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Call of Duty: 1941
... near Phenix City, Alabama." Medium format negative by Jack Delano. View full size. No Flippers til 1947 The lack of flippers ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 11/13/2018 - 10:57am -

May 1941. "Soldiers from Fort Benning in a country store near Phenix City, Alabama." Medium format negative by Jack Delano. View full size. No Flippers til 1947The lack of flippers was not rare in 1941! The first pinball with flippers was Humpty Dumpty in 1947. Same group as we saw previouslyThis is the same group of soldiers we saw playing pinball in the Nov 7 posting "Store Wars" (good title by the way). In this shot the guy playing has switched places from the last shot with his buddy on the right. The poor guy on the left side of the machine is still waiting his turn. PinballI spent a goodly part of my teen years playing pinball games in St. Louis. The machines were a nickel a game, and if you scored high enough you got a free game. If you got really good, you could run up a number of free games on the board and play quite a while on your nickel. Some of the guys would turn their backs to the machine, and put their wallets in the palm of their hand and give a good hard rap on the coin slide, forcing it in, saving their nickel. I remember very well when flippers came in, I was 15. Those were fun times. Deja vuThe huge gulf between the illustration on the glass and the actual game is reminiscent of the illustrated box of an old DOS computer game and the actual on-screen reality of the game. Some things just don't change. The Phenix City StoryDad trained at Benning before shipping out to ETO, and he said that the Alabama town was as bad as was portrayed in the mid-1950s flick "The Phenix City Story." That movie shocked my innocent soul. http://malefactorsregister.com/wp/the-fall-and-rise-of-phenix-city/ Without flippersThe game plays just like Pachinko. You have to try and make the highest score as the ball falls by carefully adjusting how hard you pull the plunger. It's pretty much a gambling device. The bumpers are very floppy springs that'll hit the center post and complete a circuit if the ball hits them with much force. Later machines serving the same gambling function were called 'bingo' pinballs. No Flippers!OK, I've always wondered about this. How did they play pinball without the flippers at the end of the table? Did they just hit and bang on the machine to make the ball go a different direction or was it all just chance? See what's missing?Released in 1939, Exhibit Contact pinball was a rare flipperless machine. Extremely rare. (The Gallery, Jack Delano, Stores & Markets, WW2)
Red, White & Blue: 1942
... 1942. View full size. 4x5 Kodachrome transparency by Jack Delano. (The Gallery, Kodachromes, Chicago, Jack Delano, Railroads) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/30/2012 - 10:02pm -

Truck trailers at the Chicago & North Western R.R. freight house, December 1942. View full size. 4x5 Kodachrome transparency by Jack Delano. (The Gallery, Kodachromes, Chicago, Jack Delano, Railroads)
Factory Time: 1941
... Massachusetts." Medium format acetate negative by Jack Delano for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. New ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/28/2019 - 5:18pm -

January 1941. "Railroad cars and factory buildings in Lawrence, Massachusetts." Medium format acetate negative by Jack Delano for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. New Balance BuildingNice to see that the beautiful tower is still on the job https://goo.gl/maps/Bae4bzymDPWswrSz5 Ayer MillThis is the Ayer Mill, and the train tracks that ran along Merrimack Street. This mill exists currently across the street from the Wood Mill. The clock tower is only a foot shorter than the tower at British Parliament, otherwise known as Big Ben. Clock CleanedThe clock tower tops the Ayer Mill of the American Woolen Co. The mill closed in 1955 and sat empty, with the clock falling into disrepair. The clock was cleaned and restored in 1991, and now New Balance assembles shoes in the building underneath. (The Gallery, Factories, Jack Delano, Railroads)
In the Weeds: 1940
... Deal Island fishermen." Medium format acetate negative by Jack Delano for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. 666 Cold ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 04/01/2019 - 11:27am -

May 1940. Wenona, Maryland. "Fishing parties for summer tourists are one source of income for Deal Island fishermen." Medium format acetate negative by Jack Delano for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. 666 Cold PreparationAids in relieving distress and discomforts of colds by its fourfold action -- as an analgesic, as an antipyretic, as an expectorant, and as a laxative. For relief of coughs, simple headaches and neuralgia, muscular aches, pains, and reducing fever due to colds. Deal Island -- 2017Featuring one of Mr. Webster's decedents https://www.nbcnews.com/specials/deal-island IntriguingWonderful capture of old wooden surfaces. The photo is made even more intriguing by the young woman in profile beyond some of the growth. It almost looks as though she is reading a book. (The Gallery, Gas Stations, Jack Delano, Kids, Stores & Markets)
A Stitch in Time: 1941
... "Seamstress in Puerto Rico." 35mm nitrate negative by Jack Delano for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. (The ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 03/06/2019 - 11:33am -

December 1941. "Seamstress in Puerto Rico." 35mm nitrate negative by Jack Delano for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. (The Gallery, Factories, Jack Delano, Puerto Rico)
Group Swim: 1942
... for these gangly lads , captured here in one of Jack Delano's artier shots for the Office of War Information. View full size. ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 05/16/2014 - 3:52pm -

July 1942. "Florence, Alabama (vicinity). Counselor at Boy Scout camp -- swimming and canoeing." Instructor for these gangly lads, captured here in one of Jack Delano's artier shots for the Office of War Information. View full size. The lookI bet 2 years after this photo was taken, he enlisted in the armed services and fought in the Pacific. Part of the greatest generation I am sure of it. All 130 pounds of him soaking wet. Pardon my saying so, boysbut I believe you are somehow biased! (The Gallery, Jack Delano, Swimming)
Hay Kids: 1941
... children gathering hay." Medium format acetate negative by Jack Delano. View full size. Juliette, Lee and Thomas The children of ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 04/05/2020 - 5:28pm -

