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Fine Groceries: 1905
New York circa 1905. "Exterior of tenement house, E. 40th Street." Our fifth look at this building . 8x10 ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/02/2012 - 7:44pm -

New York circa 1905. "Exterior of tenement house, E. 40th Street." Our fifth look at this building. 8x10 glass negative, Detroit Publishing Co. View full size. ThinkThe young lady look's deep in thought. I wonder what she's thinking about? "Maybe I should have brought my umbrella." He's in big troubleHe was supposed to pick her up a half hour ago after her shift at the deli but he's down at the pool hall and time just got away from him, you know how it is. She hopes he's not dead so she can kill him herself when he finally pulls up. Please do not siton the railings or abutment. Look carefully at the sidewalk and streets.Totally immaculate. In fact, you can eat off of them. Brick lintelsI have NEVER seen brick lintels arranged in such a decorative fashion before. For such a plain building there's a lot going on in the brickwork. Woman by door:"Oh dear! Google Maps seems to have led me astray. I was only look for medium-quality groceries. Whatever shall I do?" QuandaryNow where the devil did I leave the Ford? Seasick?That wavy cobblestone street could pass for the ocean on a windy day. Must have been a very bumpy ride. Tea TimeI'm surprised no one has made comment of the young lady standing alone on the street. Just above her though, through a partially openend window, appears to be two or three ladies enjoying high tea or something of the sort. Looks like one is reaching for a salt or pepper shaker. Shorpy provides a portal into the past to view moments enjoyed over 100 years ago! Amazing when one thinks about it. A Worrisome Thought I imagine we will never know if our heroine was able to connect with her new beau. Although she is an attractive young lady so I'm sure things worked out for her and some viewer of Shorpy might be looking at their great grandmother. (The Gallery, DPC, NYC, Stores & Markets)
Idlers: 1916
... some of his comments on alcohol in his various photos of tenement life, one wouldn't be surprised if he were a prohibitionist. Indeed a ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 10/01/2008 - 10:48am -

June 29, 1916. Chicopee Falls, Massachusetts. "Hanging around the saloon -- 5 p.m." Photograph by Lewis Wickes Hine. View full size. Boys on the Stoop"Range in age from 18 to 65. After working 10-12 hours at mill, cannery and factory, repair to the saloon for alcoholic beverages at 5 o'clock on a Monday afternoon. All said they had been doing this since they were old enough to see over the bar. Most smoke. Whites sociliaze frequently here with Negroes and Italians." I love these guys!They worked hard and they played hard. Stopping at the gin mill after work to "turn over a few" was a ritual and I well remember my uncle and his friends ending the workday with a drink or two and an (illegal) street game of shooting craps for pennies. The police would just tell them to go home and move on. Those "bucket of blood" saloons had signs in the window saying they had "tables for ladies" but no lady ever entered therein. Sometimes when the playful shoving and pushing got out of hand (i.e. that guy falling off the stoop) a real fist fight would break out, there would be blood, usually from noses, and the next thing being heard as someone was dragged away was "Did he have a hat?" A GREAT and unexpected scene from my childhood. Thank you for this unusual photo to bring it all back. Outdoor TypesMy friends and I used to go inside. Shake On It!Looks like the dapper young thing in the white shoes doesn't want to get his pants dirty, so he is sitting on a towel. Sort of out of place with this rough-and-tumble crowd. I notice their ale comes from Springfield -- wonder if it's Duff. The Temperance MovementI wonder what Hines's opinion was on the temperance movement. Do we know? Given his social activism, and some of his comments on alcohol in his various photos of tenement life, one wouldn't be surprised if he were a prohibitionist. Indeed a photo like this would have been just the sort of thing that the Women's Christian Temperance Union would have seized upon in this period in support of the ban on alcohol - men at the bar wasting their money getting drunk instead of taking it home to the benefit of their families (who, the WCTU would insist, were destitute because of booze), associating with unsuitables (Negroes and Italians - the WCTU was very WASPish to the point of not accepting Catholics, Jews, African Americans, or women not born in North America), and getting violent. Whatever Hines's personal opinions, this sort of picture would be just the sort of propaganda piece that the anti-saloon advocates would use. [As LWH's PR man here in the 21st century, may I take this opportunity to point out once again that his last name is Hine. Not Hines. Thank you and good night. - Dave] Cyran and who?Trying to read the cafe sign in the window.... Checking the U.S. census (1910 and 1920) reveals several Cyrans (of Polish-Austrian descent) living in Chicopee, Mass. Most are listed as mill laborers rather then cafe owners. I can't make out the second name of this joint cafe venture. Visually, the best I come up with is "Bjercasinski" which yields no results in a census search (nor Google search for that matter). Any suggestions? [Twelve letters. Vanna? - Dave] Grandpa!That guy on the far left looks a lot like my grandfather, who would have arrived in Chicopee Falls about 1914. (The Gallery, Eateries & Bars, Lewis Hine)
The Privy Chamber: 1935
December 1935. "Tenement backyard and privy, Cincinnati, Hamilton County, Ohio." 35mm nitrate ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/25/2018 - 1:34pm -

