white middle class family living during that time in that part of the nation?  I feel the word is used to demonize these people, when in truth, have they committed a proven crime?  Can they defend themselves against your accusations?  It also allows atheists another reason to mock God.  These sort of debates usually turn into God bashing and hatred towards those who choose to pray and beleive in the Lord Jesus Christ.
Plenty of people of all races could be called segregationists, then and today.
[The caption dates from 1956. The word was used because the photo was taken to illustrate a magazine article on segregation. Hello? - Dave]
Eat up before the bombs fallIt is easy to view the family scene here as representative of good times long gone -- the family gathered around the dinner table saying grace at a table heaped with home-cooked food, rather than a present-day scene of Mom and Dad sitting down to microwave dinners while the kids head out the door to do whatever they do when they're out of sight of mom and dad.  Let us bear in mind that behind the Ozzie and Harriet scenes like these, the 1950s (as I saw them as a kid about the age of the boy in the photo) were an era of stress and uncertainty - changing racial attitudes and aspirations that would have been unsettling for  this Southern family of the mid-fifties, and the omnipresent fear that the evident prosperity of  the time would vanish in multiple atomic fireballs resulting from nuclear  war with the Soviet Union.  I know that thought was eating at my consciousness each time I sat down to a hot, home-cooked meal. The past is not a paradise folks - it's just another imperfect world with different imperfections. 
Justin TimeThat's Justin Timberlake's dad at the end of the table, on the verge of tears, praying for a talented son, to take him away from all of this.
MemoriesI'm sure at that time, there was segregation on everyones mind everywhere in the US.  
Yes we did live a simple life then, before media became dominate in our lives.
I was stationed at Gunter AFB, Montgomery, Ala for 3 mos in the summer of 1955 and back to Maxwell AFB, Montgomery in 1958.  Blacks and whites did not mingle then, segregation was in full swing.  I had a friend of a different color then myself and we wouldn't dare drive off base together.  
I like things the way they are today, we could have shared downtown Montgomery or even the Mardi Gras together.  My wife and I were married on base, he came to the wedding but could not visit us off base.
(Kitchens etc., LIFE, Margaret Bourke-White)

Skyscraper: 1909
... clock), was just built in 1912. It recently underwent an interior overhaul. Awnings were a necessity This was long before air ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/28/2012 - 10:52pm -