August 1941. "Isadore Lavictoire, French Canadian dairy farmer near Rutland, Vermont, and children gathering hay." Medium format acetate negative by Jack Delano. View full size. Juliette, Lee and ThomasThe children of Isidore Lavictoire. Isidore died in 1983, Juliette in 2014. At the time, Lee and Thomas were still alive. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/140074605/juliette-m_-bartlett Or perhaps HenryJuliette's obituary mentions that she was predeceased by a brother, Henry. FindAGrave has a listing for a Henry J. Lavictoire in West Rutland -- born 1930, died 1997. That could well be him on the left. (Juliette, born in March 1926, is 15 in this photo) (The Gallery, Agriculture, Jack Delano, Kids)
Amarillo Yardmaster: 1943
... View full size. 4x5 Kodachrome transparency by Jack Delano, Office of War Information. paperless office Notice how neat and ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/10/2012 - 4:15pm -

March 1943. Yardmaster at Amarillo, Texas, railyard. View full size. 4x5 Kodachrome transparency by Jack Delano, Office of War Information. paperless officeNotice how neat and arranged everything is? Bet he knew where everything he would need was .... and could get to it faster than someone today with the best of computers. Atlas ShruggedRead 'Atlas Shrugged' recently - this picture pretty much fits my imagination's. YardmasterSure brought back memories. My father was a yardmaster for the Erie Railroad in Meadville, Pa. in the 1950's and 60's. As a child I would go with my mother to pick him up after work and would go into the yard office. He was the westbound yardmaster and his clerk sat directly across from him at a two big desks. The phone was just like the one he had to stay in touch with the other offices along the system to Cleveland. They had a big pigeonhole system that the waybills for the freight cars were kept in when they would make up the order for the cars and their destinations in the length of cars pulled by the engines. The office was a busy place and they had three shifts each day on both the east and westbound sides of the division yard. He worked the midnight shift for almost twenty years as the yardmaster. During the night in our small town we could hear the trains pumping the cars in the process of making up the trains even though we were several miles from the train yard. There were numerous trains each night in both east and westbound moving along the system between Chicago and New York. There was always a saying in our home that when we would hear a train whistle we would say, "there goes a new pair of shoes." As long as the trains were moving Dad had a job and money to support us all. Both of my grandfathers worked all their lives for the Erie railroad. It's sad now when we visit Meadville and see that the yard just barely exists. The yard office that I remember as a child is no longer there. The new yard tower that he moved to in the late 60's is still there but doesn't appear to be functioning. Thanks for the picture and the thoughts it brought back. (The Gallery, Kodachromes, Jack Delano, Railroads)
Church Ladies: 1941
... district of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania." Acetate negative by Jack Delano for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Why ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 12/30/2018 - 12:08pm -

January 1941. "Negro church in mill district of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania." Acetate negative by Jack Delano for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Why can't we go back?Style and Elegance. God, what a time. Steel in the ValleyGreat picture. Fogginess from the steel mills belching smoke. Perhaps we should call the ladies "Valley Girls". St. John's Evangelist Baptist ChurchIn the 1941 Shorpy photo note the cornerstone of the church, between the two ladies, that seems to name the church as St John's Evangelist Baptist Church in the Hazelwood neighborhood southeast of downtown Pittsburgh. From what I can tell this church was originally located on Sylvan Avenue, up the hill, at Tullymet Way (staircase) and the staircase (at left) is still there. On Street View the old curbstone looks like the original from the 1941 photo and there's the same storm drain. Street View also reveals the foundation of the church, down the stairs, as well as old stairs that must have exited the side of the church. (The Gallery, Factories, Jack Delano, Pittsburgh)
Some Assembly Required: 1942
... boy putting an airplane together during WW2. Photo by Jack Delano for the Office of War Information. View full size. Missing his ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 05/08/2014 - 12:32pm -

August 1942. "Vultee Aircraft Co., Nashville. Using an electric drill on a fuselage in a sub-assembly section." Another boy putting an airplane together during WW2. Photo by Jack Delano for the Office of War Information. View full size. Missing his SlingshotLooks like Dennis the Menace all growed up. Rosie the Riveter's younger brotherDennis the Driller! (The Gallery, Aviation, Factories, Jack Delano, WW2)
Upper Chunkers: 1940
... Mauch Chunk, Pennsylvania." Medium-format negative by Jack Delano for the Resettlement Administration. View full size.   ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/03/2017 - 1:58pm -

