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State of New York: 1910
... "Cuyahoga River from the viaduct." Sidewheeler State of New York at the Detroit & Cleveland Navigation Co. docks. View full size. ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 10/30/2012 - 2:45pm -

Cleveland, Ohio, ca. 1910. "Cuyahoga River from the viaduct." Sidewheeler State of New York at the Detroit & Cleveland Navigation Co. docks. View full size.
Schlitz the Beer that Made Milwaukee Famous The Schlitz globe stirs the cockles of my heart. The brewery owned a number of retail outlets (taverns) in the Milwaukee area prior to prohibition, each adorned with a ribboned Schlitz globe atop the establishment. After prohibition the company divested itself of the bars. To the best of my knowledge the only remaining building with a globe houses a wonderful Serbian restaurant in the Bay View area of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (The burek is outstanding.) The old Schlitz Brewery buildings now host trendy bars, retail and office space, lofts, etc.   
State of those White DressesMust have been quite a bit of laundering going on upon return home to wash out all that coal-burning steam engine soot, etc.
Urban Planning Back in the DayNice how they leveled off the top of that slag heap to construct attractive river-view villas.
From a 1900 mapI believe the photographer is on the viaduct crossing the river from the numeral "3". The domed buildings right of center are Union Depot. Today's Browns' Stadium is there now, or just behind them.
The River TodayThe two buildings on the right behind the boat are still there. The two large tanks in the distance are where the office building that's being built (with the crane on top) today is. I used to work just east of the site of the two tanks, on the top of the hill and we used to gaze out the window towards the river all the time. It was all overgrown in the 80s and then cleared and used as an impound lot. Someone then bought the property, cleaned it up and created a legitimate parking lot out of it. In the process they uncovered and removed the stones of the foundations of the two storage tanks. I think they were Standard Oil tanks.
Cleveland Browns stadium would be off to the right of the photo in the far distance, with the land not created yet, as it's built on landfill.
Burp! Though be-fogged with coal smoke, Schlitz is still the beer that made Milwaukee famous. Apparently with a little help from Moxie, A drink that always tasted of ground up walnut hulls to me. 
(The Gallery, Boats & Bridges, DPC, Railroads)

Chelsea Piers: 1912
New York, 1912. "New Chelsea Piers on the Hudson." Feast your eyes on this veritable visual ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 01/15/2024 - 3:02pm -

New York, 1912. "New Chelsea Piers on the Hudson." Feast your eyes on this veritable visual smorgasbord. 8x10 inch glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size.
Gloriously Good! Cork TippedProbably my favorite things to look for in these pictures are the advertising signs. I never smoked or even saw a Nebo cigarette, but now I'd like to just because of that sign. One of the things I miss the most from my childhood and early adulthood is the wide variety of tobacco advertising and many of these old signs are getting to be valuable to collectors. Imagine the price of a big Nebo sign if you could even find one!
White Star LinesWhere the Titanic was headed when it had an unexpected detour.
The Carpathia would tie up there and discharge the survivors.
Here's your Hopkins Manufacturing Building....View Larger Map
Play ball! (or anything else)With commercial* and passenger shipping long gone, several of the piers have now been repurposed into a huge, multi-sport athletic facility. Their nautical past hasn't completely vanished, however, as they contain docking facilities for several party/dinner-cruise ships and a marina. Prior to the athletic facility's opening about 15 years ago the piers had been decrepit for many years.  
The streetcar yard in the lower right is most likely that of the 23rd Street Crosstown Line, which ran along the street of that name from river to river.  It was among the last of Manhattan's streetcar lines to be "bustituted" in the mid-1930's.  Today the athletic facility is a fairly long walk from the nearest subway station, that of the C and E trains at 23rd Street and Eighth Avenue, but that certainly hasn't hurt its popularity.
* = shipping certainly hasn't disappeared from New York Harbor, it's just that with the advent of container shipping most activity has relocated to New Jersey, with some in Staten Island and Brooklyn
Working hardThey're working up a sweat in the upper floor offices of the Steel Construction building!
Funnels and mastsThe sight of all those funnels and masts poking up from the successive piers is a visual tease of the very best kind.
Not the Night before ChristmasLease.
The Cross & Brown Company has leased
for the Clement Moore estate the plot 100 X 95 feet
at 548 to 554 West Twenty-second
street for a term of years at an aggregate
rent of $250,000. The property will be improved
with a four story and basement
fireproof building, to be occupied by the
Hopkins Manufacturing Company of Hanover.
Pa., as a carriage factory. James
N Wells's Sons were associated as brokers
In the transaction.'
NY Sun - Oct 15 1911
Would you stay at the TERMINAL Hotel?  Does anyone ever check out?
Somewhere out thereA traction modeler is dreaming of the layout he'll base on this photo as soon as his Significant Other agrees to give up the spare room.
Strictly Limited EngagementA swift plummet down the Google hole reveals that "A Scrape o' the Pen" was a Scottish comedy that ran for just under three months at Weber's Music Hall.  The names of the actors in the cast read like pitch-perfect parodies of themselves, perhaps from a unmade Coen Brothers period film.  I note only the delightful Fawcett Lomax, who sailed back without delay after the show closed to Liverpool, aboard the Lusitania, in December, 1912.
Drafting - the old way!My eyes, too, were drawn to the top floor of the steel construction building. The white shirts and ties, and the tell-tale bend of the torso, makes me believe that this is the drafting room. No CAD terminals, just wonderful old T-squares, triangles, and compasses. Those were the days!
Not just a flash in the pan"A Scrape O' The Pen" apparently entertained a worldwide audience over several years. Here's a 1915 review from a  run in Adelaide, Australia:
A Scrape o' the Pen.
In the olden days in Scotland no funeral was complete without its professional mourner, and in Mr. Graham Moffat's Scottish comedy, "A Scrape o' the Pen," which opens at the Theatre Royal on Saturday, Mr. David Urquhart, who delighted theatregoers here as Weelum in "Bunty Pulls the Strings" will humorously depict Peter Dalkeith, a paid mourner, which profession he has adopted, owing to his being jilted by the girl of his choice. This, and such old-time customs as Hogmanay, first footing, &c, have provided Mr. Moffat with excellent material for his new comedy. The story of the play is concerned with the romantic marriage of a young boy and girl according to Scottish law, the young fellow leaving for Africa immediately after signing the papers, and the subsequent adventures of the wife he leaves behind. Mr. and Mrs. Moffat are appearing in the original parts of Mattha and Leezie Inglis, and will have the support of a newly-augmented company of Scottish players.
Pier 62On the west side of Manhattan piers are numbered by this method: the cross street plus 40. Thus, Pier 62 (the number above the "American Line" pier) is located on 22nd Street. Therefore Peter's estimation that the streetcar yard is on 23rd Street appears to be correct.
Interestingly, this photo captures a streetcar about to enter or exit the yard. If there is a clock in view, a date in 1912 for the photo, a streetcar schedule and some streetcar records still around, we might know which streetcar, which direction it was heading and who was driving it. Might even find the fare collection records and know how many people rode that run that day. Ahhh, history's mysteries.
Quaker StateAttached is an advertisement, perhaps another Billboard, flacking Old Quaker Rye Whiskey. Looks like 3 Clubmen welcoming their Bootlegger, possibly Benjamin Franklin. Quakers are allowed to imbibe but not at the Meeting House.
Can anyone tell meThe purpose of the frameworks that extend above the edges of the pier roofs? My guess is that they re to prevent the rigging of masted ships from tearing into the roofs themselves - anyone have a better guess?
Highly sought afterbut rarely found; honesty in a rye whiskey.
Chelsea PiersThe steel frameworks on the roofs held the tracks for the rigid or roll-up heavy pier side doors during vessel unloading.
One of the few...trucks in this picture: just above the Old Quaker whiskey sign.
Broadway JonesThe great George M. Cohan wrote the script, composed the score, directed, and starred in "Broadway Jones," a comedy about a boy who inherits a chewing gum factory, saves the company, and wins the heart of the girl.  His father, Jere, and his mother, Nellie, costarred.  
I can tell youThe girderwork at the edges of the finger piers can also be used in conjunction with ships' tackle to extend the reach for loading and unloading cargo.
Henry B. Harris of Titanic fame presents  -  "The Talker"Interesting that a partially hidden billboard for the 1912 play "The Talker" produced by Henry B Harris would be so close the the White Star Line pier. Harris being a celebrity who lost his life on board the Titanic in April of 1912.
Two largest shipsThe twin funneled liner at Pier 60 appears to be the White Star Liner RMS Oceanic (1899) and, further away at Pier 56 is the RMS Campania (1893).
And on our leftin the distance is 463 West Street home of Bell Labs, where many devices we take for granted were invented.  And in the distance to the right, over in Hoboken one can see the North German Lloyd piers, and to their right the Holland America pier which appeared earlier in Shorpy.
Mercantile Marine Co.Interesting story about the company that owned all of the ship lines at these piers here.
The Nebo ManYears before the Marlboro man rode the range there was Nebo man looking so cool with color coordinated tie and hat plus I'm sure he lit that match with the tip of his thumb's fingernail.

Dog ParkIs that where the dog park is now? In the bottom right hand corner, where all the train/trolley cars are parked? 
(The Gallery, Boats & Bridges, DPC, NYC, Streetcars)

Hoy's Hotel: 1901
... after President McKinley's casket arrived by train from New York after his assassination there two days earlier). Click for full text. ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 02/20/2024 - 1:38pm -

Washington, D.C., circa 1901. "View of Eighth Street N.W., east side, looking north from D Street with Hoy's Hotel on the corner and the U.S. Patent Office building at the end of the street." 5x7 inch dry plate glass negative, D.C. Street Survey Collection. View full size.
Every part a sentence.Signpainting instruction books up to about 1900 considered every thought in a sign to be a complete sentence, and thus required a capital to start and a period to finish. I have seen signs like "The Jones Co.." where the Co. is an abbreviation of Company and the second period is because the name is a complete sentence. I'm not sure if print shops or penmen followed the same logic. It's a quick rule of thumb for dating old signs.
I'd love to know that storyWho was the Foxy Grandpa?
Use when a thought or sentence is completeThe sign painter put a period after: Hoy's Hotel, Pool Room, and Hoy's Hotel Bar. Either he was a stickler for grammar, or he got paid by the character. 
I'm with Sgt McG -- what did they mean by Foxy in 1901, and why did it require one to go through a door at the back of the hotel?
["Foxy Grandpa" was a stage play. - Dave]
Thanks for the explanation, Dave.  I found two short reels of Foxy Grandpa, here and here, both dated 1902.  Grandpa could bust some moves.

Shenanigans at the HoyFrom the June 19, 1901, Washington Times, p2.

That is me!I am sooooooo going to get a Foxy Grandpa t-shirt!
+115Below is the same view from June of 2016.
I've heard of Foxy Grandpa!That banner really caught my eye.  My Grandpa Reilly, born in NJ in 1898, used to tell me stories in the 1960s, of his "historic" childhood.  According to him, "Foxy Grandpa" was a popular newspaper cartoon character, who also had a spin-off chocolate penny candy brand, which the Sisters at his Catholic elementary school used to give to the classroom winners of spelling bees, arithmetic tests, and such. 
"Foxy", at the turn of the last century, meant clever, tricky, and hard to fool. 
"Foxy Grandpa"A review of the play as it appeared in the Washington Post (the day after President McKinley's casket arrived by train from New York after his assassination there two days earlier). Click for full text.

(The Gallery, D.C., D.C. Street Survey)

New York: 1908
... [That's the Park Row tower, tallest building in New York until the Singer was completed. - Dave] NYC 1908 At first I ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/09/2011 - 12:38pm -

Manhattan, looking northeast from atop the Singer Building in 1908. 5x7 glass negative, George Grantham Bain Collection. View full size.
Penthouse!That is a nice penthouse (I presume) with the courtyard there near the center.
[That's the Park Row tower, tallest building in New York until the Singer was completed. - Dave]
NYC 1908At first I thought the white specks were birds. (Duh). The penthouse is amazing. Were the two domed structures on the left part of the penthouse?  And "Temple Court" there on the right is interesting. It would be fun to explore a huge blow up of this shot.
NYC BuildingsOkay here we go, looking north on Broadway. The spire at the bottom left is St. Paul's Chapel 1764-66, spire added 1796, oldest surviving church in Manhattan. The building next to it with inner courtyard is Astor House 1834-36, demolished 1926 for the Transportation Building (1927, York and Sawyer, 44 floors). Skip two to the one with the flagpole, the Mechanics Society building of 1870, seven stories. The top floors were the office studio of Irving Underhill, who took this picture.
[Note from Dave: This is not an Underhill photo. George Grantham Bain took the picture.]
Between the Society & the Astor House these buildings were demolished for the Woolworth tower of 1913 (Cass Gilbert, 792 feet, 57 floors). The peak-roofed building behind the flag was William Sloane Carpets and a patent office, 245 Broadway. The next big structure north is the Postal Telegraph and Home Life Insurance building, 1892-94.
The next building north, barely visible, is the National Shoe and Leather Bank, which is in the Postcard Views of Old New York Web site. Continuing north, partially obscured by steam, is the Broadway Chambers building (1899-1900, Cass Gilbert, 18 stories). Heading east across Broadway at the top of the photo underneath the letters E. FROM SINGER BUIL is the Clock Tower (New York Life Insurance, 1894-98, Stephen Decatur Hatch / McKim, Mead & White).
The building hiding the front of the clock towe is Brooklyn Life Insurance, 15 stories. Heading south the next big building might be Queen Insurance. South of that is A.T. Stewart's Marble Palace of 1846 (Joseph Trench & John B. Snook). The two behind the palace were demolished to make way for the Emigrant Industrial Savings Bank (1908-1912, Raymond F. Almirall).
Gotta go, I'll finish Part 2 later and will provide book credits and favorite Web references.
(The Gallery, G.G. Bain, NYC)

The Equitable Fire: New York, 1912
... in its vaults. (These amounts come from this New York Times article (pdf). An interesting read.) According to ... 1901 (Clinton and Russell). The small dome to left is the New York Clearing House on Cedar Street. The small peak-roofed building at top ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/08/2011 - 6:55pm -

January 1912. Equitable fire as viewed from the Singer Building. View full size. 5x7 glass negative, George Grantham Bain Collection. An account of the fire.
You go!Dave: congratulations! You got noticed by Glenn; well done! 
Denny Gill
Chugiak, Alaska
Oh my gosh...The article linked above kinda hints at “millions of dollars in negotiable bonds” in vaults. Try $375,000,000 worth. And $10,000,000 in cash. And that's just what belonged to the Equitable Trust Company and the Mercantile Branch of Bankers Trust. Another firm, Equitable Life Assurance, had $274,000,000 in its vaults, and August Belmont & Company, had only $150,000,000 in its vaults. (These amounts come from this New York Times article (pdf). An interesting read.)
According to spreadsheet file from this site, the $809,000,000 reported would roughly translate to $16.5 billion in 2007 dollars.
I wonder how much of that wealth was wiped out in 1929?
InterestingHope the place was insured!
The most interesting thing to me about this is seeing what the Equitable building looks like from above, rather than from street level. 
Cold Day on BroadwayOkay, the white building in the left foreground is the American Exchange National Bank, 1901 (Clinton and Russell). The small dome to left is the New York Clearing House on Cedar Street. The small peak-roofed building at top left is Federal Hall. To the right of it is Hanover Bank, 1901-03 (James B.Baker). To the right of the bank is the newly constructed Banker's Trust Co. (Trowbridge and Livingston). The small structure below these is the Astor building on 10 Wall Street. This and the Hanover Bank were demolished 1931. The tall building to the right of the Astor is American Surety, 1896 (Bruce Price). Two buildings behind it is the United Bank. The two on the right are the Trinity, 1904-05, at top of picture and U.S. Realty, 1906-07 (Francis Hatch Kimball), at 11-115 Broadway. Equitable Life Assurance itself was built in 1870. That's it for now, Peace.
(The Gallery, Fires, Floods etc., G.G. Bain, NYC)