New York circa 1909. "Panorama of Madison Square." This glass plate, part of a nine-exposure panorama, affords yet another view of that enduring architectural icon, the Flatiron Building. 8x10 dry-plate glass negative. View full size.
SprintLast time I was there in 2005, Sprint occupied the first floor of the Flatiron Building.  Kind of sacrilege, really.
6 E. 23rdThe FDNY suffered its largest loss prior to 9/11 on the site of the Bartholdi Hotel.  On October 17, 1966 a fire spread from an adjoining property on 22nd street to the basement of 6 East 23rd street. Twelve firefighters were lost that night when the floor of the Wonder Drug Store collapsed.
http://nyfd.com/history/23rd_street/23rd_street.html
Manure guyIn the foreground, white uniform, big shovel.
Awful AwningsBeautiful building, but the aesthetic is somewhat spoiled by the awning obsession of the era.
S.S. FlatironWith that puffy plume at the top, it looks like it's steaming up Broadway.
Deja Vu All Over AgainWe return to Madison Square Park (bottom left) and the back of the statue of William H. Seward, he of the folly. Also we see the Hotel Bartholdi, named after the Statue of Liberty sculptor. The corner storefront of the Flatiron Building appears to contain our old friend the United Cigar Store. On the next block, East 22nd Street, the corner is occupied by the VanGaasbeek Oriental  whatever. That corner now houses a usually deserted Restoration Hardware, which appears to be in the original building that we see in the photo.
1 of 9Please don't leave us hanging; we want to see all 9 negatives!
As always, thanks for this.
And I wouldn't describe it as an awning obsession, more like a necessity on those hot New York August afternoons.
Ahhh summer!I am sure that the awning helped to keep the stores and offices cool in the summer.  All the open windows (at least even one with a curtain blowing in the breeze) in skyscrapers!  How odd to today's eyes of closed up buildings.
That sign selling cordial sure gave me a start.
Look at the TimeThe first thing that stuck out to me was the standing clock, which is very recognizable. It still stands there today. Also interesting is that that 200 Fifth Avenue, or International Toy Building (to the right of the Flatiron, next to the clock), was just built in 1912. It recently underwent an interior overhaul.
Awnings were a necessityThis was long before air conditioning was prevalent so awnings were a common method used to cool down a building while still maintaining the view out the window. 
23 SkidooLegend has it that the unique winds created at this intersection (Fifth and Broadway at 23rd Street) would lift many a lady's skirt, much to the delight of the male audience that would congregate here (at least when women still wore dresses).
Awnings againThe main advantage of awnings (as opposed to, say, shades or venetian blinds) was that they let you keep the window open in the rain. Open windows were necessary probably as much for ventilation as keeping cool.
[Although they do seem more prevalent on the sunny side of the building. - Dave]
American ParthenonAlfred Stieglitz also saw the Flatiron as a kind of steamship: "With the trees of Madison Square covered with fresh snow, the Flat Iron impressed me as never before. It appeared to be moving toward me like the bow of a monster ocean steamer, a picture of new America still in the making. The Flat Iron is to the United States what the Parthenon was to Greece."
98 Years AgoIn the great span of history, 98 years isn't really all that long, and the march of history in centuries past wasn't all that brisk.  But here we have a 1912 street scene from midtown Manhattan, less than a century ago (almost), within living memory of at least a few souls still among us, and the horses still outnumber the motor vehicles.  I'm guessing that in another five years, by 1917 or so, the cars would outnumber the horses, and that in 10 more years -- 1927 or so -- the number of horses would be very small indeed.  This is really a glimpse at the very last days of the pre-automobile world.  We haven't lived with these infernal, gas-guzzling contraptions for very long. 
M&L Hess Real EstateSign was still somewhat visible as of 2003.
http://www.14to42.net/20street1-2.html
From 1 to 9, slowly.If I look at the panorama too quickly, I may get dizzy.
Hotel BartholdiI am fascinated to find that this is the location of the Hotel Bartholdi. A few weeks ago I posted an image in the members gallery, of an electric charabanc parked, I assume, in front of the hotel.
The streets are full of peopleThat's something you don't see these days. People are afraid of speeding cars. I assume that horse-drawn carriages weren't quite as dangerous. 
EntrancesComparing this picture with StreetView, the building entrances in the middle of each side seem to have been remodelled.  Instead of the pillars supporting the canopy being proud of the main building, they are now just a relief on the surface.
White WingThe Department of Sanitation's "White Wing" sweepers did their level best keeping those NYC streets clean.  I don't know if white was the best color for their uniforms though!

Google Clock ViewView Larger Map
The streets are full of streetcars, too!Including the blurry end of one on the extreme left, and off into the distance, I count no less than 20 streetcars. Is it 1912 rush hour?
OmnibusOk, I'm the first to spot the motorized bus! It looks more like someone chopped the back off a 1920s bus and shoved an open cab on the front with an engine.  Neat! Also, notice the peculiar way of routing with a lampstand in the middle of the open street and ropes and posts in a line from it.
The clockWho maintained it?
I know there were lamplighters during the times when gas lamps lit city streets, but the clock must have been mechanical. Did someone wind it, or were they electric even back then?
Pach Brothers StudioIf you look close at the building behind the Flatiron you can see a billboard (on the roof) for Pach Brothers Studio. I took portrait classes from the last owner of Pach Brothers, Oscar White. When he closed the studio it was the oldest operating studio in North America. He had an amazing archive of famous clients' images. President Ulysses S. Grant was involved in getting the studio started.
Re: S.S. Flatiron and American ParthenonSomething as glorious as this had to appear sooner or later.
(The Gallery, DPC, Flatiron Building, NYC, Streetcars)

Schott's Alley: 1941
... a curious "H" shape , designed to maximize use of the interior of the block (these are actually the fronts of the houses we're ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 12/02/2022 - 1:28pm -