December 1935. "Tenement backyard and privy, Cincinnati, Hamilton County, Ohio." 35mm nitrate negative by Carl Mydans. View full size. CincinnatiI know you won't publish this but how dare you allow someone disparage this great city. [All in all, I'd rather be in Cleveland. - Dave] CincinnatiI know you won't publish this but how dare you allow someone to disparage this great city. [But I digress. You were saying? - Dave] CincinnatiI know you won't publish this but how dare you allow someone disparage this great city. [Happy Groundhog Day! - Dave] CincinnatiI know you won't publish this but how dare you allow someone to disparage our great city. [Haven't we met before? - Dave] CincinnatiI know you won't publish this but how dare you allow someone disparage this great city. [It was pretty easy, actually. - Dave] CincinnatiHow dare you allow someone to disparage our great city. [Food for thought. - Dave] CincinnatiI know you won't publish this but how dare you to allow someone to disparage our great city. [I've been to Cincinnati! - Dave] Ode to an Outhouse (author unknown)I cannot boast of my aroma Nor do I issue a diploma. But it's a lot of fuddy-duddy That there's a better place to study. FittingThat about sums up Cincinnati. CincinnatiI know you won't publish this but how dare you allow someone to disparage our great city. [We have extremely low standards! - Dave] CincinnatiI know you won't publish this but how dare you allow someone to disparage our great city. [For one thing, there doesn't seem to be a whole lot to do there. - Dave] (The Gallery, Carl Mydans, Cincinnati Photos)
Rear Window: 1936
June 1936. "View out of rear window tenement dwelling of Mr. and Mrs. Jacob Solomon, 133 Avenue D, New York City. ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 02/01/2013 - 1:58am -

June 1936. "View out of rear window tenement dwelling of Mr. and Mrs. Jacob Solomon, 133 Avenue D, New York City. The Solomon family are all on the accepted list for resettlement at Hightstown, New Jersey." Medium-format nitrate negative by Dorothea Lange for the Resettlement Administration. View full size. SkylightGoogle's satelite photo shows the roof of this still extant building. Looks like the skylight is still there. Bet it hasn't been washed since. Sort of the Lower East SideDepending on who was doing the counting and why they were doing it, "Alphabet Land" (the area just north of East Houston Street) was either considered part of the Lower East Side or not. My Grandparents who immigrated around 1910 spent some time in this area and moved north as soon as they were financially able to. Now this area is on the fringe of gentrification. Cool!They had a patio! They Went to HeavenResettled to bucolic Hightstown. Very lucky. Those people must have thought they landed in paradise after living in a place like this. Lounge areaAKA "TAR BEACH." Ahh, I can feel the sweltering heat of a July day in NY City...amazing. Yoo hoo, Mrs. GoldbergWhen I see these clothes lines, I expect to see Gertrude Berg's head sticking out of the window. I remember watching The Goldbergs on TV, many years ago. Weather AlertIf indeed, the area in this photo is still extant, and if during a New York City summer, anyone went out on that "patio", the noise and heat exhuasting from the room air conditioners in that immediate vicinity would definitely be hazardous to their health. Yoo hoo, Mrs. Bloom!Aunt Jess, The Goldbergs are back on Netflix. They have only the later (suburban) episodes but I hope they add the earlier and better (IMO) urban episodes. In an early example of product placement, Mrs. G always had a plant on her windowsill, potted in a re-purposed Sanka can. (Sanka was a sponsor.) (The Gallery, Dorothea Lange, NYC)
A Very Kelly Christmas: 1940
... who works in the Navy yard in South Boston. Their present tenement in Quincy is completely inadequate. They have been unable to move ... mom. Completely inadequate Inadequate though this tenement may be deemed to be, it’s still a far cry from some of the lodgings ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 11/16/2018 - 5:35pm -