August 1940. "Women in Upper Mauch Chunk, Pennsylvania." Medium-format negative by Jack Delano for the Resettlement Administration. View full size.         Mauch Chunk, a town whose name was "derived from the term Mawsch Unk (Bear Place) in the language of the native Munsee-Lenape Delaware peoples," was renamed Jim Thorpe in honor of the Olympic athlete after his death in 1953. Other aliases include "Switzerland of America" and "Gateway to the Poconos." In the darkThe reason these women look so pasty and depressed is likely because the sun only shines about three hours a day in most of the narrow defile now known as Jim Thorpe, PA. At some point the town became known as "America's Switzerland". It reminds me of a town one might find in southern West Virginia. C'mon, C'mon, Mauch Chunk,that's not a real name, is it?? is it??? The town with two namesAlso known as Jim Thorpe, Pennsylvania Nice place to visitSpent a week in the Poconos about 15 years ago and had a nice visit in Jim Thorpe. The Asa Packer Mansion there is one of the most interesting "old homes" I've ever visited, mainly because it's like it was 100 years ago, with all the old furniture and fixtures. It's not spiffed up like the Biltmore House in Asheville. The jail where they hanged members of the Molly Maguires is worth a visit, too. She is not a boat"Chunker" was also a name for the canal boats that carried the coal from this area to market. TurnaroundMauch Chunk was a gritty center of railroad activity back when Pennsylvania's anthracite was plentiful and in demand. Today thanks to its mountain location it has transformed itself into a clean, attractive, tourist-friendly town. Unfortunately not all of Pennsylvania's mining and manufacturing past has made a successful transition to the present. (The Gallery, Jack Delano, Kids)
Carbon County: 1940
... town in the Lehigh Valley." Medium format negative by Jack Delano for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Go Play in ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 11/19/2018 - 10:26am -

August 1940. Carbon County, Pennsylvania. "Street in Upper Mauch Chunk, a small historic coal mining town in the Lehigh Valley." Medium format negative by Jack Delano for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Go Play in the StreetUnsupervised kids was the norm when I grew up too, in the 1950s. There's nothing to do in the house, so out you go. The Mauch Chunks Are No LongerUpper (also known as East) Mauch Chunk and Mauch Chunk merged in 1954 to become Jim Thorpe, Pennsylvania. North Avenue today (The Gallery, Bicycles, Jack Delano, Kids, Small Towns)
Proviso Yard: 1943
... Western RR's Proviso yard." 4x5 Kodachrome transparency by Jack Delano for the Office of War Information. View full size. And Then ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 11/17/2012 - 12:29am -

Chicago, April 1943. Smoke and boxcars: "General view, classification yard at Chicago & North Western RR's Proviso yard." 4x5 Kodachrome transparency by Jack Delano for the Office of War Information. View full size. And Then There's the DownsideAcknowledge though we must the great efficiency of rail transport between major cities, that mode sure can eat itself up some real estate! (The Gallery, Kodachromes, Chicago, Jack Delano, Railroads)
Traffic Circle: 1941
... Falls, Vermont." Left turn only. 35mm nitrate negative by Jack Delano. View full size. Off-road carnival ride One evening in the ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 11/04/2012 - 7:04pm -

October 1941. "At a small American Legion carnival just outside Bellows Falls, Vermont." Left turn only. 35mm nitrate negative by Jack Delano. View full size. Off-road carnival rideOne evening in the mid-sixties, I sat in a car very much like that for a leisurely spin around and around. The cars were attached to the central motor by spokes, and midway through the ride my car came unhitched from its spoke and veered toward the motor. The operator stopped the ride and lifted me out in an instant, which was very disappointing to me because it was the most exciting ride I'd ever been on. I couldn't understand why my mother was so upset. That ride was noticeably absent from the carnival the following year. Same ol' same ol'Seventy-one years later, kids are still riding that ride, and parents are still taking that photo. The only things that change are the clothing styles and the car models. 40 years laterI rode a fiberglass version of different car, but on the same kind of ride. Some even "flew" off of a ramp! (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Jack Delano, Kids)
Coal, Water, Sand: 1942
... before going out on the road." Medium-format negative by Jack Delano for the Office of War Information. View full size. Yes, sand! ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 12/30/2013 - 12:29pm -

November 1942. "Chicago. Locomotives loading up with coal, water and sand at an Illinois Central Railroad yard before going out on the road." Medium-format negative by Jack Delano for the Office of War Information. View full size. Yes, sand!The coal fuels the fire that makes steam from the water, and the sand, when dropped on the rail, gives the engine more traction. Most useful when the rail is wet, covered with snow/ice/leaves. Sand actually is essential to get over the railroad. Legend has it an old B&ORR helper engineer dreamed up the idea circa 1840s, and rigged a box up on his locomotive with pipes to the rail. It worked so well the RR's quickly adopted it. He shoulda patented his invention. The newest computerized locos today still have sand boxes with pipes to the rails. SandI was a brakeman on the Penn Central some years ago and we often switched out a couple of pipe yards that were at the bottom of a hill. If it was early morning with dewy tracks, we would sand going down so we could make it back to the top of the hill. (The Gallery, Chicago, Jack Delano, Railroads)
Leaf Smoke: 1940
... View full size. 35mm Kodachrome transparency by Jack Delano. The Sweet Smell of Fall I remember when everyone used to do ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 12/28/2007 - 10:04pm -