Along Fifth: 1908
New York circa 1908. "Fifth Avenue and 42nd Street." Where hustle meets bustle. ... Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. Old New York I think I see Edith Wharton out for a stroll with friends. Down ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 10/15/2016 - 3:12pm -

New York circa 1908. "Fifth Avenue and 42nd Street." Where hustle meets bustle. 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size.
Old New YorkI think I see Edith Wharton out for a stroll with friends.
Down belowFor some reason I am really enjoying the elderly gentleman peering down the manhole over at the right. That little scene looks to me like a New Yorker cartoon waiting for its caption.
Facing North or SouthAn amazing photo. I doubt if even a single building in this photo is still standing. Can anybody tell whether this photo is facing north or south? In 1908 Fifth Avenue was obviously a two-way street, but today it's one way southbound traffic. If the photo is facing south the NY Library is out of view on the right, if it's facing north the Library is out of view on the left.
North South replySince 5th Ave runs NNE and the shadows are cast almost straight down the street , this shot was taken at app 2 pm with the camera facing almost due north . 
Re Old New YorkFunny, this photo made me think of Henry James!
I wonderWould a man get dirty looks back in the day if he was on the street without a hat?
PatchworkThe patch on the police officer's left arm is the oldest patch still in continuous use in the NYPD. It is a brown horse's head and neck, centered over a yellow spoked wheel.
The Traffic unit/squad/division (it has had various names over the decades) was one of the first specialized NYPD units. This was at a time before traffic lights, etc., and was in response to the chaos visible in the photo.
A Mostly Automobileless Street?It is interesting to note that in 1908, years after the automobile was common-place in New York and other large cities, that I can discern but a few of these "Horse replacements" in this busy street scene.
The first that I see is beneath the "Fifth Ave." sign to the left, the second between the first two delivery wagons and a third and possibly a fourth are to the right of the large street light. Anybody see more?
Or - Quite possibly it is a cold day, owing to everyone's attire, and most of those "Gas Buggies" are already garaged and up on blocks for the winter.
Street lightsThe street lights of "the old days" are so artistic compared to the lights of the present. Even the street signs have class. 
This is why........I always check in to Shorpy.
What a fantastic photograph.
LibraryThe library was built from 1897 to 1911, so it was under construction when this photo was taken circa 1908.
The library is out of frame on the left, across 5th Avenue, on the same side of 42nd Street as the photographer.
The subway pole and metal pipe railing in the photo's right foreground (i.e., the southeast corner of the intersection) can be seen, along with the library itself, in this photo:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_York_Public_Library_Main_Branch#/media...
Detector of the UnwaryI wonder how many succumbed to the 18 inch high railings in the right foreground?
Best  EverBest Shorpy scene ever.
(The Gallery, DPC, NYC)

New York: 1910
... Jacob Astor in 1836 and was considered the finest hotel in New York City for decades. It has been considered the direct ancestor to the Astor ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/14/2012 - 8:48pm -

Lower Manhattan circa 1910. "Hudson Terminal buildings." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size.
Tower of PowerWhat would the open ironwork tower in the upper left have been for?  Much too small for a water tower, could it have been an observation post for fires? Or perhaps for steamship arrivals (before the terminal buildings were built)?  Maybe a weather station? Or a wireless mast?
Pre-WTCI've always wanted to see a better shot of these buildings, as they were so overlooked.
(It's also interesting to see this particular shot on this particular day as well, considering what was built there.)
Fit for FishingThe sign on the right says, "Fishing Tackle That's Fit For Fishing, Abercrombie."
[You're close -- it's Abbey & Imbrie. - Dave]
Nice understatementThe Hudson Terminal Buildings were located on the future site of the World Trade Center, weren't they?
I like this one.This is a great photo!
Early Twin TowersUnbelievable shot Dave.  An appropriate tribute to 9/11 and a reminder we must never forget the ATTACKS (they were not "tragic events") that day in 2001.  This view is from Park Row looking southwest. Those towers stood on what was to become the World Trade Center site.  The roof of the Astor House can be seen in the immediate foreground which stood on Broadway between Vesey and Barclay Streets.  It was built by John Jacob Astor in 1836 and was considered the finest hotel in New York City for decades.  It has been considered the direct ancestor to the Astor Hotel that was on Times Square and the two Waldorf-Astorias (the first on Fifth and the current one on Park).  It was demolished in sections beginning in 1913.   St. Paul's Chapel in the left foreground still stands today.  For months after 9/11 the fence around St. Paul's was completely covered in hand-made signs asking for help in locating those who were missing after the attacks.  That is something I'll never forget. 
A sad bit of ironythe ground floor of the old Evening Post building at 20 Vesey Street houses the 9/11 Memorial Preview Site.
Found! Titanic link!So here we see the test lab for the Titanic's deck chairs.
Colossal structures of the past.We don't have that tall buildings here in Finland even now (Well, maybe one or two). And that was 100 years ago. I guess there's lots of space here. No need to "go up." But that's still pretty impressive! Shame that those are not around anymore, they would have also made a lot more difficult target to hit, than WTC. Btw, I think it's kinda ironic that now they build world's tallest buildings in the middle east (Burj Khalifa in Dubai and that new colossal clock tower in Mecca. I'm just waiting for the news that some American has snapped and had enough and decided to even up the score some with a plane of his own.)
P.S. I did see the attack in N.Y. coming years ahead (But the scenario I speculated to happen, was a terrorist nuclear attack in N.Y.), as I did see the end of Soviet Union coming and the falling of berlin wall. Nobody never believes me before these things actually happen. (I'm no fortune teller, I jus't follow things going on in the world and use common sense to put 2+2 together)
Chim Chiminey45 (?) chimneys, countless steam pipes and one water tank!  I find rooftops the absolute most interesting parts of old building!
New York Law SchoolFWIW, New York Law School was started by several Columbia University Law School professors who had philosophical and pedagological differences with the Columbia Universtiy administration.
Attractive BuildingsThe Hudson Terminal buildings look quite attractive. It may be blasphemous to say this but I was never a fan of the architecture in the WTC buildings. 
Rooftop VentsWhat are those oblong chimney-like structures seen on the roofs of several buildings? Could they be fireplace exhausts?
[Your hunch is correct: The chimneylike things are chimneys! - Dave]
So beautifulWhat a poignant window on the past. Amazing how events, when filtered through time and knowledge and experience, backwards and forwards, fraught as they are with emotion, take on new meaning. Now when I see a movie with the WTC towers standing insouciantly in the background, unaware of their fate, I get a catch in my throat. Similarly to visit NYC and just look at the air where they stood, presents a moment of listening and learning if you let it.
(The Gallery, DPC, NYC)

Esso Extra: 1942
December 1942. "New York, New York. Girl at gasoline pump." Medium format acetate negative by Royden J. ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 01/15/2024 - 11:46am -

December 1942. "New York, New York. Girl at gasoline pump." Medium format acetate negative by Royden J. Dixon for the Office of War Information. View full size.
Outfit materialVelour?  Corduroy?  It has a soft, plush look.
8 cents per gallon?Am I reading the price correctly on the gas pump?
[Um, no. - Dave]

Fill 'er Up!Tell me that's not Ethyl manning the pumps!
Neatness countsWomen employees had certainly improved the look of stations since John Vachon photographed one two years earlier.
The smoking sectionA fine example of modern looking "computer" pumps, at least if we ignore the archaic sight-glass (and those weird dome tops, that give them the appearance of small mosques).
What particularly caught my eye, however is the curious(ly skimpy) "No Smoking" signage: the placement gives the illusion that the proscription only applies to the regular grade  
That is no girl!An adult woman, to my eye. But those were different days.
"Extra" pumpsWonder why there are two "extra" pumps sitting inside the station in the background apparently not (yet) in use.  Maybe the station was in the process of converting over to the "new" style pumps and that's what motivated this photo.
[There are pumps on both sides of the island. What motivated the photo is wartime girl station attendants! - Dave]
Price per gallon todayAdjusted for inflation, 20 cents in 1942 would be $3.83 today. 
Outfit material continuedI guessed it might be cotton velveteen?
Want to feel old?Few people who are less than solidly middle aged have seen gasoline pumps that show a sale's cost with only three digits.   Yet before the 1973 oil embargo they were ubiquitous.
PeekabooI wonder who is that hiding behind the bulk oil dispenser? Doesn't appear to be wearing a pump jockey uniform.
When People Didn't Throw Away Pennies8 and 10 cents a gallon are $1.56 and $1.95 in today's dollars.
[The prices on these pumps are 18 and 20 cents a gallon. - Dave]
Mystery equipmentWhat is the equipment on the right in front of the two pumps and the person in black on the back side of the island?
Gas Is Less Expensive Today If 20 cents equals $3.83 today, one must remember that cars today get almost twice the mileage they got back then. So back then to go to and from the same distance as one would go today it would cost them 40 cents, adjusted for inflation should mean that gas today should be $7.66.
IMO, the reason we think gas prices are so high is because of all the "stuff" we simply must have that did not exist back then, like computers, cable TV, the Internet and more, that comes out of your paycheck each month. Take all that away and $3.50 a gallon would be less a drain today than 20 cents was back then. 
In Case of Fire ... There is a handy soda-acid fire extinguisher hanging on the wall to the left. It appears that there was some wear and tear on the filler hoses dragging on the ground. The fix was to wind some heavy rubber tubing around the area on each hose. The Imperial Oil Company in Canada still uses the name Esso for its gas stations. 
Silver LiningCoins were made from real silver back then!  Take that into consideration when adjusting for inflation.
(The Gallery, Gas Stations, NYC)

D-Day: New York
New York, June 6, 1944. ALLIED ARMIES LAND ON COAST OF FRANCE. GREAT INVASION OF ... BEGINS. "D-Day. Crowd watching the news line on the New York Times building at Times Square." Photo by Howard Hollem or Edward ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 06/06/2013 - 10:25am -

New York, June 6, 1944. ALLIED ARMIES LAND ON COAST OF FRANCE. GREAT INVASION OF CONTINENT BEGINS. "D-Day. Crowd watching the news line on the New York Times building at Times Square." Photo by Howard Hollem or Edward Meyer for the Office of War Information. View full size.
Unidentified ObjectDoes anyone know what the curved metal object with letters on it is?  It appears to be on top of a car on the right.
[DeSoto "Sky View" taxicab sign. - Dave]