December 1940. "The family of John Kelly, who works in the Navy yard in South Boston. Their present tenement in Quincy is completely inadequate. They have been unable to move because every real estate agent has turned him down, claiming there was no reason why they should rent to large families when there is such a great demand for decent houses by hundreds of incoming shipyard workers." Medium format negative by Jack Delano. View full size. Overwhelmed -the mother and the girl sitting next to Dad. Not surprising when the eight other members of the family are male. So much family resemblanceThe little boy reading the comics looks more like his mom. Completely inadequateInadequate though this tenement may be deemed to be, it’s still a far cry from some of the lodgings we’ve seen on Shorpy from a decade earlier. I see a lamp with a shade, matching upholstered furniture, a Christmas tree, decent clothing. Maybe there aren’t enough bedrooms, but it’s a step up from much of the Depression-era housing we see on this site. (Note to John Kelly: easy for me to say, but maybe give your weary wife a break, pal.) More crowded than we thoughtHere is abstract from 1940 census John L Kelly 39 Elizabeth Kelly 42 John L Kelly 14 David Kelly 12 Alfred Kelly 11 Joseph Kelly 9 Elizabeth Kelly 7 Leo Kelly 5 Philip Kelly 3 Robert Kelly 2 Agnes Ormond 48 Agnes, not pictured, is the sister-in-law. Occupation: Pipe Carener (cleaner?) Industry: Navy Yard Commissioner KellyIronically, Leo grew up to be the Quincy Housing Commissioner. I grew up in Quincy, and they are a well-known family. (The Gallery, Boston, Christmas, Jack Delano, Kids)
Sal's Italian Groceries: 1936
December 1936. "Scene from the Bronx tenement district from which many of the New Jersey homesteaders have come." ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 02/07/2013 - 10:47am -

December 1936. "Scene from the Bronx tenement district from which many of the New Jersey homesteaders have come." Another example of the ostensibly onerous conditions from which the Resettlement Administration offered an escape. Medium-format nitrate negative by Arthur Rothstein. View full size. Leffs Freeman PosterIs a Yiddish language advertisement for the 1932 film Symphony for 6 Million. In the 1930s and 40s the juxtaposition of a Italian Grocery and an advertisement in Yiddish would have been common in The Bronx. This was the area that my Grandparents escaped to when they were able to afford to leave the Lower East Side. The other destination of choice would have been East Harlem. Success?Based on just these two offerings, the idea of 'resettlement' probably was very appealing. How long did the program last and what has become of those new areas, 75 years later? Italian grocery storesHaving lived my first 22 years in the northeast, I used to love going into these stores. I can still smell the irresistible aroma of salami, aged cheeses, oregano and garlic, freshly baked breads and incredible delicacies. As a child who loved artwork, I would study all the beautiful labels and intricate signage on the illustrated metal gallon cans of olive oil, the Roma tomatoes with basil, the talented arrangements of multicolored pickled peppers in lavishly shaped jars, very detailed wine labels, the packaged sweets, etc. while my parents shopped. I still marvel at the artistic quality of those (suitable for framing) masterpieces used on their imported foods, all the colors and pastoral scenic depictions of Italy. Since I have not been in one for over fifty years, I have to wonder if their labeling and aromas are still so intriguing. Obviously the artisans who designed these labels took great care to make them fascinating and inviting. I want to go back there. Onerous conditions? I agree with your use of the term "ostensibly" when describing the living conditions. This is 1936 and these properties don't look that "onerous". As in other photos you've posted from this area and era, they don't look any worse than the area I lived my first five years in Chicago from 1950-1955. We weren't rich, but not poor either. My Dad was a school teacher. Not just the northeast!We had (and to a lesser extent still have) many of the same shops here in California. I remember exactly the same experiences you described, shopping at Traverso's and Arrigoni's - the smells, the label art, the sausages and hams hanging over the butcher counter, and always a "taste" of cheese and salami for the kids. Fresh ravioli, covered in flour in flat white boxes, packs of exotic looking pastas, sliced deli products in white butcher paper going home, and only around Christmas, those tiny boxes of nougat candy, with the intricate cameo portraits on the outside... Yeah, me, too! (Arrigoni's is still open, since 1937, but Traverso's is sadly gone from Santa Rosa.) DO YOU WANT WAR?Who's asking? FlameMeaning of the word in Hebrew script printed in chalk to the left of the Freeman poster, with what looks like an exclamation point after it. (Hebrew and Yiddish read right to left.) What in the world is that chalked-upon door about? War Delays the March of ProgressWhile many will see this horse and wagon as a fading relic of former times, if not an outright anachronism, World War II, with its rationing of fuel and tires, gave such conveyances a brief reprieve. I recall as a tot in Cleveland seeing milk delivered by horse and wagon (most of the dairies had but recently mechanized and the horses, who knew the routes better than the drivers, were still available). Likewise, various peddlars and, of course, the "junk man" still made their rounds in horse-drawn conveyances for a time even after the war. Incidently, a recent satori decoded for me my childhood memory of the junk man's cry: Piper-ex Juice!" was probably my misunderstanding of "Paper, Rags, Jute!" (The Gallery, Arthur Rothstein, Horses, NYC, Stores & Markets)
Hung Out to Dry: 1936
December 1936. "New York. Scene from the Bronx tenement district from which many of the New Jersey homesteaders have come." ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 03/29/2013 - 12:35pm -