        A scene last glimpsed here, but without the trolley.
September 1941. Washington, D.C. "Schoots Court [i.e., Schott's Alley] with Senate Office Building in background. Four very small dark rooms rent for fifteen and eighteen dollars per month with water and privy in yard. It used to rent for six and eight dollars. Frank Coles and his friend are sitting on the bench. He was a cement plasterer but has been on relief during the past year. He has frequent heart attacks and his feet and ankles are all swollen. Doctor advises a chicken and lamb diet, no pork or beef, but he doesn't even have money to buy fuel. He can't get waited on in a clinic or get to one. He waited from before 11 until 4 p.m. but still could not see a doctor. He has been in Washington since 1906." Medium format acetate negative by Marion Post Wolcott for the Farm Security Administration. View full size.
Do not go gentle into that good nightBetween the two photographs, Frank Coles has barely moved while everyone else has shifted one way or another and the tallest kid in the previous photo has been replaced by the tyke at left. I remember hearing if you have a heart condition and swelling in your feet and ankles, you should not sit for long periods in the position Frank Coles is.  But who can resist sitting in the sun with friends and entertaining and being entertained by a group of kids who have endless energy?
So Close And Yet So FarThe juxtaposition of a symbol of our nation's wealth and privilege within a few hundred feet of its poorest citizens is striking. I'm not sure I could define what, if anything, has changed in 80 years.
The lesser known H streetDespite it's its name, Schott's Alley had a generous 28 foot width, and a curious "H" shape, designed to maximize use of the interior of the block (these are actually the fronts of the houses we're seeing, not the backs)
The Elephant in the D.C. RoomI'll say it. After eight years of the Progressive FDR Administration, the simple fact that this level of poverty existed in the shadow of our Capitol and that our elected leaders could and would ignore it speaks volumes as to where their priorities lay. 
I fully accept that the "Great Depression" was just beginning to wane, finally, thanks to the advent of World War. Considering the IRS was originally established by Congress to collect income tax, specifically in order to fund the District of Columbia, one would assume they would have used it to modernize all of the district not just the elitist areas.
Just saying.
Schott's firedI came across this series of articles about Schott's Alley: first, second, third, fourth, fifth.
The alley was first home to African Americans from DC, gradually became a home to Italian immigrants, then eventually home to African Americans migrating from further South. One of the buildings housed an Americanization school, where immigrants could take English lessons and prepare for naturalization tests. See the final article for fires, murder and an explosion!
Not at all surprisingOne commenter expresses surprise that this slum existed in DC despite nearly a decade of progressive government. This seems disingenuous, considering that the picture shows Black Americans in 1941. The Senate that sat in the building behind this slum may have been associated with a progressive administration, but it was only progressive for its time.
The alley's residents wouldn't enjoy even nominal equality in employment or housing for another 23 years, and it would be another year beyond that before the federal government vigorously protected their right to vote for any government. Casual racism was rampant, and government programs to help "the poor" routinely excluded anyone who was not white. While another World War was just around the corner, its unifying force upon American society didn't extend to racial or ethnic equality (the US armed forces remained segregated for years after the war ended), and post-war economic boost did not affect Americans of all races equally. 
[N.B.: That's the Senate Office Building, not the Senate wing of the Capitol. - Dave]
(The Gallery, D.C., Kids, M.P. Wolcott, Streetcars)

Pension Office: 1918
Washington, D.C., circa 1918. "Pension Office interior." This former repository of Civil War veterans' pension records is now ... multiple sprays. This is one of the most impressive interior spaces in Washington and is well worth a visit to see. The view of ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/17/2012 - 10:26pm -