Internet, 1944is what this could have been titled. The scrolling electric sign was as good as it got then, and I am sure those folks were fairly amazed to see it. I wonder what it took to program it?
My great-uncle went in at D Day +60 (August 7) as a replacement in the 2nd Infantry Division (L Company, 23rd Infantry Regiment); he was seriously wounded at Brest, France, a month later, died in 1956...and I was named for him. 
That was never far from my mind when I served in Iraq in 2004 at the same age he was when he earned his Purple Heart and (I believe) a Bronze Star. 
To all those who went in on D-Day...and throughout WWII, I stand and salute.
So what about that moving sign?According to various sources the NY Times installed the first moving "news ticker" in 1928, using 14,800 electric bulbs. Given the technology of the day, I can only guess that each bulb required a relay, which would have to click on and off almost instantly to momentarily light its bulb, as the text scrolls along. This must have been a maintenance challenge (there seems to be a few extra bulbs lit, and some brighter ones that may just have been replaced). They may have used or even invented the "matrix" technique still used today for LCD displays, which uses "crosspoint" wiring to greatly reduce the number of lines going from the elements to the control system, but my mind still boggles at the number of wires remaining, and what kind of electro-mechanical system translated "operator input" to the streaming text. If only Shorpy's world-wide readership included a retired electro-mechanical sign technician!
Just the technology of the news line was something...Before zooming in to see the image full size, on first glance the guy on the left and the guy 2nd from the right were in a posture not to different than someone holding a cellphone to the ear. Of course it's clear they were dragging on fags, sucking on coffin nails, drawing down on  Pall Malls while taking in the portentous news. As someone not born until 12 years after the war was over - I am fascinated by what day to day life in the US was like, mobilized for war. Of course I grew up knowing it was a success, but at that very moment, who knew how this was going to work out - the intensity of the moment, even for folks in the street in Times Square, must have been incredible.
Pausing to rememberMy brother landed D-Day plus 12 and my uncle D-Day plus 20.  They were lucky, I guess, and returned to us to live out long lives.  Great photo.  Really profound.
6-6-44Yet to be born, a twinkle in my father's eye as he dropped from the sky into Caen with the Canadians early that morning. RIP Dad.
23,740 days later 
Kind of Gladwe can't see many faces in the crowd.  We'd have to start wondering what they were thinking -- Is my son there? My dad? My husband? My brother?
Funny but I cannot summon up any memory of D-Day.  VE and VJ Days, and the dropping of the two A-bombs are sharp and clear, but not D-Day.  
I think perhaps that it might relate to what happened in early May. I was out riding my trike when a Western Union messenger rode up on his bike and went into the three-family apartment in which I lived.  I heard a terrible scream through the open windows of the first-floor unit. All the neighbors (women since the men were in the military or working) flocked to the apartment with screams continuing for some time. I learned that the woman's son had been killed in action. 
I did not totally understand the horror, but I was sad because the young man had been very nice to the punk kid airplane nut from the third floor, even letting me hold his model planes.
The first-floor family were an elderly couple, with the one child, who had become a fighter pilot in the Pacific. The husband walked with heavy braces and crutches, and, as I later learned, they just quit and gave up life.  They moved within days and we never heard from them again.
I think that I was in a bit of a void for a while.
Walking to churchOn January 6, 1944, I was 6 years old in Fort Smith, Arkansas, part of a young generation which at the time had no knowledge of a condition known as peace. On that day, my mother received a phone call from a fellow church member who was calling everyone in the congregation to say that the invasion was under way. This was the signal to come to the church to pray. Our family; mother, father and two boys walked to the church to pray for the safety and success of our "American Boys" on that day.
DeSoto Sky ViewThose great old DeSoto cabs had a sliding roof panel to let passengers see the views above them while being carried through the Manhattan canyons. The skyscraper with the clock housed the Paramount Theatre, a wonderful place to visit for a movie and a live stage show. I saw Phil Spitalny and his "All-Girl Orchestra featuring Evelyn and her Magic Violin" there with my family. The movie was "Miss Susie Slagle's," starring Veronica Lake and Sonny Tufts.
Bright Lights, Big SignRadio CoverageThe National Archives in College Park, Maryland has recordings of the entire NBC and CBS broadcast day from D-Day and anyone can go in and listen to them.  It's a very good way to get a sense of what the day was like  for people at home listening on the radio as events unfolded.  
News ZipperFrom a 2005 NYT article on the Zipper:
The Motograph News Bulletin, to use its original formal name, began operation on Nov. 6, 1928, election night, as a band of 14,800 light bulbs that extended 380 feet long and 5 feet high around the fourth floor of what was then the Times Tower. It was installed for The New York Times by Frank C. Reilly, according to an article in The Times, which identified Mr. Reilly as the inventor of electric signs with moving letters.
Inside the control room, three cables poured energy into transformers. The hookup to all the bulbs totaled 88,000 soldered connections. Messages from a ticker came to a desk beside a cabinet like the case that contained type used by old-time compositors. The cabinet contained thin slabs called letter elements. An operator composed the message, letter by letter, in a frame.
The frame, when filled with the letters and spaces that spelled out a news item, was inserted in a magazine at one end of a track. A chain conveyor moved the track, and each letter in the frame brushed a number of electrical contacts. Each contact set a light flashing on Broadway.
There were more than 39,000 brushes, which had to undergo maintenance each month. The frame with the letter elements passed up and overhead, forming an endless circuit. Mr. Reilly calculated that there were 261,925,664 flashes an hour.
D-DayJune 6, 1944, I was 16 years old and in Basic Training with the the US Maritime Service at Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn. Many of us teenagers had close relatives in the military and wished we were there with them to fight the Axis. A month later, I was in a North Atlantic convoy assigned to a 20 mm anti-aircraft gun hoping that a Nazi plane would dare to fly over. "I'd show 'em." Of course I didn't tell this to my shipmates.
skyview cabI believe this is the light-up sign on top of the Sky-View Cab Company. It looks like neon.  I was watching an old movie from the forties (?) on TCM and I noticed these cabs.  They had a sunroof cut into the roof of the cab so the passengers in the back seat could look up and see the buildings.  I can't remember the movie, but the plot involved the passenger looking up and seeing something relevant to the story line.  It must have been a gimmick for the cab company.  It also must have been one of the early sunroofs in a car!
More SkyviewThe Skyview NYC Taxicab that the tipster may have seen on TCM was in the musical "Anchors Aweigh". The scene where Frank Sinatra and Gene Kelly are Standing up and looking out at the city in Betty Garrett's Skyview cab. Those DeSoto Skyview Cabs were sold exclusively through James Waters  Chrysler Agency in Long Island City, Queens.
The price for a new one was about $1100. I once heard a story that he was Walter Chrysler's Son-in-Law but I can't confirm it.
The Skyview cabs were all over the placewhen I lived in NYC from 1941 - 44. They were stretched DeSotos with a couple of fold-up seats and the roof had glass so that one could see the tall buildings. There was also a radio built into the armrest on the right. The driver turned it on and the passenger controlled the rest. I had many rides in those cabs.
Hovercraft at D-Day@sjack:  I don't mean to rain on your parade, and I certainly don't wish to denigrate the memory of your father and his courageous service to our nation in World War II, but I'm quite sure he didn't lower tanks onto hovercraft for the D-Day invasion of Normandy.  The US Army did not make use of hovercraft until Viet Nam, and then it was only on an experimental basis.  As your comment is titled, memories are funny sometimes.
Perhaps your dad talked about loading tanks onto landing craft, not hovercraft, like the LST (landing ship tank) or smaller versions like the LCU (landing craft utility), which were flat-hulled vessels that could approach fairly close to the beach and lower a ramp on the bow, allowing troops and vehicles to exit.
The Bronx is up but the Battery's down"New York, New York, A Helluva Town" was sung in the Broadway "On the Town" but for the film changed to "New York, New York, A Wonderful Town" because of those archaic Hollywood codes at that time. Los Angeles may have our Dodgers but they don't have our songs or our Skyview Cabs.
RememberingDuring my early teen's in the 1950's I was invited along on several fishing trips with 3 WWII veterans.  One had been an Army Ranger, one a sailor who had been on the Murmansk Run, and the third a paratrooper. You can imagine the banter among those guys.  The Ranger was in the D-Day invasion and had been wounded in the buttocks. The Navy vet always asked him how he could have sustained that injury advancing from the beach.  Curiously, the paratrooper never spoke any particulars of his service.   They're gone now, but I remember them being nice to this kid.  Thanks guys.  
UnawareJune 6, 1944 - I was happily gestating in my mother's womb and would be born during the Battle of the Bulge (no relation to mom's condition).  My dad, drafted in 1940 into the 7th Cavalry (yes, Custer's old outfit) had been converted into armor and was preparing to sail overseas to a place called Leyte Gulf in the Philippines where he would be wounded and spend the rest of the war, plus another year, in Letterman Hospital in S.F.  Until his death in 1996 he could remember most of his company's buddies names and the names of their horses.    
More on radio coverageThe NBC and CBS D-Day broadcasts are available at the Internet Archive.
NBC:
http://archive.org/details/NBCCompleteBroadcastDDay
CBS:
http://archive.org/details/Complete_Broadcast_Day_D-Day
That woundHow your Ranger probably caught that one: We were taught in training that buttocks wounds were very common; moving forward under fire without decent cover, one crawls.  It is most difficult to accomplish this without making your buttocks the highest point of your body!
Let us never forget the men of D-Day.An awful lot of them gave up their tomorrows so we could enjoy our todays.
'On The Town'Is the movie 'Mr. Mel' is thinking of; 'Anchors Aweigh' is set in Hollywood.  Right Stars, wrong movie.
'Lest We Forget'A line from Ford's 'She wore a Yellow Ribbon' that fits this day so well.
Odd TriviaThere are a couple of boats trading on the Great Lakes today that were at the Normandy invasion.  One still carries the battle ribbons with stars on her bridge wings.
One other point is that the Times building was of very attractive design before it was covered up with billboards.
Communiqué No. 1I followed the NBC link provided by hlupak604 and listened to some of the radio coverage and heard, more than once, the short text of Communiqué No. 1 from Supreme Headquarters, Allied Expeditionary Force, which appears to form the basis for the scrolling text on the news zipper.  It runs as follows: "Under the command of General Eisenhower, allied naval forces, supported by strong air forces, began landing allied armies this morning on the northern coast of France."
Thanks! Uncle SamMy uncle Sam (no pun intended) landed at Omaha Beach, and immediately sustained an injury to his head. He was fitted with a metal plate to replace the part of his skull that he lost. Needless to say, his fighting days were over.
However, he went on to be become an accomplished auto mechanic. Family, friends, and neighbors all asked him for automotive advice.
He passed away last year at the age of 90.
Thanks, Uncle Sam! - because of your sacrifices, I am free today to write this.
Yeah, I remember.Although we didn't know it at the time, my brother was in the sand of Utah Beach just then.  He survived the war.  I remember vividly the headlines in The Detroit Times that afternoon, "WE WIN BEACHES".  Due to the time difference, of course, there was plenty of fresh news of the invasion in the afternoon paper.  I've been a news junkie since.
May we never forgethow brave these men were. My uncle fought in Okinawa in 1945, unfortunately he never made it out alive. I still have the last letter he wrote to his "beloved mama", what a sweet soul he was. Bless them one and all.
Memories are funny sometimesMy father was on a supply ship in the English Channel on D Day, lowering tanks into hovercraft that were being sent to French beach heads.  Many, many, times I tried to discuss his experiences that day but he never really had much to say.  He said that on D Day he was "on the water" (in the Channel) and they were pretty much working constantly getting the tanks loaded and shipped.  They slept whenever they could he said.  He landed at Utah beach (but didn't say when) and moved up the coast doing whatever was asked (he was in a supply unit) until he got to Belgium. And that was pretty much all I got out of him.  His shared memories of the battle of the Bulge were even more meager ("it was very cold").  I'm jealous of people whose fathers discussed their war experiences; mine just didn't seem to want to share.
Cold for JuneI realize most people dressed up in public back then, but most of the women in the photo are wearing overcoats.  It must have been cold in New York that June day in 1944.  
Hovercraft tanks, sort ofOne of many unique innovations for the D Day invasion was the "Duplex Drive" tank, essentially a standard Sherman tank which was fitted with an inflatable, collapsible canvas screen and twin screw props which would enable the tank to float like a boat and wade ashore.
Unfortunately, the contraption worked best in calm water, something that was in short supply off the Normandy coast that day. I remember a buddy of mine whose dad had served with the US Navy at the invasion re-telling his dad's stories of the DD tanks being dropped off in deeper, rough water due to enemy fire and sinking like rocks.
Fortunately enough of the tanks were able to make it on shore to provide badly needed armor support for the ground troops, and the tanks were deemed successful enough to serve in the invasion of Southern France two months later, as well as during numerous river crossing operations during the remainder of 1944 and 1945.
Good article with photos of the tanks:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DD_tank
Full messageI believe the full message read: "ALLIES LAND ON NORTHERN COAST OF FRANCE UNDER STRONG AIR COVER"
(The Gallery, Howard Hollem, NYC, WW2)

The Office: 1917
... Click the image. [Eggcellent! - Dave] U.S.S. New York "U.S.S. New York. 26 men standing on abreast on one of the 14" guns" ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/11/2011 - 12:31pm -

Washington, D.C., circa 1917. The National Photo Company office at 815 H Street N.W. View full size. National Photo Company Collection glass negative.
ShoemakerI believe the sign for one of the lower-level tenants is for a custom shoemaker and reads C.D. Taylor, To Order.
Ok, now...... find scans of the original negatives of all of them.
A Job for ShorpyAssuming the display case on the wall at the lower left of the National Photo Company (period) office window contains examples of their wares, your task is to locate scans of all those images and reproduce the exhibit in digital form for our amusement and edification.
[Here they be. - Dave]

Picture in PictureCan anyone zoom into the shadowbox on the building to see the pictures displayed for the National Photo Co.?
That would be a neat little bonus for this pic!
[Done. See below. - Dave]
H StreetAny idea where this was?  H Street and ?  Maybe 7th St?  I looked around but couldn't find an address for National Photo of the day.
[815 H Street NW. - Dave]
Wilson Silver Service
Hah. Found the big one. "Wilson silver service." Click the image.
[Eggcellent! - Dave]
U.S.S. New York"U.S.S. New York. 26 men standing on abreast on one of the 14" guns"
Left, second row from bottom:


National PhotoSo if this is the corner of 8th and H Street NW, the perspective is looking north?  (There's no Smithsonian American Art Museum/Old Patent Office Building in the background that you'd see if looking south).
The old corner building is still there?  The building looks a bit different today (a turret has been added to the front corner) but it and several of her sisters have survived redevelopment?  Boy, the neighborhood has changed a lot ...
U.S.S. New York photoNot quite a match - too many guys, too closer together, and on the wrong side of the photo - doesn't work even if cropped.
Got one...This one is third row (if you don't count the one stuck behind it from the top) on the right.

This Display-Case created using FD's Flickr ToolsAlso, people would walk by and place tiny stickers of trophies underneath of the ones they particularly admired, with the message 'Pls add this pictur to my "Awsome Horses:Winners Only!!" group thx'.
Seriously, though, some of the more vague items here, the ones without horses or obvious horizon lines, are just a bit eerie if you look at them long enough. Seeing faces, but not quite sure if you should be seeing faces.
And the Mystery Street IsBased upon the trolley tracks, we're looking north on 9th. This line died early; it shows up on a 1917 map I found, but it was gone by 1948.
(The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, D.C., Natl Photo)

Hamilton House: 1910
Manhattan circa 1910. "U.S. Custom House, New York, N.Y." The Alexander Hamilton Custom House, completed in 1907 at 1 Bowling ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 02/05/2024 - 11:07am -

Manhattan circa 1910. "U.S. Custom House, New York, N.Y." The Alexander Hamilton Custom House, completed in 1907 at 1 Bowling Green. 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size.
Saved!Slated for demolition in the 1970s, after the completion of the World Trade Center put the customs office there.  There was no longer a counter to take a sample to of a ship's cargo for testing and assessing.  My father, as a young office boy, would take oil samples from the Standard Oil Co., then a few doors up Broadway, to be tested.  The clerks stations survive to this day.
In the 1970s I helped clean out the Merchant Marine Library there (a mariner could borrow a book and leave it at another library in another port on the honor system).  They were dumping the books.  I still have some, and others ended up at the museum library this 16-year-old worked at.  
In the 1990s my wife had a job at the National Museum of the American Indian, one of several occupiers of this great building (Bankruptcy Court is another, as well as the National Archives branch for NYC). Her office was the space that I cleaned out in the 1970s.
If you visit, a look at the rotunda and its WPA murals by Reginald Marsh is a must. All in a building designed by Cass Gilbert.  Oh - and the statuary out front?  Daniel Chester French.
Thanks, AleHouseMugPreservation of this building almost makes up for the loss of the original Penn Station ... almost.
AwningsSome awning salesman must have made his yearly bonus on that building!
History SavedGorgeous building. Everything else to left and right has been torn down. There's a wonderful display there which shows the design and construction of the building. 
Admission to the Museum of the American Indian, part of the Smithsonian, is free. Excellent bathrooms, btw.
Italianate BowlingOff the left edge of the photo (to the north of the Customs House) still stands Bowling Green. So called because the Dutch played lawn bowling there. During the Revolutionary War, the iron fence around Bowling Green was melted down for munitions, including an image of the King's head.
The Italian Palazzo-like building (complete with campanille and Romanesque arches) behind (to the east of) the Customs House now sports a boring glass tower with the address 2 Broadway.
(The Gallery, DPC, NYC)

A Dickey Christmas: 1919
... Marklin Ship Actually the ship is a Marklin USS New York. Count the rear portholes at rear; in the picture there are about 6, the ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 12/20/2023 - 3:27pm -

"Dickey Christmas tree, 1919." The family of Washington, D.C.,  lawyer Raymond Dickey. 8x6 inch glass negative, National Photo Co. View full size.
It's Not Christmas Without The DickeysAlways look forward to the latest Dickey Christmas picture. If someone made a book of all the pictures I would buy it. They intrigue me, despite their gloominess! I would love to see what they looked like smiling. I read they lived at 1702 Kilbourne NW in Washington DC, it can be found on Google Street View. I wonder what it looks like inside there now.
Happier than they look.I would bet they aren't nearly as gloomy as their pictures suggest.
Clearly this is a family that loved Christmas enough to get a tree that all out of proportion to the room, decorate it haphazardly and have the most unflattering portraits made of themselves. 
This is not the picture of a rigid, organized, disciplinarian father with an iron fist.
Children of the DamnedI think the younger Dickey boy is attempting to will them out of yet another Dickey Christmas with yet one more rotund tree.  Judging from the molecular disturbance around Dad and Sis, I think his efforts at quantum phase-shifting just might be working.  We'll know for sure when the gunboat disappears.
Well of course they're upsetThats a Marklin "La Dague" Steam powered Torpedo Boat worth between $18,000 and $20,000. And someone has already broken off one of the smokestacks. I would be upset too!
Dickeyensian ChristmasThey may well have been the most pleasant of families, but their consistently disturbing Christmas portraits always seem to hint at some dark, Stephen Kingesque, ongoing abuse; something along the lines of "Sybil."
Unanswered prayersKid at center: "Please don't let the mold eat me like it has the rest of the -- oops, too late!"
Obviously a lawyer ahead of his time.He and his family are already thinking "This will eventually be Public Domain".  
Good and EvilThe younger brother's Christmas prayer is that his evil sister and her voodoo doll will leave home and never return.  While their older brother, Emilio Estevez, keeps his distance from this entire clan huddled beneath the Griswold family Christmas tree.
The doll fits in with the family well.The eyes have it.
Meet the DickeysDoing a quick Google on Raymond Dickey, I found that there was a Raymond R. Dickey who was a political intimate of William Casey, late head of the CIA and a "Republican Party Stalwart". He died somewhere in the second half of the Twentieth Century (one of the sons?) Also there is a J. Raymond Dickey (grandson?) still practicing law in the Washington area.
Marklin ShipActually the ship is a Marklin USS New York.  Count the rear portholes at rear; in the picture there are about 6, the other ship proposed has nine visible.
What do you mean? Smile? I *am* smiling. 
Xmas Lesson #1When the tree is too tall, cut at the bottom, not at the top. 
The weight of the world -- or something -- seems to be pressing down on this family. Is it the tree? The ceiling?
Dickey family informationI found the Raymond Dickey family in the 1910 and the 1920 US Census.  In 1910 Raymond and Rose lived at 1358 Otis Place NW with two children, Granville and Alice, and two servants, a 33-year-old woman and her 16-year-old son.  The son also worked as a laborer in a store.  When the house last sold in 2003, it was 4 bedrooms, 2.5 baths, 1,776 square feet.  In Street View below, 1358 is the house to the right, trimmed in blue and white.
In the 1920 Census Raymond and Rose lived at 1702 Kilbourne Place NW with four children (welcome John and Raymond Jr.) and four women lodgers, all in their early 20s, two were sisters.  One was a stenographer and three were clerks.  When the house last sold in 1996 it was 5 bedrooms, 2.5 baths, 2,631 sf.  In Street View it is the house painted white.
Raymond was born in Maryland and Rose in Indiana.  Why they chose such an unusual Christmas tree each year is still a mystery.