November 1940. Burning autumn leaves along Broadway in Norwich, Connecticut. View full size. 35mm Kodachrome transparency by Jack Delano. The Sweet Smell of FallI remember when everyone used to do this. The sweet smell of the burning leaves really meant fall had arrived. They say that smell is the one sense that brings back old memories the most. It's been a long time that I haven't smelled burning leaves. I would think that burning autumn leaves is pretty much illegal in most jurisdictions by now and would probably bring out the fire department. Huge and loud vacuum cleaner trucks come and suck them all from the curbs these days. I miss the smell of burning leaves. Even in New YorkRaking yard leaves into the street - and setting them afire - was a common fall exercise on Long Island. Well into the 1950s. Yes, it was a sweet smell. That should give heart palpitations to current Easterners! (P.S., we all survived) Smoky news I rode my bike and delivered the Daily Press throughout Belrose and Floral Park, NY, the fall was a sublime blend of burning leaves and coal furnaces firing up in the fifties and early sixties. I hate to think how carcinogenic those sublimely nostalgic aromas were, but, every now and then, I throw a handful of leaves into the open burner in the yard, just to feel 12 again. Autumn requestHaving just spent an hour fruitlessly trying to find this location in the present day using streetview, I'm wondering if anyone can provide coordinates for this beautiful place. Or is it now just dust, or smoke or dream. Still thereMcFate, Everything you see in this photo still is there. 200 Broadway would be the closest address. https://maps.google.com/maps?q=St.+Patrick%27s+Cathedral,+Broadway,+Norw... It is on the left side of the green (streets are one way around it) where this photo was taken, but Google Street View does not go down that side of the road. Lots of 19th century homes in this area. Some single family, some multi-family. (The Gallery, Jack Delano)
The Pup Pack: 1941
... farm near Fairfield, Vermont." Medium format negative by Jack Delano. View full size. Wall covering Is that Linoleum over plaster? ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 01/10/2019 - 3:30pm -

September 1941. "Three of the Gaynor children on their farm near Fairfield, Vermont." Medium format negative by Jack Delano. View full size. Wall coveringIs that Linoleum over plaster? Interesting wallsThis looks like it could be a portal to the 4th dimension. I Know That Look!From the black Lab. It says, and I quote, "OK, I will give you two seconds to leave my bed and let me get back to sleep, grrrrrrr" (The Gallery, Dogs, Jack Delano, Kids)
Boys of Steel: 1941
... in Midland, Pennsylvania." Medium format negative by Jack Delano. View full size. In Hiding I'm just waiting for Scut Farkus ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 12/20/2018 - 10:00am -

        "Those icicles have been known to kill people!" January 1941. "Houses and Pittsburgh Crucible Steel Company in Midland, Pennsylvania." Medium format negative by Jack Delano. View full size. In HidingI'm just waiting for Scut Farkus and his crummy little toady, Grover Dill, to jump out from behind the car. I used to wonder why Midland had a red tint.Just coming into town with a load of limestone for the mill one day in the early seventies when one of the valves on top of a blast furnace let go. You talk about spectacular! A volcanic plume of red ore dust erupted first punctuated by a huge blast of fire when the carbon monoxide ignited. It was jet engine noisy while it lasted then it abruptly stopped. No emergency sirens, no whistles calling out danger. Move along, nothing to see here, move along. I found out why Midland had that red tint though. Smock AlertNice clean air! Give Trump some more time to make it like this again. From Anthracite to AtomsThe Beaver Valley Nuclear Power Station lies just across the Ohio River from Midland. If you've ever flown into Pittsburgh and noticed two cooling towers about 30 miles northwest of the airport, you were very near Midland. Today, instead of coal smoke, you're likely to see white clouds of steam rising into the sky. What the photo can't showThese kids are actually walking to School, uphill, backwards and in the Snow, just like Grandma and Grandpa did. Brush the snow off the seatGetting that roadster going on a winter morning wouldn't be that much fun, though given the lack of a license plate, I suppose it didn't get out much. Then again, it does have air in the tires. Notice the snow on the porch roof across the street, but none whatsoever on the roofs of the houses. Insulation? What's that? I frequently wonderHow they heated those clapboard houses with leaky sash windows? Or did they just burn as much coal as they could afford and otherwise live with the draughts? Winter WonderlandThat kid on the left looks like an Eadweard Muybridge subject. Ah, youth! The smell of moneyI grew up just down the road from Midland. Almost all of the men in my family worked at Crucible Steel. We used to write our names in the orange dust on the hood of the car. Whenever someone would say anything about the smell of sulfur in the air, my granddad would say, “That’s the smell of money.” (The Gallery, Industry & Public Works, Jack Delano)
Henrietta: 1943
... handed up a message." Medium-format nitrate negative by Jack Delano for the Office of War Information. View full size. Someone had ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 06/04/2009 - 11:10am -

March 1943. "Henrietta, Missouri. Going through the town on the Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe Railroad between Marceline, Missouri, and Argentine, Kansas. The operator has just handed up a message." Medium-format nitrate negative by Jack Delano for the Office of War Information. View full size. Someone had to say itDo you hear that whistle down the line? I figure that it's engine number forty-nine, She's the only one that'll sound that way. On the Atchison, Topeka and the Santa Fe. Santa FeThe railroad was just the Atchison & Topeka at first; Santa Fe was added as a goal. In fact the main line went to Lamy, not Santa Fe, with a minor branch to SF added later. Can't write a song about Lamy. But the rhyme in the song didn't work for the many folks who pronounced it Santa Fee. Before the popular song came along, the railroad tried to correct this by spreading the slogan "All the way with Santa Fe!" The slogan caught on, but it didn't help. Dismayed station agents would hear customers saying things like "Yep, I like that slogan. All the way with Santa Fee!" This ties several photos togetherHere is the operator having delivered train orders to the engine and train crews walking back to his office after inspecting the train and waving "all OK" to the brakeman or flagman at the rear car. In the distance you can see the water column between the two main tracks for steam locomotives. Beyond that is a cantelevered bridge supporting a semaphore signal with its blade having already descended to the horizontal position for "stop." Before the train arrived at this location, the semaphore would have been vertical to indicate "proceed." Soon when the train is clear of the next signal ahead (perhaps a mile or more down the track), this semaphore will rise to a 45-degree angle indicating "approach," meaning slow to 30 mph and be prepared to stop at the next signal. Today this route is owned and operated by the BNSF Railway and hosts 75 or more freight trains each day plus two Amtrak Southwest Chiefs that operate between Chicago and Los Angeles. Henrietta Depot todayView Larger Map Naming RailroadsAtchison, Topeka (and the) Santa Fe sounds great. It's also the route of the railroad from east to west. It all worked out for the best. PoetryWho was the inspired wordsmith who named the Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe? Its founder Cyrus K. Holliday, apparently, and as far as I can see the poetry of its name was a happy coincidence of the significant placenames. Maybe their rhythmic ordering was an artistic decision: even "Topeka, Atchison & Sante Fe" wouldn't have the same ring to it. (The Gallery, Jack Delano, Railroads)
Dynasty: 1942
... people live in the same house." Medium format negative by Jack Delano. View full size. Starkers Each one of these ten people (five ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 03/29/2019 - 10:38am -