Washington, D.C., circa 1918. "Pension Office interior." This former repository of Civil War veterans' pension records is now the National Building Museum. National Photo Company Collection glass negative. View full size.
At one time in the early 1960s,this grand old space was used as overflow office space  for employees of the Civil Service Commission (now the Office of Personnel Management).  The building had not been maintained very well, and apparently had many unsealed openings to the outside.
A friend who worked there put up with temperature extremes and vermin.  The only pleasant distraction was watching the antics of the birds which flew freely around the great atrium space.
Remarkable DesignI think the design of the building is remarkable. The offices where the hundreds of clerks toiled are around the periphery. It was built LONG before air conditioning. The taller central area must provide a sort of flue where the hot air rises bring in fresh air to the offices. Montgomery Meigs did a pretty good design.
Still there and lovelier than everAs the National Building Museum, this great central space is the first thing you see as you walk in the door. The columns are there, exactly as shown (they are hollow, painted to look like marble), the central fountains and loft ceiling make this one of the pleasantest public spaces in the nation's capital.
Can you imagineCan you imagine the government building anything even remotely like this spectacular structure today for the purpose of storing pension records?  The contemporary version of this would be a windowless, poured concrete atrocity full of cubicles, computer terminals, and fluorescent light bulbs, i.e., hell on earth.
Exit question for iamfelixExit question for iamfelix ("Lovely").  This would have consumed the entire tax receipts of how many US citizens in 1918?
[This building was 30 years old when the photo was taken. It cost $886,000. Construction commenced in 1882 and lasted five years. It was commissioned by Congress in 1881 as headquarters for the Pension Bureau, a huge department responsible for handling benefits for the country's thousands of Civil War veterans as they began to enter retirement age. Congress stipulated that the building be both inexpensive and fireproof. Considering that it's lasted for well over 100 years, I'd say the taxpayers got their money's worth. - Dave]
Then and NowHasn't changed very much! 
Land of the giantsVery imposing building, I'll bet you that would feel very small when you entered.
WowThe corinthian columns are both massive and gorgeous. I wonder how they compare size wise to the ones holding the roof up on the Hagia Sophia. 
FacesThank you for this photo.  My father has loved this building all his life and often mentioned the faux-marble columns, saying that people claimed they could see the faces of the dead soldiers looking at them from the marbled paint, then shifting back to marble again.  It was hard, as a child, for me to picture this; by the 1970s, these columns were painted beige.  I can see what he meant now.  
Superb!By anyone's definition, a truly Grand Space! Extraordinary!
Depressing WasteI don't know which is more depressing -- the sheer vulgarity of this massive government temple or the tragic war records it housed. 
Temple of the BureaucratA temple of the bureaucrat, with marble pillars and tile floors along with at least three barriers to get to the business end of the building. And no one fixed the fountain as it overflows on the tile. 
Restored!The National Building Museum has restored the space.  It looks much like it did when the photo was taken.  The Files are now gone and the tile floor is now carpeted except for a cut-out exposing the shield between the columns.  The fountain spray is configured differently now, too.  It is now a tall column of water rather than a multiple sprays.  
This is one of the most impressive interior spaces in Washington and is well worth a visit to see.  The view of the exterior of the building as you come up from Judiciary Square Metro Station is incredible, too.  It is probably the most dramatic view from any Metro escalator.
Atrium VentilationDepressing waste? No.  As has been pointed out, it was built long before air conditioning, and the central court was designed to ventilate air to the roof, as well as the high ceilings on each floor. It housed 1500 workers when the pension department was expanded in a short time.  And the court was also intended for ceremonial occasions as well -- several presidential inaugural balls were held here.  
Interestingly also, the designers made sure to include a freed slaves in the frieze running along the outside.
From a different eraImagine the outcry that would ensue today, if the Federal or State government erected a bureaucratic building with such costly grandeur? A backlash would result, and legions of people would assail it as frivolous, costly, and inefficient government expenditure. 
In the 1920s they could have gotten away with something like this. But that was certainly a different era, a different time.
[This building was constructed in the 1880s. Completed in 1887. - Dave]
Hi-Tech VentilationOne of my favorite buildings in D.C. ...
The Anonymous Tipster is correct in noting the good ventilation achieved in the building.  Montgomery Meigs paid special attention to issues of ventilation in his design: in addition to the clerestory windows at the top, the masonry was constructed with special passages for air flow.  When in use, a special team was employed to run around the building, opening and closing windows during the day to adjust the air flow.  Meigs estimated that the air in the Great Hall could be exchanged every two minutes.
LovelyI don't find it depressing or a waste.  I think it's beautiful.  Why should public spaces be ugly and soulless, whatever their function?  There's more than enough ugly.
They're Brick ColumnsThose beautiful columns, in this, one of the best buildings I've ever seen, are laid-up bricks. Then plastered and painted to look like what the budget could not afford: marble. And the building was used for an inauguration ball not very long ago.
Eeeww!Are those spittoons on the floor by the colonnades? Every time I look, there's another one!
A bargainI'm very much offended by government waste, but this building is not anything like that.  If it cost $886,000 to build back then, that's only about $18-$19 million in today's dollars.  To put that in perspective, the recently opened new Birmingham, Alabama, office for the Social Security Administration cost $135 million, and in my opinion it's not remotely attractive.
50-50It's fascinating that the comments seem to be pretty evenly split: about half complaining of the waste and ugliness of the building; and about half seeing the beauty of the building and stating that the citizens certainly got their money's worth. I've never been to the building personally, but it's awe inspiring to me. Next time I'm in D.C., I'll most certainly track it down.
National Building MuseumI live in the DC area, and have visited this building a number of times. I consider it a very fine example of architecture, and an interesting place to visit. I find it astonishing that some people consider this beautiful 125-year-old building to be a waste of money. Geez, if this building is bad, I'll bet the national monuments, art galleries and other museums in Washington would REALLY be considered "frivolous."
NBMI visited this building on my vacation this summer, and absolutely you do feel small upon entering it.  The staircases with low risers are interesting also.
Not only is the building a pleasure to look at, but it has quite a few very interesting exhibits about Washington (all free, though they recommend a donation of $5), and an amazing gift shop with books on design and architecture.  Many of the exhibits show photos similar to the ones on this site.
One of the newer exhibits on green building explains that when the building was new it had awnings on the windows as another temperature control feature.  The windows are also placed to get sun in different ways in different seasons.
I had never heard of this building or the National Building Museum until I happened upon it while wandering around and stepped in. I'm very glad I did.
(The Gallery, D.C., Natl Photo)