Bah, humbugThe Dickey family's collective ponder of father's comment regarding the cost of photography has been captured for the archives.  A good son will pray that he doesn't blur the investment.
Remnants of the Kaiser's army may have returned to the toy factory, but shell shock has impacted quality control.  Regardless, Marklin models must have been a difficult get in 1919, even for wealthy Americans.  The toy museum is worth a visit if you go to Goppingen.
I have a treasured photo of my father's Christmas tree circa 1919-1921.  The cast iron carbide cannon under the tree now sits on my living room end table. The tree is decorated with dozens of unlit candles in clip-on candle holders.  Scary! 
Six years too early for the Office PartyI thought, by digitally adding some color, that it might would improve their holiday outlook ... but then I realized their real problem. No doubt, they are despondent over the fact that they are six years too early for the Office Christmas Party-1925!
Trite but trueI've said it before and I'll say it again, with no judgment or unkindness intended, but merely as an observation: Mrs. Dickey is hammered.
More Dickey family informationSome years are a little off, but I think I have the correct family members. Raymond Dickey wed Rose Maxwell in 1901 when Raymond was 23 and Rose was 21.  Her father, the Reverend John A. Maxwell performed the ceremony in Washington.  Raymond died in 1940 at the age of 62 and is buried in Cedar Hill Cemetery, Prince George's County, Maryland.  Rose died in 1967 at the age of 87 and is also buried in Cedar Hill.  It appears she did not remarry. 
Granville was born in 1902.  In 1924 he graduated from the College of Journalism at Northwestern University in Chicago, where he was a member of the varsity swim team, and in his senior year was named a member of the all-American swim team.  In 1928 he married La Verne Carnes and the couple settled in Chicago where Granville was an advertising manager for a large wholesale house.  By 1942 he was living in Maryland and employed at the U.S. Conservation Corps in DC.  The move may have been due to a divorce and remarriage.  He divorced in 1941 and an Evening Star death notice said Granville’s second wife passed away April 5, 1945.  Granville died in 1948 at the age of 45 and is buried in the same cemetery as his parents.  His obituary references his surviving sister as Mrs. Alice Beaton.
I could not find Alice.  Raymond Jr.'s 1981 obituary referenced survivors included his sister, Mrs. John Beaton of St. Croix, Virgin Islands.
I did not find a grave or obituary for John.  But in the 1940 Census I found a 28yr old J. M. Dickey, attorney, born in DC.  Divorced, he was living at the Stonewall Jackson Hotel in Clarksburg, West Virginia. I did not find anyone who might be John in the 1950 Census.  He was referenced as a survivor in Granville's 1948 obituary, but not of Raymond Jr. in 1981.
Raymond Jr. became a very influential Washington D.C. lawyer.  His first law firm was Dickey and Dickey in which he was a partner from 1940 (when he was 22) to 1942.  This would seem to be with his father or brother, except his father died in 1940 and his brother was in West Virginia.  Married three times, twice divorced, Raymond died of cancer in 1981 at the age of 63.  A place of internment was not given.
AgonyOur family went thru the agony of Christmas pictures every year.  Since we lived overseas, my folks would have the pictures taken in September.  That gave my mom enough time to get the prints, write the annual missive, and get them in the mail in October.  She mailed them via surface mail (would take just about two months to get to the US) since in those days air mail was too expensive for the number of folks the missive went to.
I was so thankful one year that I was going to be leaving home in July.  I thought I would not have to go thru the agony.  Nope, the folks just took the pictures a week before I left.  And the following year, when I was not home, my folks had my grandparents take a photo in July and mail the negatives home.
I tried to find out when the Dickey photos were taken.  Curious as to whether these photos were taken early to share with friends or taken in December just for the family.  Unfortunately, at LOC, all I could find is the year taken, no month.  
Poor Mrs. DickeyHammered or not, she has to put up with Mr. Dickey.  And there’s less speculation about his consumption habits, because we’ve seen the outline of his flask in other years.
(The Gallery, Bizarre, Christmas, D.C., Kids, Natl Photo, The Dickeys)

Knickerbocker Trust: 1904
New York, 1904. " Knickerbocker Trust Building and Waldorf-Astoria Hotel , ... by buildings bearing some of the most famous names in New York (Astor, Knickerbocker and Altman). The Knick -- did anyone dare call ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 01/24/2024 - 1:59pm -

New York, 1904. "Knickerbocker Trust Building and Waldorf-Astoria Hotel, Fifth Avenue at W. 34th Street." 8x10 inch glass negative, Detroit Photographic Company. View full size.
We're just dust in the windIf you look at that first column of windows closest to the Knickerbocker Building & go up five windows, there appear to be two people there (possibly kids). A shame we'll never know who they were.
[Phantoms! - Dave]

There's something else there nowThe Waldorf-Astoria Hotel was torn down in 1929 in order to erect the Empire State Building. Is the Knickerbocker Trust Building still there?
¾ ain't half badWithin a few years, three of the four corners of this intersection would be occupied by buildings bearing some of the most famous names in New York (Astor, Knickerbocker and Altman).  The Knick -- did anyone dare call it that when it was in its prime ? -- was widely publicized in the architectural press, and survives today, expanded and simplified ... a Faustian bargain that spared it a Penn Station type date with the wreckers.
Earlier KnicksKnickerbocker Trust failed amid the Panic of 1907, although a year later it reopened for a few more years under that name. By 1912 it was an acquisition target, and the "Knickerbocker" name disappeared from the firm's title in 1914. Its building at 358 Fifth Avenue, however, was never torn down, but was expanded, then modernized to the point that it's impossible to see Stanford White's magnificent columns. 
https://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/08/realestate/08scapes.html
(The Gallery, DPC, NYC, Streetcars)

Leave It to Beaver: 1958
... do they ever include my two favorite column headlines: New Petitions Against Tax Building Code Under Fire After watching nearly ... the 1958 World Series between the Milwaukee Braves and New York Yankees. Milwaukee went on to win the game 13 to 5 but the Yankees won the ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/15/2018 - 7:10pm -

I was watching an episode from the second season (1958-59) of "Leave It to Beaver" tonight when I got to the part where Ward reads a note from Beaver's principal, Mrs. Rayburn. If you freeze-frame the note it says:

Mr. Ward Cleaver
485 Mapleton Drive
Mayfield, State
My Dear Mr. Cleaver:
This paragraph has absolutely nothing to do with anything.
It is here merely to fill up space. Still, it is words,
rather than repeated letters, since the latter might not
give the proper appearance, namely, that of an actual note.
For that matter, all of this is nonsense, and the only
part of this that is to be read is the last paragraph,
which part is the inspired creation of the producers of
this very fine series.
Another paragraph of stuff. Now is the time for all good
men to come to the aid of their party. The quick brown
fox jumps over the lazy dog. My typing is lousy, but the
typewriter isn’t so hot either. After all, why should I
take the blame for these mechanical imperfections, with
which all of us must contend. Lew Burdette just hit a
home run and Milwaukee leads seven to one in the series.
This is the last line of the filler material of the note.
No, my mistake, that was only the next to last. This is last.
I hope you can find a suitable explanation for Theodore’s
unusual conduct.
Yours truly,
Cornelia Rayburn

To judge by the contents (here's the last line, whoops, no, HERE's the last line) whoever did this folded the note first, to mark the middle third of the paper, then put it in the typewriter, started the body of the letter at the first crease and banged away until he had enough to fill out the middle section.
The Lew Burdette reference would put the date at October 2, 1958 — Game 2 of the World Series between the Braves and the Yankees, and a month before this episode ("Her Idol") aired. I see where this has been referenced elsewhere on the Web but as far as I can tell no one has transcribed the entire letter. Until now!
We now return to our regularly scheduled program. [Postscript: The Jim Letter]