December 1936. "New York. Scene from the Bronx tenement district from which many of the New Jersey homesteaders have come." There are a million stories in the Naked City, and a lot of them seem to involve laundry. Photo by Arthur Rothstein for the Resettlement Administration. View full size. Fishing in the BronxI assume those are not fishing or flag poles on about every rooftop. Does anyone know what they are for or their purpose? Rear Window?If this image had been shot at night, I would half expect to see the glow of Lars Thorwald's lit cigarette in one of those darkened windows. Radio AntennasMy aunt & grandmother lived in the LaReine apartments on Connecticut Ave, Washington, very near Chevy Chase Circle [built very late 1920s]. Each apartment had its own ++AM++ antenna on the roof with a cable to an outlet in the living room. There were frames on the roof with the antennas strung between them, as in this Shorpy photo. Question from a Country BoyI understand that the larger (steel?) structures on the roof are for access by tenants, maintenance, etc. However the smaller units have doors that don't look walkable, and there seems to be an excess of them. My lifetime experience with roofs is just to shed rain and snow, so I become interested in the various uses on the city roofs. Window BoxWhat is that in the top right window? And what's with the pillows stuffed in the window just to the left of that? Re:Window BoxThe box is called a 'pie safe.' It's designed to let baked goods cool without them being swiped by pigeons, gulls, or boys. If you look closely you can see perforations in it. The pillows are probably being aired out. I wonder how often they had to be retrieved from the back yard. As to the small doors on the boxes next to the chimneys I think those are trash chutes that lead to the ground or to a bin next to the furnace where they were incinerated. Advantages of 4th floorI assume that the people on the fourth floor had dibs on the clothesline on the roof. In return for having to walk up all those flight of stairs, they never had to retrieve their bloomers from the lawn because one of the clothespins broke! PolesWhat are all those poles for? Radio? (The Gallery, Arthur Rothstein, NYC)
Condemned: 1939
... of public housing projects as the modern equivalent of tenement housing. Think of what an improvement a housing project would have ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/30/2012 - 11:04am -