The Dakota: 1912
... "Rosemary's Baby" rest assured that the interior of the Dakota is a far cry from that which Mia Farrow moved around in. ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/01/2012 - 5:43pm -

New York circa 1912. "Dakota Apartments, Central Park West and West 72nd Street." 8x10 inch glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size.
The KillerIt sort of pleases me that none of the 27 or so commenters has mentioned the name of John Lennon's murderer and neither will I. He is now 55 years old, serving 20 years to life, he has been denied parole six times. Attica Correctional Facility in upstate New York houses him, it is a perfect alternative to a death sentence.
ImagineWhen this photo was taken, the Dakota was only 28 years old.  Here's nearly the same view today.
The Dakota TerritoryPossibly my very favorite building in all of Manhattan.  In the late 70s, when I was a teenager, I would cut school and hang out there with a fellow John Lennon adorer.  We met him many times, and he'd let us walk with him to Broadway where he bought his gum and newspapers.  We'd also regularly see the other celeb denizens - Paul Simon, Rex Reed, and Lauren Bacall ( Bacall still lives there.)
The night Lennon got shot, we were there within hours, holding a vigil outside with dozens of other people.  When I became a horse-drawn carriage driver in the early 80s, it was one of the most requested sites by my customers, as it sits directly facing Central Park at 72nd St.  I had a long line of trivia I would tell them about the building, including that it was named "The Dakota" because the owner and builder, Mr. Singer of Singer Sewing Machine Co. fame, was teased by his 5th Ave and downtown friends that his new building was so far away from the chic parts of NYC at the time, that "it might as well have been in the Dakota Territory."
A few things - where the man is standing at the right in the Park (near that wonderful sign that should be reproduced and again posted for today's selfish Handy Andys) is about 20 feet from where the Lennon memorial, Strawberry Fields, is today.  The building has not, to my eye, changed even one iota - masonry is still all intact, carriageway is still there, planters and fabulous railing all still there.  It has even managed to retain its original windows, a great architectural boon in my opinion, with so many other old lovely buildings having had theirs replaced.
The one difference is that there has been for decades a large, nice, bronze doorman's booth on the left side of the carriageway.
I'm loving the horse-drawn wagon at the back of of the line of cars (taxis?)  Kind of a metaphor, as it was 1912 and the horse-drawn vehicle was on its way out.  I don't have a magnifying glass - can anyone tell me what it says on the back of the wagon?
Thank you SO much for this pic - I have seen many photos of The Dakota, but never this one, what a treat.
[Below: Stern Brother department store delivery van. - Dave]
Thank you!
 Dakota TriviaJohn Lennon, who would have turned 70 on Oct 9th, was murdered outside The Dakota. His widow, Yoko Ono, still lives there. The 1968 film 'Rosemary's Baby' filmed some scenes at The Dakota. It was renamed 'The Bramford' in the movie.
Happy Birthday JohnJohn Lennon would have been 70 on Saturday the 9th.
Nice of you to remember Dave. Thanks.
Happy birthday John LennonThat's a grand old building John and Yoko lived in.
They don't build them like that anymoreThe Dakota is one of the most beautiful buildings in NYC.
BTW, I was a teen watching Monday Night Football when Cosell announced Lennon's death on air. You can hear it here.
Si Morley was hereI first heard of this building in one of my favorite books, Jack Finney's "Time and Again," published in 1970 or so.  The Dakota is nearly a character in its own right in this book.  What a beautiful building.
John Lennon at 70Here's a computer image of what John may have looked like when he was 70 years of age.
Happy birthday John!John Lennon would have been 70 years old today had he not been shot at the Dakota.
Beautiful BuildingA sad way to commemorate tomorrow being John Lennon's 70th birthday. (How is that even possible?)
Fitting.Happy Birthday, John.
In MemoriamT'is sad that the main thing that this building is known for is the tragedy that happened outside. 
Performing Flea.I don't intend to be a performing flea any more. I was the dreamweaver, but although I'll be around I don't intend to be running at 20,000 miles an hour trying to prove myself. I don't want to die at 40. ~ John Lennon