Leave It To Beaver, 1958BEAUTIFUL!! :)
Thanks for the update.
We used to get this show Down Here (Oz) and I can remember watching every episode if possible.
Crikey...that gives my age away!
BK
Canberra
Australia
LITB on DVDSeason 1 and Season 2 are available on DVD from Amazon.
beaver lettertoo funny!!!!!!!!!
Ahh...that's awesome. ThanksAhh...that's awesome. Thanks for posting this!
I love it.That's FANTASTIC. 
Awesome!Back in the 50's they never dreamed anyone would be able to freeze frame on the TV picture.  How funny would it have been had the writer typed something REALLY embarrassing!
Great post!!Great post!!
Fan-freakin- tastic!!This is just too cool for mere words. Nonetheless, words must suffice. Excellent!!
Marvelous!I wish every movie had stuff like that for us to find.
21 inch B&W TV set.That's what you had if you really splurged on a TV for the living room in those days.  No sense buying a color TV, since for the $700 (and up) one of those cost, you got to watch maybe one show a week in color - a variety show "special" with Fred Astaire perhaps.  Anyway, you couldn't possibly read the letter from a 525-line video, no matter how big your TV was.  Film, maybe, but not video.
[I don't know about that. I'm the one who deciphered the letter and created this post, and I used a 10-year-old, 27-inch, 525-line low-definition Sony. The main obstacle to  being able to read it in 1958 would have been that it was onscreen for just a few seconds. - Dave]
Timely...Canadian viewers who get SunTV will be able to catch that episode this Friday (May 4th) at 12:30 pm...
Re: awesome!Don't you know? Back inthe fifties people didn't HAVE embarrassing thoughts that could spill out onto the printed page! Sheesh. Get with the program.
So, did a writer on the show type this up, ordid he hand it off to a secretary for her to type?
This comment has absolutely nothing to do with anythingit's just here to take up space.  I'd use this space to root for my favourite hockey team and thus forever determine the exact time this comment was written but I can't get excited about any of them.
I would guessI would guess the tomfoolery is the prop master's work, and he probably made the prop the day before, or earlier in the day, so it's more likely the actual day of shooting was October 3rd.
["The date" means the date the note was typed. My hunch is that the show's producers, Joe Connelly and Bob Mosher, are behind it. They slipped written references to themselves into a number of other episodes. - Dave]
That's tamer than most propThat's tamer than most prop letters I've seen.  In the last play I worked on the prop master ranted for 3 pages about the playwright, added sexual escapades in the characters backstory and other in-jokes.  Thank god the audience is 40 feet away and there's no freeze-frame in live theatre!
wardi can't wait to get the second season. it's a great show. that is one hell of a letter. obviously Mrs. Rayburn is either on a nice dose of pharm's or desperately needs one.
awesome.
Rodine,
NYC
BK Canberra. crikey?For anyone reading BK's reply above, as another resident of australia, let me just assure you that nobody here actually uses the word "crikey". That would be like an american going around saying "dandy", "swell" or even that old chestnut, "geewilllickers". The crocodile hunter only ever used the word "crikey" when teasing an animal or selling something. 
Thanks, 
Dan,
Sydney. 
Prop funIn a high school production of the musical Cinderella, the scroll that's supposed to contain all the names of His Royal Highness Christopher Rupert Windemere Vladimir (and so on) was covered by our props department with just one line, in big bold letters: "DON'T SCREW UP".
I use the word Crikey on occasionAnd have been known to utter the odd 'by jingoes', 'cobber' or, my personal favourite, 'strewth'.
Anyone who doesn't occasionally enjoy such words (especially when overseas) is quite simply un-Australian mate :)
Mark,
Sydney.
PS: Good work on the leave it to Beaver letter - I love this stuff!
LITBGolly geewillikers that was swell.  The absolute bees knees.  Just dandy.  thanks.
Egads......So, where's the text for the second page, which contains the *real* "Roswell Press Release"? :)
That is so awesome!  HowThat is so awesome!  How freaking cool...I got chills reading it, because I'm sure that guy never thought anyone would ever read that letter.  
Sarah
Too much like real lifeReading this, I am suddenly transported back 25 years to my American History class in 10th grade. I was supposed to be writing an essay about American gangsters of the early 20th century, and for some reason I became convinced that my teacher would never read everyone's paper every single time. So being the incredibly wise-ass young man that we all are at 16, I dropped in three or four lines, beginning mid-sentence in a paragraph about Al Capone's bootleg whiskey empire, all about how my grandmother's poodles enjoyed riding in cars (or some equally stupid text about my grandmother...the exact words escape me now), and then went on to say that I know that he (my teacher) would never read everyone's paper and that he would never know these lines were buried in my own paper.  I then went on to finish the rest of the paper normally, and handed it in with a smile on my face. 
The day after I turned in the paper, the teacher stood in front of the whole class and read my paper out loud. Had there been a way to drop through the floor at that time...I'd have taken it. 25 years later, I can STILL feel my face get red, just thinking about it!
I can commiserate with the author of Beaver's letter...
"the typewriter isn't so hot""My typing is lousy, but the typewriter isn’t so hot either"
why do I have this sense that in 1958 people weren't saying "the typewriter isn't so hot"
[I don't know. Why do you? - Dave]
bravo"After all, why should I take the blame for these mechanical imperfections, with which all of us must contend."
GLORIOUS.
greek to meLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer adipiscing elit. Vivamus risus risus, ultrices vel, mollis vel, faucibus sagittis, diam. Nunc dignissim odio in est. In mattis condimentum erat. Nunc ac nunc. Vivamus eget elit. Aliquam pellentesque. Aliquam dignissim tellus vitae tortor. Class aptent taciti sociosqu ad litora torquent per conubia nostra, per inceptos hymenaeos. Nam tincidunt pulvinar urna. 
Quisque sed risus. Sed tempus, elit ut tempus iaculis, purus sapien vulputate leo, quis commodo pede magna vel turpis. Cras ac pede. Suspendisse tincidunt, nunc vel ultrices adipiscing, lacus augue bibendum magna, sit amet scelerisque felis nulla eu lectus. Sed sit amet elit. Pellentesque id dui. 
Pellentesque vel justo. Quisque sit amet mi quis tellus rhoncus blandit. Maecenas arcu. Aliquam ipsum. 
[More like "Latin to me" - Dave]
letter to mr. cleaver  I thought it would read:
    "Gee, Ward. Don't you think you were a little hard on the Beaver last night?"
Not a typical American, but...I say "swell" all the time. "Keen" and "Dandy", too.
Lew Burdette's World Series HomerDid come in the bottom of the first inning on October 2, 1958. The Braves had already won the opening game the previous day, also in Milwaukee. The bottom of the first inning, after the Yankees got a 1-0 lead in their first  at bat, began when Bill Bruton hit a 2-2 pitch for a home run to tie the game. The Braves went on to win the second game and then the Yankees won the third. After the Braves also won the fourth game, The Yankees won three in a row to win the series. This had only happened once before in 1925 when the Washington Senators came back with three straight wins after being down 3-1 against the Pittsburgh Pirates. Ten years later in 1968, the Detroit Tigers came back to win the final three games after being down 3-1 to win the 1968 World Series.
Donald F Nelson
LITB rocksexcellent "leave it to beaver" rocks!! ward rules! june was hot and i dont mean the month.
Common PracticeHaving been a Property Master in the television business for  quite a few years, I can assure you that this is extremely common.  The text could be the actor's lines if they have a tough scene and the prop guy likes them.  Sometimes it is jokes designed to crack the actor up during the first take.  Other times it is exactly this kind of stream-of-consciousness rambling serving no greater purpose than filling up the page.  My specialty was always the fine print on package labels.  The warning on the beer labels in the first "American Pie" movie said that beer could cause pregnancy, cause you to act like an idiot, or just plain F- you up.
Re: greek to me"Lorem ipsum" etc. is Latin not Greek.
Quasi-LatinSee:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lorem_ipsum
Cheers!
Have you everHave you ever noticed the newspapers Ward reads during this series? There is usually some reference to a MURDER or some other catastrophe. Highly unusual for Mayfield.
And I thought we were obsessed with Beaver at The First Leave It To Beaver WebSite
Stop by and learn about The Complete Unofficial Leave It To Beaver Trivia Encyclopedia
 Marcus Tee
Speaking of Ward's newspapers...... do they ever include my two favorite column headlines:
New Petitions Against Tax
Building Code Under Fire
After watching nearly 200 old films (courtesy of Mystery Science Theater 3000), these seem to be the two most common newspaper prop filler headlines in films of the '40s and '50s. I wonder if they found their way into '50s and '60s television, too.
I adore thisSo far, this is the highlight of my day. Thanks for transcribing this! 
Love the BeavI love this show. So many great quotes: 
"Gee Dad, I wouldn't mind telling the truth if so much hollering didn't go along with it."
But who knew there were Leave it to Beaver easter eggs? This post made my day.
Re: "crikey"@Dan Re: "crikey"
That was helpful. I've always wondered when Steve Irwin said that why no one from our Australian offices used the term.  You confirmed what I thought. 
Thanks
Lorem Ipsum to BeaverThat is just so much better than the placeholder text one typically sees.
Are there jobs out there for lorem ipsum writers?  Craigslist has not a one.
Excellent post.  Thanks.
the sobsister
http://www.thesobsister.com
Building Code Under FireI think I've seen "Building Code Under Fire," & maybe the other headline as well in episodes of Perry Mason. Obviously some prop house printed a zillion front page mock-ups that were used forever. And often the program-specific headlines are in a completely different font than the rest of the mock-op.
I also dig when a prop magazine is on glossy paper so it will look real, but the glossy stock it's printed on is so heavy it barely moves, let alone looks real.
M. Bouffant
Great!I think that is so very cool! 
interesting interchange!i enjoyed reading this very much. i'm in a library in orlando, florida.
Very funny and entertaining!Very funny and entertaining!  Gotta love all those old B&W shows!!!
It's a pretty common practice.I've read some interesting freeze frames in Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Roswell, also.
oh?Can you post some BtVS freezeframes you find of interest?
That's what I'm alwaysThat's what I'm always scared of! too funny!!!
It's like the whole RoswellIt's like the whole Roswell Memo, but more important.
Written on 10/2/58I don't know why but I decided to do some research on the date this letter may have been written and I'm pretty sure it's Thursday October 2nd 1958. I tried to go further and find the time of day but I can only estimate late afternoon pacific time (assuming it was written in LA). The Lew Burdette sentence references the first inning of game 2 in the 1958 World Series between the Milwaukee Braves and New York Yankees. Milwaukee went on to win the game 13 to 5 but the Yankees won the series.
Re: Written 10/2/58Another clue would be the caption under the letter that says it was written during Game 2 of the World Series on Oct. 2, 1958!
Thanks for posting this!It's too, too wonderful.  Thank ghod there are people like you in the world who pay attention to details.
my quiz for allHi all!
You are The Best!!!
G'night 
have you everI have noticed that, even in Mayfield. That was for Ward not the kids, the show was done from a childs view.
Marcus your web site is really great, and the encylopedia with its "map" is a lot of fun.
Nice running into you on this site.
OMGIf you read the letter upside down and backwards, it says that Space Aliens are going to attack the world on May 09, 2007. 
HEY, THAT'S TOMORROW! RUN & HIDE!
Old school Formatting   Well, I tried the paper trick (folding it in thirds and starting the body of the letter at the crease) and now my printer is broken and the red light is flashing. Now what?
Burdette "hit a homerun"?That's very odd, given that he was not a batter, but was instead famously known as the Braves' MVP pitcher, who won three games in the World Series of 1957!
[It's kind of hard to pitch when your team is at bat. Lew hit a three-run homer. - Dave]
Lew Burdette's homerunLew's three-run homer came in the first inning of Game 2.
Leave it to Beaver, 1958Great photo from the archives. I was only 3 years old at the time. I'm sure that I saw it a few years later. Loved the baseball reference. Keep up the good work.  rcisco
Cisco Photo
Carmel, IN
Now you've done it.I always wondered what was written on prop letters, but never did anything to find out.  Now I know how, and every movie I watch on DVD gets freeze frame and zoom.
Last night it was My Fair Lady and while Eliza is working on her 'H's, just over 1 hour into the film...well, you ought to check it out.
My family hates you.
Letters shown on cameraSo I guess Ward didn't read this one out loud as others were read out loud. Wally reading the letter from the Continental Modeling Agency and the letter from the Merchant Marines. Also they don't show the letter from Marathon Records but Beav read it out loud as does Ward reading the letter from Mason Acme Products.
Scrabby
Newspapers on LITBDid you notice how many different newspapers are shown on the show. I had to freeze frame to find them all. 
Mayfield Times
Mayfield Dispatcher
Press Herald
Courier Sun
Mayfield News  anymore?
Scrabby
Newspapers on LITBYou should talk to Marcus Tee at his web site (its posted a few comments down) he is the expert
The Beaver LetterWard did read it out loud - the crucial last paragraph.
Soapy SudsNotice how one magazine Ward is reading always has a Soapy Suds ad on the back. 
Lou, The Braves and the Beav...As a Milwaukee kid (then not quite five years old), I got a special kick out of seeing this. Oct. 2, 1958 was my big sister's 15th birthday.  At that age she was a HUGE Braves fan-- found and mailed the team  four-leaf clovers, etc.  So (the '58 Series outcome notwithstanding) a Braves victory and a three-run shot by Burdette was probably a birthday present for her.
A better letterHow fun! 100 years from now it'll be easier to find your transcription than to watch the entire episode. Perhaps the episode will have been made famous to future generations because they're hoping to catch a quick view of the Famous Letter. Full circle ironics and all that.
P.L. Frederick
Small and Big
The LetterThis is the greatest letter I have ever read.  Thank you.
Other Letters on LITBWonder if the other letters that are sent to the Cleavers are written like this one. For instance the letter Beaver gets from the Continental Modeling Company which we only see the address or the letter from the Merchant Marines.   Sometimes they don't even show the letter like the one from Mason Acme Co or Marathon Record Company.
Lew  BurdetteI remember Lew pitching. He had a routine: Adjust hat, lick fingertips, wipe on chest! I later copied the move when I pitched in Little League!
BeaverI remember when Beav was playing with a set of trains over at Mary Ellen Rodgers's house. The were marked for the JC & BM railroad. Quite a nice layout, wonder who got to keep it.
[Right. JC & BM were Joe Connelly and Bob Mosher, the series creators. - Dave]
Currently #1 on RedditThe Beaver Letter has been the No. 1 post on Reddit since around midnight. Check out the comments.
Modern speakWow, they used correct English in that letter.  If that letter were typed today it would read:
Mr. Ward Cleaver
485 Mapleton Drive
Mayfield, State
My Dear Mr. Cleaver:
tl:dr GTFO. LOL, ur son iz dum. k thx
I admit it!I went out with Loren Ipsum in high school and we fooled around behind the stage.
Second base only!
Those 1960s BirthdaysEveryone here looks terrified. My 7th Birthday Party in La Puente, California.
Home Addressshame on that staff writer. If he had only payed paid attention to the opening theme he would know there was a clear shot of front door showing the house number as "211".
But .. specifically:  211 Pine Street, Mayfield, Ohio
[The Cleavers lived in two houses. The first was on Mapleton, the second on Pine. And as for Ohio, Mayfield was famously stateless. - Dave]
Leave it to Beaver - the Skokie ConnectionHere is an update on Leave it to Beaver including vintage stock footage of Skokie, Illinois.  I also very proudly deciphered the Beaver letter featured here, only to find Shorpy beat me to it by several years.  As you'll see, I give full credit where it is due.
http://silentlocations.wordpress.com/2013/03/04/leave-it-to-skokie-and-b...
(Bizarre, Curiosities, Kids, TV)

Maestro: 1946
New York circa 1946. "Portrait of conductor Leonard Bernstein (1918-1990) at ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 01/21/2024 - 6:21pm -

New York circa 1946. "Portrait of conductor Leonard Bernstein (1918-1990) at Carnegie Hall." Acetate negative by William P. Gottlieb. View full size.
Leonardo’sLooks like he’s making a pizza.
On the Town!I just listened to the three dances from On the Town on my local classical radio station before seeing this photo.  So much to love about the great Bernstein!
Orchestra PitsHe's worked up quite a sweat! He was probably the most physical of all conductors, and he could bring out the best in his musicians.
Twins!Man, does he look like Bradley Cooper.
Movie sweat stainsWhy are they never under the arms?
He also lived at Carnegie Hall for a timePer the wiki:  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carnegie_Hall
There is a documentary about the many famous / quirky residents of Carnegie Hall called: "Lost Bohemia"
(The Gallery, Music, NYC, William Gottlieb)

Noel, Iola: 1944
... No sense of limitation or lack of variety, and every new photo was a delight. Flash forward suddenly 22 years to 1944 and to a ... Here's a few more details regarding Iola. The New York Times, while reporting her wedding, stated that she was earning her living ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 12/24/2023 - 11:31am -

On this Christmas Eve,  we travel back 79 years for a visit with the First Lady of Shorpy, Iola Swinnerton. Some two decades after her bathing-pageant days, she is still radiating beauty and cheer. Scroll down to the comments for more of Iola's life story. View full size.

"STONE WOMAN" ENJOYS
CHRISTMAS PREPAREDNESS

        CHICAGO (Dec. 23, 1944) -- Mrs. Iola Swinnerton Warren, who suffered the illness known as myositis ossificans after inoculation for typhoid following a Florida hurricane, watches her husband Theron V. Warren and little nephew Herbert Taylor trim Christmas tree. (Acme Newspictures photo.)
Licensed to Marry.From the Washington Post of August 4, 1918:
"Gerald Swinnerton, 31, of Williamston, Michigan, and Iola Taylor, 18, of Rockford, Illinois."
Iola in 1947Here is part of article from the Waterloo Sunday Courier (Waterloo, Iowa) of March 9, 1947. The Warrens adopted Herbert Taylor (Iola's nephew). Herbert was 13 in 1947.
Forever YoungIt would seem, from an earlier comment, that she was born in 1902, so she would have been 19 or 20 in those earlier photos from 1921 and 1922, and 42 here.  She has lovely, youthful skin and a radiant smile.
[If she was 18 when married in 1918, she'd have been born in 1899 or 1900. - Dave]
Not just Christmas celebrationsThis is also the occasion of their second wedding anniversary - I found the announcement from the Suburbanite Economist (Chicago) of December 23, 1942. It sounds like she had a terrible time with this illness -- it started in 1926 and she spent nine years in the hospital! I'm glad she seems to have found happiness with Theron.
Based on what I read about myositis ossificans, it seems unlikely that this is what she had. It is normally caused by an injury to a muscle, and from what I can tell, stays within that muscle -- it doesn't spread to other areas of the body. It's probably more likely that she had heterotopic ossification, possibly caused by central nervous system injury or an underlying genetic disorder.
*Cringe*I am sure that Herbie really enjoyed being characterized in the newspaper as her "little" nephew.
Hope his friends didn't see the story!
[He looks like Larry Mondello. - Dave]
Carpentry and TweedNotice the nicely done rest for her feet that does not appear to be part of the original wheelchair--not the easiest thing to put together if you're doing it with nails instead of wood screws, which may be the case here.  Also, I love the nephew's tweed slacks--sadly, winter weight slacks seem to be a thing of the past, even up north here in Minnesota.  They're keeping him so warm, he doesn't need to keep his shirt tucked in.
The story that keeps on givingAnother amazing feature of this website.  Over the course of eleven and a half years (dating back to April of 2007) we are treated to a series of photos of Iola Swinnerton from a very specific two-year period (1921-1922) in a very specific context (bathing suit beauty contest).  No sense of limitation or lack of variety, and every new photo was a delight.
Flash forward suddenly 22 years to 1944 and to a whole new context.  We find Iola in a wheelchair with a strange and rare disease, and yet she is happy, recently married to a benevolent-looking church organist, and she and her husband have adopted her nephew.  The husband "wasn’t discouraged because the pretty invalid was confined to a wheelchair," and she is able to report that her "condition has steadily improved" since they got married.
The crowning glory of her positivity:  "My dreams during so many years in hospitals have come true."  (She writes songs which are published!)  "I only hope someone else can take hope from my happiness."  This is one of the most truly marvelous stories I've ever come across.
Stiff Man’s SyndromeIola may have had what is now called Stiff Person’s Syndrome.  It was first diagnosed in 1956.
A friend had it.
IolatryHere's a few more details regarding Iola.
The New York Times, while reporting her wedding, stated that she was earning her living as a seamstress. The paper also said, "She was stricken by the baffling disease after the Florida Hurricane of 1926. At that time she lived in a Miami Beach cottage, the wife of Gerald Swinnerton, whom she divorced in April, charging desertion."
In the 1940 U.S. Census Gerald Swinnerton is claiming to have been widowed. He was a camera designer and repairman, as well as a World War I veteran, and he was also known as George Simons. He died in 1961.
Regarding her wedding, the Chicago Tribune of December 24, 1942 published the following story.
"Smiling from her wheelchair, in a moire taffeta wedding dress and a shoulder length tulle veil, Iona Swinnerton, 40 years old, was married last night to Theron Victor Warren, 42, a shipyard worker and organist in the Wentworth Baptist church. The bride is suffering from a rare disease characterized by hardening of the muscles.
"About 100 relatives and friends were present as the Rev. Eugene H. Daniels read the marriage ceremony. L. Duke Taylor, 1918 Cleveland avenue, her brother, gave the bride away. Donald McGowan, 1954 Henderson street, was the best man.
"Miss Swinnerton, who lives at 4044 Wentworth avenue, has been suffering from the malady since 1926. She teaches a Bible class at the church, and met Warren while attending the services there."
An article in the Cedar Rapids Gazette in December 1945 indicated that she had spent six years at the Cook County Hospital for treatment of her condition. She was refinishing furniture and canning fruit in addition to writing songs. "Theron proposed not very long after I cooked him a duck dinner," she confided.
In 1949 Iola won fourth place in a nationwide Army songwriting contest, which earned her a $50 savings bond. The title of the tune was "Three Cheers For the Army."  She died five years later, in 1954. Her obituary from the Chicago Tribune is below.
"Iola N. Warren, 2642 Barry avenue, June 13, 1954, beloved wife of Theron V. Warren, dear sister of Louis Duke Taylor, dear aunt to Herbert Taylor. At chapel, 316 W. 63d street, at Harvard avenue, where services will be held Thursday, June 17, at 1 p.m. Cremation Oak Woods."
Theron Warren died on May 3, 1976.
The image below is from the January 4, 1937 issue of the Wilson (N.C.) Daily Times. 
FOPI presume Iola had fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva.
Story of Two FamiliesLuckily, I accepted an invitation to the Swinnertons' Christmas party before the invitation to the Dickeys' Christmas party arrived. 
Three cheers for King CottonThe pants of the kid look as if they are scratchy. Ask me how I know.
It’s a small worldI’ve been a long-time Shorpy lurker, and have many of the wonderful images saved as desktop wallpaper. 
I had to comment on this picture -- the Eugene H. Daniels mentioned as the officiant in the newspaper article was my great-grandfather! By the time I knew him, he was just “Grandpa Dan”; it’s neat to be able to read about Iola and Theron some 78 years later.
Merry Christmas to all! 
Eeugh!Theron is a ringer for an ex of mine.  I hope Iola had better luck--she certainly endured enough as it was.
(The Gallery, Chicago, Christmas, Iola S., Kids, News Photo Archive)