January 1942. "Guayanilla, Puerto Rico. Family of a sugar worker living in one of the company houses behind the mill. All these people live in the same house." Medium format negative by Jack Delano. View full size. StarkersEach one of these ten people (five male, five female) rewards close inspection. The smudgy little feller, in profile, beside Armchair Man, is not wearing any clothing or underwear, possibly a first for Shorpy, excluding early bathing suit and rowing guys. Face off!between the little boy and the guy on the right. Proof: Benjamin Franklin Invented Wall Insulation!See SatEvePost, left. (The Gallery, Jack Delano, Kids, Puerto Rico)
Red All Over: 1942
... Saunders and his band at the Club DeLisa." Photographer Jack Delano swaps the train pictures for a taste of cafe society. Med. format ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 05/05/2013 - 6:52am -

Chicago, April 1942. "Dancing to the music of Red Saunders and his band at the Club DeLisa." Photographer Jack Delano swaps the train pictures for a taste of cafe society. Med. format negative, Office of War Information. View full size. The original Club DeLisa opened in 1934 and burned down before this photo was taken, so this has to be the New Club deLisa, as it was called. Red Saunders led the band in residence. His name was for many years practically synonymous with local Chicago jazz. Nineteen years after this photo was taken, I produced a session on which he played. I did several albums on that trip and recorded many veteran musicians, most of whom had played in a Saunders band at one time or another. I hope we get to see more shots from that evening—they are available online, but not with that magic Shorpy (sharpy?) touch. Not unheard of, butI suspect that a racially mixed clientele, even in Chicago, even in a jazz club, even under more relaxed wartime observance of social customs, was more the exception than the rule. (The Gallery, Chicago, Jack Delano)
Coke Break: 1941
... in a cafe in Childersburg, Alabama." Acetate negative by Jack Delano. View full size. Guy on the right Eating the ice cream cone. ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 02/05/2019 - 1:45pm -

May 1941. "Workmen from the nearby Dupont powder plant in a cafe in Childersburg, Alabama." Acetate negative by Jack Delano. View full size. Guy on the rightEating the ice cream cone. It's a two scoop cone. Our little ice cream shop in the 50's would place a slice of Neapolitan ice cream in the cone and call it a skyscraper. 10 cents a cone. Forget the Coke Break!I'm with the guy on the right--he's having an ice cream break! Better yet, put that ice cream in your Coke and have a Coke float! Mmmmm. Pie!Looks like six or seven different kinds of pie, and a bunch of different cigars on the display in the back. Don't know my cigar boxes, but I bet there's someone out there who can. Dare I Hope ... ... that this is The Dinette? Coca-Cola Warning!In my country (Poland) in the early 1950s, official communist propaganda tweeted that coca cola dissolves human brains. Under the CounterAre empty bottles ready to be returned and refilled, proving that you an get a round peg in a square hole. Henry Fonda - front right!It’s not often that a photographer serendipitously captures a movie legend, like Henry Fonda, while taking “man on the street” photos. And if you say “That’s not Henry Fonda,” I will say, how do you know ... were you there? Powder plantMy father worked in that powder plant during WWII. I still have his W-2 forms for that time. Said it was extremely hot work, since they had to wear woolen outerwear to keep the powder off their skin. Just The Necessities Pack of smokes, a Coke, rack of sunglasses on offer and grab a box of cigars. Plus an ice cream cone. What more does one really need in Childersburg, Alabama? Dupont!A few years later, my dad was in the South Pacific, building airstrips. One afternoon, a sailor came into camp from the jungle, carrying a nice string of fish. Dad asked him, "What bait did you use?" Reply, in a southern drawl, "Dupont!" "Ladies and Gents"I bet in 1941 Coke and Lucky Strike were the No. 1 smoke and drink combo enjoyed by men and women alike. If that is a Lucky Strike pack on the counter, in 1942 it would be white in color, as Lucky Strike green went to war. Fonda ice creamPeter Fonda appears to be enjoying his cone. Smokleless PowderI used to work with a man who worked at a DuPont smokeless powder plant (later to be tapped by DuPont to go work at a super secret facility making slightly more explosive stuff; namely, plutonium). He said that DuPont was so strict about safety that everyone was searched for matches or lighters every day before entering the plant. You got one warning if you were caught with anything that could produce a flame. If it happened again, you were fired on the spot. I have a notionOr several, actually. Adjacent to the register are displays of cigars, sunglasses, and other impulse items geared to extract that extra bit of cash from the pockets of men whose wages after a long depression must seem unbelievably ample to them. "Hey, Bob! Grab me a packet of Sen-Sens, would ya? I've got a hot date tonight with Bertha from Accounting." Light the FuseImagine how busy these guys will be in seven months. I imagine prewar production of gunpowder was already high by May, 1941, but much less than demand after 12/7/41. Some observations: 1. Somebody tell the guy at the far end of the counter - NO SMOKING in a gunpowder factory! I suppose they couldn't even take a book of matches into the factory. 2. I have the same sugar bowl as the one on the counter next to the napkins. Green stripes. Very heavy - commercial "diner ware". I picked it up at a junk shop a long time ago - we use it as a salt cellar to hold that fancy pink cooking salt on the stove. It just tastes saltier, amiright? 3. I also had several pairs (may still have some) of the round, clip-on sunglasses from my bohemian, fashion-backwards, pre-wife, junk-shop phase. I think I bought a whole card of them at an entirely different junk shop. I gave some away, broke the clips on others. I used to wear them on prescription glasses that weren't quite the same shape. Looked extremely goofy, I'm told. Wife fixed the fashion goofy; ophthalmologist fixed my eyes. I'm in a better place. Goober Pea P.S. I received a very nice postcard from Team Shorpy this week thanking me for my Patreon contribution. I encourage all of you who derive pleasure from noodling through these photographs to chip in what you can to keep the site going. Easy to do. Link on the left side of the home page. (The Gallery, Eateries & Bars, Jack Delano)
Mrs. Henry Dukes: 1941
... Heard County, Georgia." Medium format acetate negative by Jack Delano for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Hope ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 11/05/2019 - 7:30pm -