+70Happy 70th Birthday, John Winston Ono Lennon.  Wish you were here.
Strawberry Fields ForeverThe site of the murder of John Lennon (born on this day in 1940).
Living life in peaceThis was John Lennon's home in New York, and where he was murdered on the street in 1980.  Had he lived, Lennon would have turned 70 tomorrow.
Film locationRosemary's Baby.
If you saw "Rosemary's Baby"rest assured that the interior of the Dakota is a far cry from that which Mia Farrow moved around in. I have seen a few a few of the apartments, ranging from a very large one that Robert Ryan and his wife lived in to a much smaller, but far from cramped one that was Roberta Flack's residence. They ere all quite elegant. I live farther up on Central Park West, so I frequently pass by the Dakota and it is not unusual to see Lennon fans hanging around the entrance. Of course it did not all begin with Lennon, the Dakota was a home to celebrities for a few decades before he and Yoko moved in. A great building that once seemed to stand out of town. I believe that's how it acquired the name—it seemed to be in  the sticks.
More Dakota TriviaThe Dakota also plays a major part in Jack Finney's novel "Time And Again," a beautifully crafted mystery novel set in the 1970s and 1880s.
What were you doing the evening of 9 Dec. 1980?I see that there are many here who also know that John Winston Ono Lennon would have been 70 years old today.  I would guess that you also remember what you were doing when you heard the terrible announcement that he had been murdered. I was on my way home from a job I had singing Christmas carols for shoppers at ZCMI Center in Salt Lake City. I shed quite a few tears that night, and the next day. It is hard for most people to understand why some of us love him so much. It is absolutely not your run-of-the-mill celebrity worship.  There was something special about John Lennon that was still developing, the older he got.   
Happy Birthday JohnHis music is so timeless and inspirational. I hope he found the peace he wanted so much in life.
Shrubbery defacers, bewareI think this guy intends to see that the "punish" precedes the "arrest."
I heard the news that night oh boyI had read about Lennon's upcoming album back in October.  And every so often, I'd tune up the AM dial (how quaint) and down the FM dial, hoping to hear one of the new songs. I was doing that the night of December 8, when I caught "Just Like Starting Over" halfway through.  I recognized the old-time rock-and-roll style which had been described in the newspaper preview (which Lennon referred to as "Elvis Orbison.")  And I liked it-- no avant garde, experimental, primal scream, political stuff-- just fun.
When the record ended, the DJ said "We'll have more details on the death of John Lennon right after this," and they went to a commercial break.  I was so shocked, I tried to bend what the DJ had said, to something I could handle.  Perhaps he had introduced the record by telling people to listen for "clues" that John is Also Dead?  (Goofing off on the Paul is Dead hoax.) Or, if he was really dead, I was wondering, From What?
Before the DJ returned, a friend called me and said that Howard Cosell on Monday Night Football had reported John Lennon had been murdered. So I had just that minute and a half of "Cool, he's back, and it sounds great!"
12-8-80I was home on leave from the Navy watching the Dolphins/Patriots game on Monday Night Football with my Dad when Howard Cosell came on and announced that John Lennon had been shot.  Awful.
Unforgettable momentI was living in Madison, Wisconsin on Langdon Street and walked over to Rocky Rococo's Pizza on State Street near campus to enjoy a slab of Pizza and watch Monday Night Football. The game coverage (the voice over commentary) was interrupted and I think I first heard of the news either from an announcement read by Howard Cosell or Frank Gifford. Then they broke in with an actual news bulletin that indicated he had been shot and was en route to the hospital. In the time that it took to walk back over to Langdon Street and enter my apartment it was announced that he had died. I turned on the radio and heard the actual announcement he had died and just recall thinking what a bizarre thing this was. His then recently released album was already getting a lot of play in Madison, and after the news it was complete saturation.
 Every time I see the DakotaOne of my favorite Christine Lavin songs: The Dakota. [YouTube link]