B. Altman: 1906
New York circa 1906. "B. Altman store, Fifth Avenue and East 35th Street." Last ... occupied by a 1908ish building that goes by the name of New York Accessories Exchange (and people today think shopping is an ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 10/10/2023 - 6:06pm -

New York circa 1906. "B. Altman store, Fifth Avenue and East 35th Street." Last seen here. 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size.
Carriage 123, Where Are You?Note the carriage call for #123 at the 35th Street entrance. And in this photo, #232.
It is 1906The poster at lower right offers Blanche Ring singing on Monday October 8, which was indeed a date in 1906. Ring was known for In The Good Old Summertime, and slightly bawdy The Belle of Avenoo A, which you can hear in this 1970s revue version https://youtu.be/BeIVf9k2zgg?si=MssupKhNEMFS_3EI
Shop carefullyreturns may be more involved than you think: that construction - demolition? - site in the foreground is occupied by a 1908ish building that goes by the name of New York Accessories Exchange  (and people today think shopping is an ordeal!)  Just be sure to keep your receipt. 
Nice architectureA good history of this retailer and building can be found here.  The bronze canopy on the 35th Street side was removed in 1914 after it caused a woman's death.  Below is a street view of the B. Altman & Co. emporium building today. The retail powerhouse held its final sale in November 1989.  Today the building is a mixed-use structure.  Swing to the right in Street View to see the building Notcom referenced, under construction across the street in 1906. In the two photos of B. Altman posted, the construction site is pretty much the same, leading one to think the photos were taken on the same day and near the same time.  But, the window displays have been changed.  So, probably not taken on the same day.  They sure used a lot of fabric.

(The Gallery, DPC, NYC, Stores & Markets, Streetcars)

New York World: 1905
Circa 1905. "City Hall and New York World building." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit ... and another great Library of Congress view of the New York skyline, to identify all of the New York skyscrapers appearing in this ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/01/2012 - 5:47pm -

Circa 1905. "City Hall and New York World building." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size.
World Building in early movie SpeedyI used this photo of the World Building, and another great Library of Congress view of the New York skyline, to identify all of the New York skyscrapers appearing in this opening shot from Harold Lloyd’s final silent comedy Speedy, filmed on location in New York during the summer of 1927.  Here’s how the World Building appears in my book Silent Visions, and how it appears (marked with an oval) in the movie.  
You can see more vintage New York settings from the movie at my blog http://SilentLocations.WordPress.com
GoneThe New York World Building was demolished in 1955 for the expanded car ramp entrance to the Brooklyn Bridge. The newspaper folded in 1931 after being sold by the heirs of Joseph Pulitzer.
Weird Coincidence!I was just checking out John Bengtson's Silent Locations web site yesterday, connected via Leonard Maltin's recommendation. Well worth checking out by all the Shorpy fans, and no, I received nothing for this endorsement!
HA!Excellent!
George B. PostThe New York World Building was one of the finest efforts of George B. Post, sometimes known as the father of the New York skyscraper. This building was built using a conservative variant of skeleton frame construction known as "cage construction." In this technique, the exterior  facade walls are self-supporting, but the floors and the interior structure are carried on an iron framework built right next to the exterior masonry walls. The World Building made a rather questionable claim for the title of the world's tallest building, topping out at 309 feet, but that number was valid only when measured from the back door down the hill on Frankfort Street (a full story lower than the front door facing Park Row) to the top of the flagpole. The Masonic Temple in Chicago -- seen here last year on Shorpy -- had a much better claim at 302 feet. As for the critical reception of the World Building in the architectural press, the less said the better.
Classical The New York World building is incredible.  It stretches the limits of "classical" to its virtual breaking point; imagine if it had been as tall as the Empire State building.  The mind reels at the implications.  Please tell us that it is still there.
Magnificent AtlantesThose are the male supporting figures near the top of the building. They are also called telemones. Both new words to me. The female version btw is caryatids.
The World in colorThe photo below was taken by Charles W. Cushman in June 1941: The entire Cushman collection of Kodachromes from all over the world over 32 years (from 1938 to 1969) can be seen on the Indiana University Archives site.
(The Gallery, DPC, NYC)

On the Beat: 1915
New York City circa 1910-1920. "Police Orchestra." Another view of New York's finest. 5x7 glass negative, George Grantham Bain Collection. View ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/12/2011 - 5:27pm -

New York City circa 1910-1920. "Police Orchestra." Another view of New York's finest. 5x7 glass negative, George Grantham Bain Collection. View full size.
The boys in the bandI never heard of a police department having an orchestra! Do large police departments still have such things?? 
The PoliceDo large police departments still have such things??...
Sure they do, they even have special police band radios. And they occasionally include perps singing their lungs out.
Maybe..they put you in the orchestra when you got to old to chase down perps.
Toronto Police BandThe Toronto Police Service has had a band continuously since 1926, and it is still in full swing.  It occasionally plays gigs in the U.S. in the summertime, largely at the bandsmen's personal expense.  I think police bands/orchestras were once quite common in North American cities.
New York Police Band Then and NowFormed in 1903 discontinued in 1954.  Reinstated in 1991 and still going strong. Also included in their ranks are a percussion ensemble, jazz ensemble and steel drum ensemble.
Check them out here:
http://www.policeband.org/
No, Probably Not DanceableBrass and woodwind bands were featured in the early days of recording, simply because they came across better, volume-wise, on the cylinders and discs better than, say, a solo piano did. For the same reason, Vaudeville performers like Billy Murray, Bert Williams, Al Jolson, and Sophie Tucker made a lot of hit records because they could really "belt" a number into the recording horn. And it would come out well on the other side.
I don't have anything by a Police Band, but the Sousa and Edison and Victor Military bands probably sounded much the same.  
Examples are available by request, at the Pilsner's Picks page on MySpace. Which is me. New friends are always welcome.
From Bullets to Bar ChordsYes, police departments still have such things. Some bands even get so good that they quit being policemen and go professional as in the case of the Norfolk Southern Lawmen.
http://www.norfolksouthernlawmen.com/
Bad Conduct?The conductor's had more than his fair share of donuts.
The back row gets a photo of its ownYesterday's "Police Brass" photo had the tuba players, all of whom (I think) can be seen and rear/center in the band's photo -- apparently in the same left-to-right order. On the left is one of those bell-up sousaphones, on the right the bell-forward ones. True tuba geeks will notice, in yesterday's photo, all the four-valve instruments (rather than three) -- a true "premium" model. Further tuba trivia: my local professional tubist identifies most of yesterday's instruments as made by Conn or Holton.
Lots of bands My utility company had a band at the beginning of the century, composed of streetcar conductors and linemen.  Most of the Southern mills fielded baseball teams in the minor leagues.  There were much better opportunities for cheap family entertainment back then.  
Yeah, but you could dance to it?With all that brass and woodwind, I'm thinking they specialized in marches. Kind of hard to waltz or even polka to the beat of a big brass band.
NYPD OrchestraIf Louis Armstrong were a NYC Police Officer there would have been no place for him in that orchestra. That would have been true for just about any city in the country.
New York's FinestThis band was very good, from recorded evidence. The New York City Police Band made at least one record contemporary with this photo: Victor Herbert's "American Fantasy" on Brunswick 2007, recorded in July 1920, of which I have a copy. The performance is first-class, equal to any of the professional bands of the day, and Brunswick's recording technique is surprisingly lively, considering the company had just really begun full scale lateral record production.  The group used in the recording studio would have been considerably smaller than that shown in the photograph.
(The Gallery, G.G. Bain, Music, NYC)

Lady in the Water: 1947
... of present-day Weeki Wachee Mermaids in Sunday's (1/6/08) New York Times. Some of today's mermaids look like they would float nicely, too. ... 
 
Posted by Ken - 08/19/2018 - 12:31pm -

A model floating in the water at Weeki Wachee Spring, Florida. This image, by fashion photographer Toni Frissell, was published in Harper's Bazaar in December 1947. Mug | Weeki Wachee Mermaids | View full size.
Very intresting picture, itVery intresting picture, it trigures a lot of questions!
[I can think of two. - Dave]
StunningSo ethereal and mystical.  Breathtaking. http://flamingcurmudgeon.wordpress.com/
That is among the mostThat is among the most beautiful photos I've ever seen.
Also a Blue Note album coverThis was used as the cover for the amazing collaboration between Bill Evans and Jim Hall, Undercurrent, on Blue Note Records, in 1962:
http://www.bluenote.com/detail.asp?SelectionID=10162
Evan
http://www.pheezy.com
Floating Lady PrintPrint now available at in both square and horizontal formats.
What a fantastic photo.What a fantastic photo.
It's perfect for framing!
[Yes. Sofa size! - Dave]
Great picHow did they do this one Dave?
It is a beautiful shot
[My first thought was underwater camera, then I remembered visiting Weeki Wachee as a kid. They had an underground theater with a glass wall looking into the springs. The main attraction was the Mermaid Show. This picture was taken at Weeki Wachee Springs the year it opened, 1947. See the comment above for some more photos, from old postcards. - Dave]
Weeki Wachee mermaidsSome vintage postcard views of the mermaid show through the windows in the underground theater. Weeki Wachee Springs is a tourist attraction in Florida.



Weeki Wachee still existsWeeki Wachee still exists and is a very surreal experience in Americana. I suggest a visit if you ever have the time to head a couple hours north of Tampa, FL.
Great pic, and albumBeautiful -- I can't believe I didn't recognize it though, and I've owned the album for years.
David
http://neversealand.downtothesea.org
floating ladya friend just sent this link to me ....... odd as we were just discussing how we would like to be buried ( a fellow blogger passed away this week - so i apologize in advance for the morbidity)....... i said that i wanted to be sunk in one of those caves underwater in the springs down in florida ....... my friend thought this was quite odd.......but i remember visiting silver springs as a kid.......and riding the glass bottomed boats ....... and seeing the beautiful silvered caves ........ the light slicing through the water....... splinters of fish darting ........ i found it to be a soothing image - eternally floating...... i truly love this shot - beyond breathtaking.  the image penetrates the soul. evocative.
Like that broad in Titanic, only face-upEerie and beautiful. Being fully clothed, and black and white, makes it fascinating
Amazing PhotoReally hypnotic!
how was it done?if this was done thru a glass wall looking into the springs, how did they get to be so sharp, with no refractions, etc?
please please tell me, i have to know. (!!!)
:D
Another album cover...In addition to serving as the cover of the Blue Note Bill Evans/Jim Hall Undercurrent album, this photo now appears on the CD cover of Osvaldo Golijov's Oceana recording on the Deutsche Grammophon label...
FloatingHaunting. I'll probably by the print.
There is a photo of actress Kate Winslet that was also taken underwater that might have been inspired by this. She's wearing a similar dress, but is completely submerged. 
Proper terminologyGiven that they're in the water, I believe the correct word is "bosuns."
Trying to be true to the mores of the times, here.It is interesting how pert she appears, if you know what I mean.  In a standard gravity when lying on the back, her bosums would sink into her chest, yet here they appear to float upwards and not in an unappealing manner.
["Bosums," eh? - Dave]
Trying to be true to the moron of the times, hereThanks for the anatomy lesson, though I think you actually "bosom," if you know what I mean.  (I think she only had one chest, unless there's something under her garment that you could see but I couldn't.)  Besides your x-ray vision, what really intrigues me is how you managed to reduce the whole person into just her breasts - "she" is "pert?"  Hey, no arguing she's a beautiful woman, but she is a woman and not a pair of gravity-defying tits.
Trying to be true to the mores of the times, here.Water = buoyancy i.e. lack of gravity. So, as a woman I can say with all assurance… yes they float.
Weeki Wachee MermaidsNice profile of present-day Weeki Wachee Mermaids in Sunday's (1/6/08) New York Times. Some of today's mermaids look like they would float nicely, too.
Goober Pea
Blue Note LinkThe other link for the album cover wasn't working for me.  Try this one:
http://www.bluenote.com/ArtistMain.aspx?ArtistId=907925
HairVery interesting to see how the hair holds up very well in the water. They did a good job with the hair. It is so beautiful.
FloatingThis is by far one of my fave photos on the site. Just a perfect shot thru and thru.
TetheredI thought the image in this book cover looked familiar! I wonder if the cover designer is a Shorpy reader?

Bruce MozertThis picture reminded me of the underwater photography of Bruce Mozert.