April 1941. "Mrs. Henry Dukes, wife of tenant farmer and FSA borrower. She has about nine children and has been to hospital suffering from cancer. Heard County, Georgia." Medium format acetate negative by Jack Delano for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Hope Springs EternalWhat a poignant tableau here, as this poverty-stricken, ailing, and presumably exhausted woman stares into the camera against a backdrop depicting new cars, society weddings, and an immaculate "well-loved" house. We can only hope that her children were at least spared the poisonous effects of the touted lead paint with which that unattainable house was "loved." HauntingI haven’t been able to shake this image since first seeing it last night. This gaunt woman, relatively young, with “about” nine children, and cancer, has such a defeated and hollow air about her. And to be posed as if for a mug shot, or firing squad, in front of such images that contrast so baldly with her own reality, well, it’s heartbreaking. Give or take"About nine children" -- I guess when you pass four maybe numbers become immaterial? (The Gallery, Jack Delano, Portraits, Rural America)
The Home Team: 1941
... Heard County, Georgia." Medium format negative by Jack Delano for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Red Headed ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 02/10/2019 - 6:35pm -

April 1941. "Schoolchildren in Franklin, Heard County, Georgia." Medium format negative by Jack Delano for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Red Headed LeagueA whole passel of freckle-faced redheaded boys on the left! I wonder if they're all brothers or cousins? UnshodNary a shoe to be seen! No Doubt All CousinsEveryone in that county is related to everyone else, and that was probably the entire male population under 15 years old for the whole county in 1941. Heard County has always been one of the least populated counties in Georgia and is still desolate. Heard County and Greene County (which we have seen in earlier photos) are also two of the least prosperous counties in the state. Rolled Pant legOn the boy in front. When I went to school in the 1950s, that was the sign of someone who rode his bike to school. Rolling your pant leg up made it less likely to get caught in the chain, if you were missing the chainguard. What's in a Name?Overalls, coveralls, dungarees -- regardless of the what they were called in this neck of the woods, there is a charming uniqueness to each boys' "make and model." The different styles remind me of a comment about Norman Rockwell observing and painting what was called "the expressive vocabulary of shoes." I'll call this the expressive vocabulary of bib overalls as well as a study in practical pencil placement. Two (?) bicycle riders?The youngster nearest to the front (4th in from the left) is an obvious bike rider with his pant leg turned up to lessen the chance of catching it in the chain. However, the youngster to the far right also has a pant leg turned up, but the wrong side. Bicycles, to the best of my knowledge, all had their chain drive on the right side of the frame, not the left. Curious! (The Gallery, Jack Delano, Kids, Rural America)
Basting the Bird: 1940
... from Shorpy! Medium format acetate negative by Jack Delano for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Happy ... but that required constant diligence. (The Gallery, Jack Delano, Kitchens etc., Thanksgiving) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 11/26/2020 - 11:42pm -