It was a Monday morning, I was coming in from a long trip on the road.
I flagged a cab near the East Side Terminal,
I said, "Please take me home."
We drove up along Third Avenue, crossed through Central Park.
When we came out at Seventy second Street,
I felt a cold chill in my heart.
Every time I see the Dakota, I think about that night.
Shots ringing out, the angry shouts,
A man losing his life.
Well, it's something we shouldn't dwell upon,
But it's something we shouldn't ignore.
Too many good men have been cut down,
Let's pray there won't be any more.
...

Words and Music by Christine Lavin 

December 9, 1980I was decorating my Christmas tree as my first child, who was three months old to the day (she's 30 now, obviously), watched from her infantseat. I was never a Beatles fan but I do remember the night they debuted on the Ed Sullivan Show; I was sitting on the couch after my bath, in my pajamas, a five-year-old wondering what all the fuss was about. The night John Lennon died I was listening to the radio and honestly -- and I know this next part won't be appreciated by many, but it's a free country and I believe we still enjoy free speech, at least for a little while longer -- after an hour or so I got a little tired of hearing the late Beatle practically elevated to sainthood by the announcer and every caller. I called the radio station not to speak ill of the dead, but to point out that perhaps we should temper our comments understanding that this man and what he stood for did a great deal to tear at the fabric of our society. (I don't think anyone really believes hippie-freakdom fueled by rock music has done all of us a world of good. Why do we have to act like it has?) The announcer, once he was onto my gist, hung up on me. So much for free speech. But I do adore Johnny Depp so maybe I'm a great big hypocrite. You make the call.
A creepy place.I never liked that building from the time I first saw it in Rosemary's Baby, and that was some 12 years before Lennon was shot. It creeped me out then and creeps me out now, just looking at it.
Time and Again and AgainNobody is going to mention Simon Morley using the Dakota as a time machine to travel back to the blustery cold winter days of 1882 in Jack Finney's novel "Time and Again?" It's such a fun and well researched book.
[Somebody did mention it! - Dave]
In MemoriamIn the new 4-CD Lennon compilation "Gimme Some Truth" there's a booklet that includes a photo of Lennon and Ono in their bedroom.   Assuming it was taken at the Dakota, it's far less fancy then you would expect the apartment of a wealthy icon to be today.
While it's a large room by New York City postwar apartment standards, it's not large by McMansion standards.  The wall behind the bed is painted brick and there's nothing all that fancy in the room.
As for Jenny Pennifer's comments, you certainly have the right to make any comments you like, but you obviously don't have a clue as to Lennon's impact, either culturally, politically or musically.   To understand that impact, all you have to do is look up the hundreds, if not thousands of other artists who have recorded his songs, see the number of people who gather at Strawberry Fields or at the Dakota each day and listen to the radio where his songs are still played 30 to 47 years after they were written.  
Lennon did not tear at our society except to try and stop an illegal and useless war (what happened when we finally pulled out?  Nothing except people stopped being killed.) and to fight for peace and the rights of all human beings.   
And I'll take "hippie freakdom" over the money and 15 minutes of fame obsessed (think Jersey Shore) and the cruel internet culture we live with today.  
I've been inside onceI was inside the Dakota once, at a political fundraiser in about 1995. The apartment belonged to the head of the European equities desk at a large hedge fund. It was very large, and clearly very expensive, but it was not as fabulous as the glass-walled penthouses overlooking the city in many other buildings, or even some of the (probably much less expensive) apartments in less famous buildings, but which have large terraces overlooking central park.
(The Gallery, DPC, NYC)