TetheredRe the "Tethered" book cover, I e-mailed the author, Amy MacKinnon. Her reply:
Toni Frissell was a consummate artist.  I chose that photo because it captures perfectly the spirit of my book.  The brilliant art director at Random House infused it with color and the blending of two forms was the result.  I believe I was gifted with the most gorgeous cover ever.
Best,
Amy
I've been trying to find this for years!I saw this photo maybe 10 or 15 years ago in a Smithsonian magazine, and cut it out and put it on my wall. It got crinkled over the years through the move to college and various apartments, and though I tried a few times to find the issue it came from or the photographer's name, or really anything else about it, I never could.  Thank you so much for posting it!
Lady in the water !A great picture ! 
King Neptune’s Court I am working at Weeki Wachee restoring some of the props.
I would like to restore King Neptune’s court to the original colors, and looking for a color photo. The photo would probable be from the 50s and 60s.  If anyone have a photo of the King, can you please email a copy to me?
Thank you,
Evie
[We'd need your e-mail address. Have you looked on eBay for Weeki Wachee postcards? - Dave]
Mermaids of the Springs these daze.Hi my name is Mermaid Karri. And I've been swimming at Weeki for a little more than 4½ years. The best job I'll ever have. I love the history and the people how are so amazed by what us girls do seven days a week. For me its a passion that I'll never forget. And hope to swim in that spring forever. I will like to share so of my photos with you and hope you can enjoy them as much as I do. So enjoy and leave a comment if you like.
Siren of the Springs,
    Mermaid Karri
Another album cover!http://projekt.com/projekt/product.asp?dept_id=10&sku=PRO00115
You never know...
Band posterThe Dead Weather has a new set of concert posters out, one of which incorporates this photo.
BreathlessLove love love the mermaids! I remember watching them on the Walt Disney tv show on Sunday nights. I was always so intrigued by how long they could swim without taking a hit of air from the strategically placed underwater breathing tubes.
Happy to see that they still swim on! Will have to go see them next time we're in Florida.
Robert MontgomeryWould have gotten a real kick out of this photo!  I was immediately reminded of the noir movie "The Lady In The Lake' that he did where the camera was used as his vision of the surroundings.  You only actually saw him if he went to a mirror and looked at his reflection.  Neatly done. I know this is way past the point of inclusion, but thought I'd share my thoughts anyway.
(The Gallery, Bizarre, Portraits, Pretty Girls, Toni Frissell)

Wartime Washington: 1942
... and close scrutiny. To paraphrase Vincent Scully on New York's Penn Station, once you entered like a god; now you scuttle in like an ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 01/07/2024 - 12:07pm -

Washington, D.C.,  circa 1942. "U.S. Capitol, East Front. Sentry posted outside of House chamber." Medium format acetate negative, Office of War Information. View full size.
Like nothing, compared to todayToday there are more guards around the steps, and you can't go up them in any case. Public entry is through the underground Visitor Center, with security screenings and close scrutiny. To paraphrase Vincent Scully on New York's Penn Station, once you entered like a god; now you scuttle in like an small animal.
Considering today's world, no sane person can object.
Long Gone ColumnsYou can still see these old sandstone ones, but not at the Capitol:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Capitol_Columns
I had just got my driver license when the East Portico extension project started and it became an early highlight in a lifetime avocation of sidewalk superintendency. 
All quieton the eastern front. 
(The Gallery, D.C., Politics, WW2)

Get Me Rewrite: 1942
September 3, 1942. "New York, New York. Newsroom of the New York Times newspaper. Reporters and rewrite men ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 11/22/2023 - 11:10am -

September 3, 1942. "New York, New York.  Newsroom of the New York Times newspaper. Reporters and rewrite men writing stories, and waiting to be sent out. Rewrite man in background gets the story on the phone from reporter outside." Medium format acetate negative by Marjory Collins for the Office of War Information. View full size.
Hop-off for Hedda's heds?No, that's right: her -- famous? -- line from Sunset Boulevard was "don't bother with rewrite, take it direct!" (And that it was another 'Times' altogether we'll overlook.) One has to be curious about the choice of reading material of the man at right: guilty pleasure or was he "doing research"?

Busy busy busy?Here's a shot from 2016 of the newsroom in the current Times headquarters on Eighth Avenue. Not a typical day because they are celebrating a Pulitzer Prize. But the postures on the floor look similar.
So many smokes.. so few ashtrays.
Is no one going to ...... comment on those incredible ugly ties??   They are awesome in a weird way, too.
Mr. CravatsThat's a snazzy array of neckties our guys are wearing.
ThanksOh wow GlenJay thanks for the updated photo!
I was going to comment on the spare "open" 1942 office and declare that no modern worker would tolerate it but here they are in 2016 with just a short privacy shield between them and 1942!
Clickety-clackHere at last are the Underwood typewriters I expected!
I looked for prices online but the nearest I could find was a Remington Portable for $30 in 1942 which is about $566 today - the price of a cheap laptop.
That one on the right looks like quite a bit older. It's probably running Windows XP.
His Girl FridayThe first few minutes of this movie from 1939 will give you a Hollywood version of a busy newspaper office. 
More Typewriters and A Little DiversityThere are probably more typewriters here than meets the eye. These typing desks seem to have a 'hideaway' feature whereby the top panel can be swung open and through an elaborate system of links and levers the machine is raised to a comfortable typing height.
I see one woman behind the partition, deep in thought or at least wondering when this woman and her camera are going to 'wrap it up'.
Slacking or ResearchWhat an extraordinary photograph. I'm sure the supervisor knows the difference between working and goofing off.
(The Gallery, Marjory Collins, NYC, The Office)

New York Central: 1905
Syracuse, New York, circa 1905. "New York Central R.R. depot." Locomotive sharing the spotlight with an electric ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 10/13/2012 - 6:24pm -

Syracuse, New York, circa 1905. "New York Central R.R. depot." Locomotive sharing the spotlight with an electric brougham. View full size.
That weathervaneIs that a whimsical locomotive-motif weathervane on top of the spire?  Very cool.
Also, that carriage appears to have solid rubber (i.e., not pneumatic) tires.  I can't imagine what it would be like to drive over those cobblestones in a rig like that.
Rubber vs. IronWell, those rubber wheels may already have been better than the tradition iron hoops. 
Just think what a racket modern pneus are making on cobblestones. And then imagine that to be wooden wheels with iron hoops. Not to mention the clop-clop-clop of the horseshoes. 
Little need to colorizeWith all the soot, smoke and dirt about this may be pretty well what it looked like at the time.
Long GoneThis was the third New York Central station in Syracuse. It was demolished in 1936. A new station was built when the tracks were elevated and removed from the streets.
Built 1895

Past and Present of Syracuse and Onondaga County,
New York, 1908.

The greatest thing for Syracuse in modern steam railroad history was the building of the artistic New York Central Railway Station. The first office in the new station was opened August 1, 1895, and the station itself was opened for business October 6, 1895.


Previously seen at Syracuse Panorama: 1901.
(The Gallery, DPC, Railroads, Syracuse)

NYT Radio Room: 1942
September 3, 1942. "New York, New York. Radio room of the New York Times newspaper. The Times listening post, ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 11/15/2023 - 7:57pm -

September 3, 1942. "New York, New York. Radio room of the New York Times newspaper. The Times listening post, between 10 pm and midnight, between first and second editions. The operator is listening to Axis news (propaganda) broadcast. Paper in foreground has been examined to see what has already been covered in last edition of paper. Operator reports and gives new angles to city editor. Messages are recorded on paper tape in international Morse code." Acetate negative by Marjory Collins for the Office of War Information. View full size.
They're trying to catch me lucky chairYou can bet Mr. Operator got fed up with telling people "I take two days off and you people steal my chair yet again! You have chairs! This MY chair! It's set to MY perfect height, it swivels, it's easy on my back and my boss said it's for MEEEE! (stomps down the hall with chair in tow). Dang temps, do I have to write my name in marker ? Actually I just might!" Some things at work never change.  
Band select modulesMost shortwave radios have a band select switch. These appear to have plug-in units labeled A through D. And the tuning looks like it's done by reading the graphs placed in the front of the module to convert between the tuning knob setting and the station frequency. 
Wall mapThe stereographic projection map was critical to radio stations, as their broadcast antenna patterns could be directly matched to listeners' compass directions.
Uncle Joe?Walt Duranty here --
That mapNote the great circle map, showing the direction of the shortest path from NYC to the rest of the world.
Create your own at https://ns6t.net/azimuth/azimuth.html
Ticker TapeOnly three more years before it can all be thrown out the window onto the Victory parade!
Dial telephones?This candlestick phone has a dial -- the ones in the other same-day pics don't. Who did you have to be to rate a dialable phone?
WorkmanshipLove the detailed craftsmanship of that little wooden box on the table. 
The upright rack reminds me of early movie theatre sound system racks made by Western Electric. Those had huge valves on the front. 
(Technology, The Gallery, Marjory Collins, NYC, The Office, WW2)

York Village: 1908
York, Maine, circa 1908. "Street in York Village." Handbill on the tree: GREAT BASE BALL GAMES FRIDAY & ... electric trolley line that connected York Harbor to Dover, New Hampshire. On a 1920 topographic map the line's tracks are shown running ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/18/2012 - 11:45am -

York, Maine, circa 1908. "Street in York Village." Handbill on the tree: GREAT BASE BALL GAMES FRIDAY & SATURDAY, YORK BEACH. View full size.
Broad gauge?That streetcar track sure looks like something broader than the usual standard gauge.  (The overhead trolley wire shows clearly, so at least something electric used the track.)
A Quiet and Peaceful Villageand with just a little bit of work the Post Office could easily have a drive through window.
The trolley tracks...are probably for the Atlantic Shore Electric Railroad. This was an intercity electric trolley line that connected York Harbor to Dover, New Hampshire. On a 1920 topographic map the line's tracks are shown running down the main street in York Village.
We are here, I thinkThe Millinery Shop on the left is now the Old York Historical Society
If you take a left at Lindsey No 2 Rd you will see the little house with the window on the roof.
View Larger Map
Helen Bragdon, MillinerThis one took some work because I couldn't quite read the sign.  From the census it appears that an older Helen, head of household, is a widow, and her 28 year old daughter Helen M is the Milliner.  The 1900 census shows the mother as Georan Bragdon, dressmaker, but the Maine birth records confirm Helen (Weare) as mother and a George Theodore Bragdon as father.
Street Railway GaugeI'm pretty certain the trolley was standard gauge. I live in Pittsburgh where the trolley gauge was 5 feet 2-1/2 inches. It looks much broader than the gauge in this photo.
Home!Finally, after browsing Shorpy daily for 3 years, I see a picture of my home town! I've been down that street thousands of times. That scene is at the intersection of York Street and Long Sands Avenue, right in the heart of "Old York", where there are many restored historic buildings, including the Old Gaol, which is is right behind the buildings on the left of this picture. A 90-degree turn to the left, and you would see the Civil War memorial statue, which bears a striking resemblance to a Confederate soldier. A 90-degree turn to the right, and you would be able to see my grandmother's house.
(The Gallery, DPC, Small Towns)

Ghost Crossing: 1915
... outnumbered as it is by the horseless versions. New York Avenue & 14th Street NW View Larger Map Wowzers ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/04/2012 - 4:01pm -

Washington, D.C., circa 1915. "Bond Building, Washington Herald." Watch out for the ectoplasmic pedestrians. National Photo Co. glass negative. View full size.
A moment in timeAdd the streetcar tracks to the horse and buggy and early cars and we've got a crossroads in time as well as space.
Going up?Wow - at first glance, the building looks pretty much the same in the photo and the google maps image, but there's actually a whole floor or two built up now on top of the original.
Interesting, too, that there are now trees in the streetscape. Not sure what that says about urban living and our evolving relationship with nature...
Checkerboard PlatesThose "checkerboard" plates, so regularly spaced around the intersections of track, provided access to the underground conduit for the middle or "third rail," which provided power to the streetcars.  The conduit configuration required the trolleys to have a "plow," which sent the juice from the conduit source up to the streetcar motor.  Unfortunately, the middle groove tended to collect sediment over time, which could disengage the plow and render the streetcar immobile until a track worker reconnected the whole contraption.  Doing this required a shutdown of power for the segment of track in question.  Access to the circuit was through the checkerboard plates.  You can still see a few of these in the streets; at least one is next to the Peace Monument immediately outside the west face of the the U.S. Capitol.
Bye bye buggy.The photo makes kind of a sad comment on the numbered days of the horse and buggy, completely outnumbered as it is by the horseless versions.
New York Avenue & 14th Street NWView Larger Map
WowzersWhat a fantastically smokey picture.  The first thing I noticed was the strange "tiling" in between the tracks.  Anyone know what they are? This is a Desktop background for sure!
Ghost legsWow. What a spectacular photo. I have a question about the series of ghost legs crossing the street on the left side of the photo. Is that one person running or a number of people walking?
[I think it's probably one person. There's another set of legs on the corner, and a third set crossing on the right. - Dave]
Chevy Chase BankIs that a Chevy Chase Bank Branch on 14th Street?  Wowzers! they were everywhere even back then!
Ne'er do wellI'm fascinated by the character slouching against the light post on the right side of the building.  He seems to have the classic "ne'er do well" pose.
Charles H. Bond

Office Building Planned
Handsome Structure to be Erected at
Fourteenth Street and New York Avenue

The erection of a large and modern office building will soon begin at the southwest corner of Fourteenth street and New York avenue.  The ground here, with the exception of the corner lot, is unimproved. It is said that the enterprise contemplated will involve the expenditure, including the value of the land, of more than $300,000.  The plan is to be carried out by Mr. Charles H. Bond, of Boston and Messrs. H. Bradley Davidson and John C. Davidson, of this city, the owners of the property.  They are having plans prepared for the new building by Mr. George W. Cooper, architect.  The structure will be seven stories in height, it is stated.
...

Washington Post, March 22, 1900 



C.H. Bond Known Here
Man Who Died Strangely the Owner of Local Property
Cigar Manufacturer Often Visited This City - Singers, Among Them Geraldine Farrar, May Pendergrast, and Ada Chambers, Owe Vocal Training to Him - Generous in Many Ways.

Charles H. Bond, multimillionaire, philanthropist, and cigar manufacturer, of Boston, whose death occurred Friday afternoon at his home, Peace Haven, Swampscott, Mass., under mysterious circumstances, was a large property owner in Washington.
Although Mr. Bond never made Washington his home, he visited here several times each year and became the owner of several valuable pieces of real estate.  With H. Bradley Davidson as a partner, he built the large office building at New York avenue and Fourteenth street which bears his name.  Mr. Davidson afterward sold his share and Mr. Bond became sole owner.  Mr. Bond also owned the piece of property at the northwest corner of Tenth and F streets northwest, where Rich's shoe store is located.
Mr. Bond was twice married. His first wife was Martha Morrison and his second wife Belle Bacon, formerly prominent in Washington society.  Miss Bacon's father was at one time a clerk in the civil service commission.  Immediately following the second marriage, Mr. Bond bought a house at 1708 Nineteenth street northwest, which became the home of his wife's parents.
...
Among the summer colonists at Swampscott Mr. Bond was known as the "Macaenas of the North Shore."  Through his aid several young women attained fame as singers, for whenever a voice interested him and the owner could not afford to cultivate it he paid her expenses for training in this country and abroad.  Among those were Geraldine Farrar, May Pendergast, and Ada Chambers, of New York.  He allowed them $100 a month for their living expenses and gave them a thorough training by the best European Masters.
...
Geraldine Farrar was at first brought to Washington by the multimillionaire cigar manufacturer to have her voice trained. She was afterward sent to Europe for schooling.  Miss Farrar made her debut in Washington at a concert given at what was then known as the Lafayette Theater.  After becoming successful on the stage, Miss Farrar is said to have paid back to Mr. Bond the money which he spent in having her voice trained.
Recently Mr. Bond mortgaged his Washington property for about $350,000 and invested the money in the Lyric Theater in Boston.
Mr. Bond was found dead Friday afternoon in a half filled bath tub in his bathroom connecting with his bedroom.  In the bedroom was found this note:
 "I have been killed by my friends and enemies  It is more than I can bear.  I can stand it no longer.  My heart is broken.  I leave everything to my wife.  - CHARLES H. BOND"
...