November 28, 1940. "Mrs. T.L. Crouch, of Ledyard, Connecticut, pouring some water over her twenty-pound turkey on Thanksgiving Day." Happy Thanksgiving from Shorpy! Medium format acetate negative by Jack Delano for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Happy ThanksgivingOne of the very best parts of Shorpy (aside from the photographs, of course) is the spirit of community amongst the commenters. Let us all sit down at our virtual table together, whatever our views, and commit to the mutual wish for a resumption of our normal world and the usual Thanksgiving next year, where we can all sit together, cheek by jowl, in peace and good health. Water? Water!?I've heard of basting turkeys with stock, wine, butter, and oil, and I know some people don't baste at all. But I've never heard of basting with water. I hope my comment doesn't start a argument between pro-basting and anti-basting factions. Mine was a waterless birdI'm firmly in the non-basting faction -- with anything, but least of all with water. Too much work. I must say that my 22-lb bird turned out so perfectly this year, I myself wonder what my secret is. I think it's that I bought a high-quality product and did a refresher course on how to serve a juicy, crispy-brown-skinned turkey that makes everyone's mouth water. (Preheat the oven to 450 degrees, then cut the heat to 375 right after putting the bird in. That way it gets done in less time, and is deprived of the opportunity to dry out.) The result exceeded my expectations. For Christmas, however, we will have ham. Tall turkeyJudging by eye, I'd guess the pan lid sitting on the stovetop does not fit over that turkey. A Kalamazoo ~ Direct to YouMrs. Crouch uses a Kalamazoo "President" stove. The version with a Utility Shelf had a price of $79.90 in the Kalamazoo 1934 catalog. And yes, it had a thermometer built into the oven door. Watch video for some looks at the inside. Preheat oven to (blah blah blah)Before 1917, recipes didn't give oven temperatures in degrees, because there was no reliable way to measure or control on that basis. In 1917, Gus Baumgarten outfitted his gas oven with a thermostat. His experiment attracted the attention of Secretary of Commerce Herbert Hoover, who promoted thermostats nationwide. Nowadays it's hard to imagine not having a dial or digital control that you can set and forget until the timer goes off, but this lady was still using a wood or coal stove in 1940. It might have had a thermometer built into the oven door, as many stoves did in the early 20th century, but that required constant diligence. (The Gallery, Jack Delano, Kitchens etc., Thanksgiving)
Everyman: 1940
... near Durham, North Carolina. 35mm nitrate negative by Jack Delano. View full size. No Droopy Drawers Couldn't help but notice ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/21/2009 - 10:02pm -

May 1940. "Untitled." Mr. U and the rest of the Untitleds somewhere near Durham, North Carolina. 35mm nitrate negative by Jack Delano. View full size. No Droopy DrawersCouldn't help but notice BOTH suspenders and a belt on the man because I have a similar picture of an uncle from that era where he also is wearing both forms of trouser security. Quite a contrast to the stylin' look today of young mens' pants hanging way down below their underwear. Also the kids don't have IPods, Game boys, cellphones, laptops or twittering equipment. What on earth did they do, look at the scenery and talk to each other? Novel idea, but of course we don't miss what we never had. Still, I bet these kids had more happy memories than the ones today (who are on "peer communication duty" 24/7) will ever have. Hitting Close to HomeThanks a bunch, Dave. Great to see some pictures of the Tar Heel State, particularly my home town, the Bull City. I'll bet that daddy there had put in a lot of time in tobacco fields. A great study of the people, but too bad there's not a little more background shown for possible identification of the location. Maybe in front of the Royal Ice Cream Shop on Roxboro Rd. Love the smiling faces!Sitting at home with a cold and all kinds of little nagging personal and professional worries, this smiling family gave me a bit lift tonight. Travel in the family car is a simple affair (who needs power brakes, steering, or windows; sunroof; navigation system; DVD for rear seat passengers--much less an automatic transmission), and their happiness radiates through the years. The young man may well have served in WWII before it was over, but those worries are on the horizon. Yay, Shorpy! A continuing delight.... If I take one picture this good in my whole lifeI'll count it a blessing! HeartwarmingI absolutely love the expressions on everyone's faces. Perfectly captures a family's happy memories at the time of their creation. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Jack Delano)
Santa Fe: 1943
... and Santa Fe yards." Medium-format nitrate negative by Jack Delano for the Office of War Information. View full size. On the ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/26/2010 - 7:30pm -

March 1943. "Winslow, Arizona. Young Indian laborer working in the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe yards." Medium-format nitrate negative by Jack Delano for the Office of War Information. View full size. On the Atchison, Topeka & Santa FeSurely I'm not the only one to think of this when I read this entry? re: AT&SFI've had that, and the Eagles' "Take It Easy," rattling around in my brain all day. (The Gallery, Jack Delano, Railroads)
County Ordinary: 1941
... office in Greensboro, Georgia." Medium format negative by Jack Delano for the Resettlement Administration. View full size. Correctly ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 11/29/2019 - 6:27pm -