The Perisphere: 1939
... Cutaway Here's a look at the interior. Click to go to a page with more info and a bigger photo. ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 10/16/2022 - 4:15pm -

"Perisphere and ramp at 1939 New York Word's Fair." Corpulent counterpoint to the trimmer Trylon. Uncredited acetate transparency, possibly by Gottscho-Schleisner. View full size.
I bet it included flying carsHere is a little information on what the Trylon and Perisphere consisted of.  Inside, visitors traveled on a moving platform while watching a six-minute show focusing on a futuristic, utopian City of Tomorrow.  Obviously, in 1939 the show's creators did not anticipate urban flight to the suburbs that actually happened and the adverse ripple effects which left no utopian cities I can think of.
I can't figure out what is casting a big, round shadow on the big, round Perisphere.
[The tall, straight Trylon. - Dave]
Thanks, Dave. I'll confess I'm still trying to visualize how that worked.
Not So SmoothCentral pieces of the 1939 New York World's Fair known as the 'Theme Center', the Perisphere and accompanying Giant Trylon Tower were to be covered in smooth concrete, however due to the high cost, gypsum was used instead. Gypsum caused an uneven texture and visible seams on the structures, although that didn't stop them from projecting moving images onto the Perisphere from nearby buildings at night.
For the cost of a quarter, which first included a walk through the Giant Trylon Tower, visitors could ride on one of the Perisphere's two rotating balconies, which encircled a miniaturized ideal city of the future called Democracity. Slick recorded narration and glow-in-the-dark lighting completed the effect.
Visitors left the Perisphere via a 950-foot curved ramp called the Helicline, the first thirty or so feet of which are pictured above. The Helicline had a mirrored underside, creating the illusion of invisibility from below. At the base of the globe, eight supporting pillars were also hidden by mirrors and fountains which gave the Perisphere an appearance of floating in midair.
Both the Perisphere and Trylon Tower were demolished in 1940. The Unisphere, central piece of the 1964 New York World's Fair, was erected on the exact same spot as the Perisphere, and is still standing to this very day.
Hmm ...That's no moon.
ShadowDoug, I think that big round shadow is nothing more than the dark side of the big round Perisphere. 
[Incorrect. Below left, the "dark side" and, on the right, the "dark side" overlaid with the shadow of the Trylon. - Dave]

The fair in color

"Get out of my head!"Am I the only one seeing a giant, screaming face in the cutaway sphere?!?
Utopian Promises1939-40 World's Fair Democracity Re-Creation (The New York Pubic Library) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kulk7IPTL10
CutawayHere's a look at the interior. Click to go to a page with more info and a bigger photo.

Coarse surfaceI'd only seen distant (and perhaps slightly edited) images of the Perisphere before this and it was an eye-opener. I went looking for the construction details and discovered this:
The original plans for the Perisphere called for it to be covered in a smooth and seamless layer of concrete. However, due to the high cost of that material, gypsum was used instead. Unfortunately, despite the best efforts to smooth it out, the gypsum created an uneven texture and had visible seams. Also, surrounding fountains damaged the fragile coating and their arches of water had to be lowered.
Legend has itThat the Trylon and Perisphere still exist in Queens!
https://untappedcities.com/2020/01/06/a-house-in-queens-has-a-mini-world...
Dave deliversAn admirably concise and alliterative caption.
(The Gallery, Art & Design, Gottscho-Schleisner, NYC)
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