Washington Post, July 7, 1908 


P.S. In response to Anonymous Odie:  Boss & Phelps were realtors who, among other interests, dealt a great deal with Chevy Chase properties.
Lost DramaThis is a good example of why modern and post-modern architecture is so unappreciated or understood.  Despite the efficiencies available today, the charm and detailing that set these wonderful old buildings apart is lacking. Many consider the majority of modern buildings to be sterile and inhuman.  Sometimes I tend to agree with them.
Then there's this ...Some believe that Mr. Bond might be haunting the Saugas, Massachusetts Town Hall.
TransitionI love the time transition between the horse and buggy and motor vehicle, somewhat like the one between the steam locomotive and the diesel powered locomotive.
With mayoThe ground floor tenant at the corner is now a Potbelly's.  
+95I drive by this building every day to work.  Although the outside is as beautiful as it was when it was new, the inside is everyday nondescript basic offices occupied by employees of the Department of Justice.  Below is the identical view taken in April of 2010.  
(The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, D.C., Natl Photo, Streetcars)

Broadway From Dey: 1900
New York, 1900. "Broadway looking north from Dey Street." Rising at left, the ... style, it is the oldest existing church building in New York City. Here is the view at street level today. ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 04/06/2023 - 12:29pm -

New York, 1900. "Broadway looking north from Dey Street." Rising at left, the Western Union Telegraph Building. 8x10 inch glass negative, Detroit Photographic Company. View full size.
Words travel by wire, people by cableA relatively rare glimpse of cable cars in NYC -- the Metropolitan Street Railway
came late and didn't last long -- at least if the date is correct: unlike most areas, Manhattan went from cable cars to conduit-powered streetcars, so it's hard to tell by the trackwork alone. But the cars seem a match.
[The streetcars in our photo look a lot more like the electric streetcars seen here. - Dave]


Could be: the changeover date was May 25, 1901, so the premise rests entirely on exactly what the date is...I'll trade my comment for a "circa".  - N
And upon this rock they built a churchAt center left is St. Paul's Chapel.  Built in 1766 in the Georgian style, it is the oldest existing church building in New York City.
Here is the view at street level today.

Wherefore art thou?A remarkable lack of women out and about in 1900.
Rush hour traffIcNew York City has changed little in the last 123 years, huh?
Clang, clang, clang went the trolleyAccording to one source, it wasn’t until about 1909 that electric trolleys were pressed into service in New York. Prior to that there were ‘cable cars,’ as evidenced in the post. Looking carefully one can see the cable stretched out between the rails of each line. 
[The electrification of Manhattan's streetcar lines began in the 1890s. That's not a cable between the rails -- it's a slot over the electrical conduit under the street. - Dave]
Frequency of serviceFor me the most interesting thing about this picture is the interval between the streetcars, which is close to NOTHING.  
OK, maybe there's heavy traffic, and a bunch of them got jammed up together ... but looking off to the north it appears that there's just a steady stream of streetcars.
Imagine how this would change city life if we tried this today, with trolleys and buses.   
New York City's first great hotelThat's Astor House up past St. Paul's.  After it opened in 1836, it became New York's first great hotel, for many years the (unofficial?) headquarters of the Whig Party, and the favorite place of Senators Henry Clay and Daniel Webster, who told the NY Times he "would stay at no other hotel."  Thurlow Weed supposedly lived there for 30 years.  Photographer Mathew Brady lived there, and Thomas Edison stayed there when visiting from Menlo Park.  William James was born there in 1842.
http://www.tribecatrib.com/sites/default/files/imagecache/standaloneslid...
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/fc/Astor-loc.jpg/...
(The Gallery, DPC, NYC, Streetcars)

Old New York: 1913
... In the past several years, the designers of some new quick and nasty condo buildings in Brooklyn were not aware of that. Hello! ... Water tanks All buildings six stories and higher in New York City are required to have water tanks. The best, cheapest, way to keep ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/13/2012 - 5:01pm -

Summer 1913. "Bird's eye view of N.Y.C. from roof of Consolidated Gas Building." 5x7 glass negative, George Grantham Bain Collection. View full size.
The East VillageI used to live in the area a couple of years ago on East 12th between Avenues A & B. Can't quite make that building out in this shot, but there are some noticeable landmarks there. First is Tompkins Square Park (just left of center toward the top, which occupies the area between Avenue A & B on the east and west, and 10th street & 7th streets to the north and south), looking toward the Manhattan Bridge.
The two steeples peeking up over the park, I think, are St. Brigid's Church on Avenue B across from the park. The shorter, broader steeple on this side of the park probably is St. Nicholas of Myra Church (1883) on the corner of Avenue A and 10th Street. Moving farther right across the picture, below where the bridge begins to fade off, is the steeple of St. Stanislaus Church (1872) on 7th Street, between Avenue A and First Avenue. Moving a little more to the right, closer to the photographer, is the steeple of St. Marks in the Bowery (its stark contrast jumps out at you) on the corner of 10th Street & 2nd Avenue.
"The Bowery" was Dutch governor Peter Stuyvesant's farm, and his private chapel used to stand there, making this the oldest site of continuous worship in Manhattan. This church was erected 1795-99, with a Greek Revival steeple added 1828 and an Italianate portico completing the structure in 1854. The graveyard here has some of the oldest burials in Manhattan, including Stuyvesant himself.
I see a handful of other steeples in there, but I need the time to identify those, these were the "easy" ones for me.
Con EdHere we go again, another picture that is going to have my attention for many days. This one, taken from the Consolidated Gas Building, now the Con Ed (Consolidated Edison) Building is at 4 Irving place. I Guess the shot was taken looking southeast across 3rd Ave (the El is there). The Jefferson Theatre was a major vaudeville house at 214 East 14 St, which puts it between 2nd & 3rd Avenues and on the south side of the street. This places the photographer 1 block away from Union Square Park, the site of some previous, amazing Shorpy pictures. Today that block, houses among others, a high-rise NYU dorm and a very active Trader Joe's. It is an extremely busy street populated mainly by the college kids.
TemperatureIs that temperature atop the Jefferson sign showing 25 degrees F? The pedestrians don't appear to be dressed very warmly.
[The sign says 10-15-25 cents. - Dave]
WaterThere's an amazing amount of cisterns on the roofs. Bad pressure or poor main lines?
[Those aren't cisterns. (Cisterns, usually underground, hold rainwater. How would you fill a cistern on a roof?) Penthouse tanks tanks fed by the municipal water supply are common even today in big cities on buildings of more than a few stories. - Dave]
Quaker Oats SignLots of interesting signage including Quaker Oats.
Also to the right, a church steeple under construction.
Painless Dentistry?In 1913, anything but, surely!
[Local anesthesia (Novocain, procaine, etc.) was well established by 1913. - Dave]
Water TanksToday, water pressure in NYC will only take the water supply up six stories, at best. To go higher, it needs a boost to pump it to individual units or to a tank where it can supply by gravity.
In the past several years, the designers of some new quick and nasty condo buildings in Brooklyn were not aware of that. Hello!
Up on the RoofAll those lovely roofs and no one up there tending a garden or reading or having a smoke.
Water tanksAll buildings six stories and higher in New York City are required to have water tanks.  The best, cheapest, way to keep water pressure up in tall buildings.
Water TanksThe most amazing thing is that new water tanks are constructed virtually the same as the wooden tanks shown in this photo. The base is supported by parallel wooden joists sitting on a structural steel framework. A wooden floor is laid across the joists. Once in place, the floor is cut into to size of the tank's diameter. Then enough vertical staves are secured in place to permit some of the steel bands to be put in place. Once complete, the tank is pumped full of water. The staves and the wooden floor swell enough after a few days immersed in water that the tank no longer leaks.  Most tanks have open tops - some have an additional weather enclosure around them. Wooden tanks like these last about 20 years. A replacement tank of this size can be made on site in less than a day's time.
Con EdMy dad worked briefly for Con Ed in that building on the NE corner of 14th and Irving Place for a few months back in 1921-22. It's still there, just a few blocks south of Pete's Tavern on Irving Place, one of my old favorite pubs in that neighborhood.
What Bridge?What bridge is in the foreground.....is it still standing? (I don't think so....but?)
[That's the Williamsburg Bridge. Still very much there. - Dave]
The "CLOTHES" sign, lower leftWhat is the sign that apparently displays 10:15 above the "CLOTHES" vertical sign toward the lower left of the photo? It couldn't be a digital clock, right? 
If it isn't a digital clock, I wonder what the 10:15 stood for. October 15th?
[The sign says "10-15-25¢" And nothing about "clothes." - Dave]
Thanks for replying! Sorry, I meant the sign on the photographer's side of the elevated train station that reads "CLOTHES," descending from the top. It looks a lot like the Jefferson Theatre's sign.
Quaker Oats location?Can anyone tell me approximately where that Quaker Oats sign was located?
(The Gallery, Boats & Bridges, G.G. Bain, NYC)

Wisdom, Montana: 1942
... ride. It was a short 20 mile drive. Would move back in a New York minute. Early pioneers of the Big Hole I'm looking for any pictures ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 11/03/2023 - 1:14pm -

April 1942. "Baker's Garage in Wisdom, Montana. Largest town, population 385, in the Big Hole Basin, a trading center in ranching country." 4x5 Kodachrome transparency by John Vachon for the Office of War Information. View full size.
Superb quality!The quality of this photograph is amazing. It looks like it was taken today. Do you have any more information on it?
Wisdom MTGoogle Maps link.
WisdomGreat photo. Thanks. The last remaining inhabitants eventually changed the name to "Boredom, Montana."
Towns like thisTowns like this are a staple of western North America. In western Canada, their existence was justified by the railway and farmers hauling grain to their local elevators. Later they survived when the highway became the big thing and people stopped for gas or a little food on the road. There's probably a bar that the locals go to. Town's got a school maybe even a high school, and probably more than one church. There's a ball field and, in just about every prairie town in Canada though of course not the USA, a curling rink. In Saskatchewan they used to say that if you lived in a town that lost the school and the curling rink you might as well start looking for a place in Saskatoon or Regina.
PennzoilThe Pennzoil logo hasn't changed much:

WidsomIt looks like it's on the edge of a river valley? The colors in this shot are indeed amazing. I love the punch of the red gas pumps.
[It's west of Butte. - Dave]

CalsoWhat does it say on the sign leaning against the wall, underneath "Calso Gasoline"?  Is that "Unsurcharged"?  No extra fees?
["Unsurpassed." - Dave]
Eternal WisdomUnderneath "Unsurpassed" on the Calso sign you have "The California Company"
I found a modern picture of this place online:
http://www.panoramio.com/photo/4494303
Aside from the paved road, this place looks much the same. I don't think they sell Chevron or Mobil at those buildings anymore. Baker's Garage is now Conover's Trading Post. The painted Wisdom has long since faded from the old metal roof.
The GarageI was raised and went to school in wisdom and Bakers Garage is not next to Ed Glassey's garage (The building with Wisdom on the top). Baker's Garage was across the street from Glasseys Garage (Looks like maybe they used photoshop to alter the photo) ..
I moved to Wisdom in 1959 so if the photo is from 1942 maybe they moved the Building??
[The image, which is part of the Library of Congress photographic archive, has not been altered. It's one of more than 50 pictures of Wisdom taken by John Vachon in April 1942. Things can change a lot in 20 years.  - Dave]

Baker's Garage in WisdomI am a Wisdom native too.
In talking to my dad. Bruce Helming, who is the oldest native still living in Wisdom, it turns out that Anna Lee and Roy Baker did own a shop across the street from the garage that you know as Baker's, which is now the Wisdom Market. It was the Chet Bruns Union 76 Garage back in the old days.  Anna Lee was my dad's first cousin. Dad's folks adopted her when her parents died in the 1920s, and she was raised as Anna Lee Helming in Wisdom.  
My grandparents' (and later Dad's) business, Helming Brothers, bought out Chet Bruns' operation in the 1950s, which is when Anna Lee and Roy moved to the garage that you know now. The buildings shown in the photo were destroyed in the American Legion hall fire.  I would guess that was in the early 50s, which is when all of the cemetery records were destroyed.
Wisdom had no real fire department until 1961, so when a blaze was raging out of control, it was extinguished by placing dynamite in a loaf of bread and tossing it into the fire.  The night the Legion hall and all of these other buildings burned, Dad and his uncle, Clarence Helming, were bringing the fire pumper to the scene.  Just as they rounded the corner, "Boom," no more fire (and no more buildings).
Gary Helming
Helming@juno.com
Pictures of Wisdom, MontanaI enjoyed looking at the old pictures of Wisdom and reading the text about them. I grew up near a small town (Gladstone, VA) and have always been kind of partial to them. I love looking at old pictures like these. Thank you for posting them.
The Wisdom of YouthThis town holds a place in my heart. I spent most of my youth in Wisdom, from 1975 to 1990.  The town hasn't changed a lot since I left, but has gotten smaller.  When I started at Wisdom Elementary there were four classrooms. By the time I graduated to high school they were down to three. I hear there is only one class there now.  For high school we were bused 65 miles to the Dillon, one of only two high schools in the county.
It was an amazing place to grow up.  Though everyone knew your business, everyone kept an eye out for you.  We had two bars that all the kids hung out in and played pool.  There were street dances for the Fourth of July and any other occasion. There were two restaurants, one of which burned down last week.  
It is hard to describe the life that a kid in a town this small would lead.  The concept just doesn't make sense to city folk.   But it was an amazing carefree life of swimming under the bridge, ice skating at the pond, nights of kick the can in the Forest Service field, greetings from the town's pet deer and raccoons.  
If it were possible to have the kind of lifestyle I have now in the city, I would move back to raise my child there in a heartbeat.
Having lived near Wisdom for many yearsduring the summer-time, I can almost see the buildings.  We haven't lived in Jackson for 20 years but the previous 8 years were spent on the Hairpin Ranch in a line shack about 5 miles past the main ranch, in the middle of nowhere.  I loved EVERY minute of it.  We traveled to Wisdom for dinner some days or just when the kids wanted to take a ride.  It was a short 20 mile drive.  Would move back in a New York minute.
Early pioneers of the Big HoleI'm looking for any pictures or info of the early Wisdom families prior to 1930. I have an old school picture dated 1914/15 and would love to have someone help identify the children. Both sides of my family, the Elliott's and Scollicks were early settlers there. The old dilapidated log cabin on the south end of the Ruby near Butler Creek is the Scollick homestead and the Elliott log cabin is on Gibbonsville road. I believe my Aunt Eve Scollick might have married a Ferguson in the Wisdom area. There's a picture hanging at the Crossing/Fetties with several people on horses. Anyone that can help identify them as well would be great.
(The Gallery, Kodachromes, Gas Stations, John Vachon, Rural America, WW2)

The Great Reporter: 1942
September 1942. "New York, New York. Photographic department of the New York Times newspaper. One of eight ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 11/27/2023 - 12:42pm -

September 1942. "New York, New York. Photographic department of the New York Times newspaper. One of eight staff photographers returns to staff room after assignment. Over door is eulogy of news camera. At left are maps of the city and region for photographers' reference." Acetate negative by Marjory Collins for the Office of War Information. View full size.
Eight Is Enough?I would have thought the NYT at that time would have had more then than eight staff photographers.
[Photos in the Times came from staffers, freelancers and wire services. - Dave]
Dave, while I agree that photos also came from, freelancers, UPI and AP wire services for all metropolitan newspapers, my father, Joe Kordick, at that time was one of over 25 staff photographers for the newly founded Chicago Sun.  
Since the NYT was a larger paper, located in the largest city in Country, I find it hard to believe that their "staff" only consisted of eight.
[The Sun was a "picture newspaper." The "Gray Lady," as the name implies, was anything but. The NYT in-house newsletters from the 1940s list from seven to nine staff photographers. - Dave]
A Wonderful LifeLooks like he's gonna count Zuzu's petals.
Photo, far rightIs that Neville Chamberlain?  Also, my dad, who flew torpedo bombers in WWII, said they had something like "The Great Reporter" over the door of the ready room on the aircraft carrier. But it said "I am the best damn aviator that ever flew."
(The Gallery, Marjory Collins, NYC)
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