June 1941. "Mr. Lloyd Lewis, Greene County ordinary, in his office in Greensboro, Georgia." Medium format negative by Jack Delano for the Resettlement Administration. View full size. Correctly ShodSince the photo was taken between Memorial Day and Labor Day, white shoes are perfectly appropriate. Swat TeamThere's an anti-fly weapon on top, ready for use. Nothing ordinary about itWhat a pretty wife and insanely adorable child. And a Son of the American Revolution, no less. June 13, 1941Interesting story about a U-boat captain that gave the crew of an American ship 30 minutes to get to the lifeboats before the ship was sunk. Court of Ordinaryis what is usually called the Probate Court in other states than Georgia. Presumably he's the equivalent of a probate judge. I personally have never heard it called that before. The Extraordinary E. Lloyd LewisA Georgia "ordinary" was a hybrid judge-clerk whose job was to record important genealogical information. (In ancient Rome, an "ordinarius" would hear civil and criminal matters.) The term was used from at least 1868 when the Reconstruction-era Georgia Constitution was approved, until 1974 when voters amended the State Constitution to change the name to "probate court." Those books on his desk were the County's official marriage and death records. (Note the security wire-glass and the roll-down shutters on each window.) The "Minutes" book "N" would have contained the decisions of the ordinary acting as a judge. The two books to the right are probate records. To his left, the book marked "Colored" would have contained marriage records for non-white Greene County residents. Presumably, the "White" book was next to it. Most of these records are now available online via familysearch.org, but organized by people's names, dates, etc., not volume. It's possible to read the actual books via microfilm at various libraries, but I could not find images online. Mr. Lewis practiced law in Greenville from at least the 1930s through the 1960s. He argued several cases in the Georgia Supreme Court, mostly concerning trusts, estates and what we'd call "Family Law" today (e.g., https://cite.case.law/ga/182/131/183648/). He was also a landowner and, at about the time of this photograph, a party to a lawsuit by a tenant (a farmer?) who claimed to own land that Mr. Lewis and the county sheriff he had bought from a third party. The tenant sought to have the deed canceled as fraudulent. You can imagine how a lawsuit against the County bigwigs turned out. If you can't guess: https://cite.case.law/ga/194/203/ Tin with running stick figureAnyone know what the little canister on his desk might be? I can't quite make out the text. Possibly " ... ink eraser"? Mr. Lewis also appears to have a plant or some cut flowers wrapped in newspaper on his desk. Perhaps for the lovely lady pictured above. Possibly relatedCarter's Inky Racer StickmanAnyone notice the running stickman on the container just beyond the newspaper? Interesting desk itemsA plant with roots wrapped in newspaper, a running stick man on a cylinder (and I thought the stick man was a '60s/'70s design), ink pot, ink pen, mini calendar and, most importantly, photographs and memorabilia under the glass writing surface. And the papers in the cubby holes in what, to me, looks like random filings are probably very important and he knows what each is for. But what is missing from the desk is the note stick pin, a calendar with written notes and a daily ledger book. Segregated booksThe book to the left, visible under his chin, is "Colored Greene County." The books on the right are just "Greene County." The remarkable Lewis familyEdward Lloyd Lewis Jr. was about 37 in the photo and lived to the age of 71. The child in the photo is Edward Lloyd Lewis who became a dermatologist and died this year. Dr. Lewis’s thoughtful obituary can be read here: https://www.mccommonsfuneralhome.com/notices/DrEdward-Lewis Greene County was a center of black activism in the years following the Civil War. It’s interesting to contrast that fact with images of the Colored Greene County volume and the Carter’s Ink mascot (although simplified from the overtly racist mascot of the 1920s), and the knowledge that Edward Jr.’s grandfather, Miles Walker Lewis, Jr., served as a Confederate soldier. (The Gallery, Jack Delano, Small Towns, The Office)
Orders Neatly Boxed: 1940
... in Jewett City, Connecticut." 35mm nitrate negative by Jack Delano. View full size. Fish & Chips in Newspaper When I lived ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 12/26/2012 - 9:39pm -

November 1940. "Men outside of a beer parlor in Jewett City, Connecticut." 35mm nitrate negative by Jack Delano. View full size. Fish & Chips in NewspaperWhen I lived in England in 1972 fish and chips were sold wrapped in newspaper. By the time you got to the last chip the newspaper was transparent from the grease soaking. Western AutoThose were wonderful stores. I remember bugging my dad until be bought me a seven-transistor turquoise-colored portable radio from Western Auto. It was an AM/FM model, but of course there were no FM stations near Pascagoula, Mississippi to tune into. I taped that radio to my English racer's handlebars and rode around listening to WTIX out of New Orleans. Western Auto also sold student-grade guitars and amps. Many of us began on those; very similar guitars were sold at Sears and Montgomery Wards. When we moved to Port Arthur, Texas, a few years later, my mom bought me a Texas Ranger red wagon from the local Western Auto. Re: Fish & Chips in NewspaperAlso back in the early 70's, our company in California had hired a bunch of Scottish machinists. I had picked up a large order of F&C for lunch, traditionally packed in newspaper. I brought the leftovers to work that night, and joined co-workers in the cafeteria to eat. The Scotsmen a few tables over looked like they *really* wanted to come over and help me eat! (I can't believe I remember the place! Foghorn Fish & Chips, in the Haight.) No disorderlyfish and chips here, ours are neatly boxed, and don't forget to pick up your clean suit for 39 cents. And haven't heard the word beer parlor since I left the prairies. ... as opposed to?Being wrapped in the daily news? Highway PackageBeing a native of Massachusetts, a "package store" to me doesn't mean a UPS or FedEx shop, it's the old name for a liquor store. My Dad still uses the term, "going to the packy" before the holiday party. Since Connecticut is right next door, I'm assuming that it means the same there? Also, can anybody make out what costs 19 cents on the front of the dry cleaner's window? Western AutoI used to go to Western Auto with my dad -- to me as a kid, they were the neatest stores: they had a little bit of everything in them it seems from hardware to auto accessories to bicycles and tools. Another venerable institution that's bitten the dust. The 19¢ signEven with processing, there's still a lot of guesswork involved. But I think the left front window sign says... Special Men's Pants Dry Cleaned & Pressed 19¢ (The Gallery, Eateries & Bars, Jack Delano)
Portraits: 1941
... FSA client of Dummerston, Vermont." Acetate negative by Jack Delano for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. The Lynch ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 04/11/2020 - 4:14pm -

August 1941. "One of the children of Albert Lynch, FSA client of Dummerston, Vermont." Acetate negative by Jack Delano for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. The Lynch familyThe 1940 census shows Albert living with his wife Helen, children Alberta, Catherine, Donald, Olive, Lawrence, and Delia, and Albert’s 71-year-old aunt Emma. Donald was 9 and Lawrence was 6. I can’t tell which one this is. A Place for Old PicturesBet that portrait is hanging in a Cracker Barrel restaurant somewhere. (The Gallery, Jack Delano, Kids, Portraits)
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