Savannah, Georgia, circa 1939. "Fahm Street, west side. Row houses built about 1850. Torn down 1940 for Yamacraw Village housing." You can't stop progress. 8x10 inch acetate negative by Frances Benjamin Johnston. View full size. A matter of perspectiveNowadays we tend to think of public housing projects as the modern equivalent of tenement housing. Think of what an improvement a housing project would have been to the folks living in these shacks. Questionable upgradeI bet there are many who would gladly trade in their apartment in a crime-ridden "project" for a more personal "shack." Those houses were old and creaky, but they were little houses and they could be fixed up rather nicely. Urban RenewalThese "shacks" lasted 89 years before they were razed to make way for progress. I wonder how their successors have fared after a mere 70 years. Some ProgressI was expecting some concrete nightmare, but it doesn't look that bad - and the new buildings echo the style of the old: View Larger Map "You should have seen what used to be there"I used to work with a woman who grew up on the South Side of Chicago in a neighborhood that was later razed for the notorious (to say the least) Stateway Gardens and Robert Taylor Homes, and she would say that, bad as those places were (and they too have since been razed), you should have seen what used to be there -- wooden shacks, buildings falling over, unpaved streets in the middle of Chicago in the middle of the 20th century. Charles Cushman's incredible photos give a good idea. The lady I worked with was more than happy with the upgrade and her father lived in one of those high-rises for the rest of his life with no thought of moving. (The Gallery, F.B. Johnston, Savannah)
Today's Tom Sawyer: 1940
... "newsies," the children of the migrant farmers, and the tenement dwellers and keep thinking of my own little boy, who at 4 1/2 would, ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 01/04/2008 - 9:41am -

Making his third appearance here in as many days, the impish Iowa farmboy captured on film by John Vachon in May 1940. View full size. Dee Dee Do DoHe looks as though he stepped out of a Twilight Zone episode. Maybe Billy Mumy sent himself to the cornfield. No his mind is not for rentExactly what I was thinking!! hahaha A Little Boy's PocketsI'll bet he has a frog in one pocket and marbles in the other. My New Favorite BlogMy goodness, I just can't get enough of this blog. I snuck peeks all day while "working." It's the images from Hine that have spoken to me the most. I look at the faces of the children in the mills, the "newsies," the children of the migrant farmers, and the tenement dwellers and keep thinking of my own little boy, who at 4 1/2 would, perhaps, be out working in these same conditions if it were a hundred years ago. I just can't put my head around that. And yet I look at this impish, freckle-faced guy staring out at me from 68 years ago and he looks so much like my little guy who likes to play Gameboy while lounging in his Spiderman PJs. Thank you for reminding me how fortunate we were to have had these people as our ancestors. We forget them so quickly but a blog like this -- something they couldn't have ever imagined! -- lets them live on. [Wow. Thanks, Tricia. - Dave] Best. Caption. Ever!. He gets high on you...and the space he invades he gets by on you. Dave, did you just drop a Rush lyric on a Shorpy pic? Wow. The KidGave him a thumbs up and added it to Stumble! (The Gallery, John Vachon, Kids, Rural America)
The Indy Five: 1908
... photographs by Lewis Wickes Hines in this period. Every tenement apartment is filthy, every parent of a child worker shown is ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/15/2012 - 9:27am -

August 1908. "Noon hour in an Indianapolis furniture factory. Witness, E.N. Clopper." View full size. Photo and caption by Lewis Wickes Hine. Just wonderingI've been looking at your blog for a while now and I was just wondering, was anyone ever happy before 1941? It's rareNotsotricky, it is rare to find a smiling face in photographs by Lewis Wickes Hines in this period. Every tenement apartment is filthy, every parent of a child worker shown is neglectful and usually a drunkard, and every child labourer has the stare of someone who has seen too much war. SmilesHave a look at Indiana Janes Not necessarily traditional to smileIt's far from frequent to see smiling faces in any portraits of the period. Photography was still a serious business for people; even in portraits of that time it was far from obligatory to smile. Say CheeseHow fast were the films or plates that these photographers used? I'd always heard that folks tended not to smile because it was tough to hold it convincingly for long enough to make the exposure. Any truth to that? [Probably more true for the days of the daguerreotype in the 19th century, when chairs in portrait studios had neck braces to keep the subjects' heads from moving. Lewis Hine, in the captions he wrote for these photographs, noted that his younger subjects often tended to be wary, worried that they might get in trouble with bosses or parents, or lose their jobs. - Dave] (The Gallery, Indianapolis, Kids, Lewis Hine)
Cream City: 1936
... a window air conditioning unit affixed to an early 1900s tenement. A smart shorpyite informed me that it was meant to be a sort of ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 06/18/2021 - 3:30pm -

April 1936. "Rear of houses at 711 West State Street. Milwaukee Vocational School in background." Photo by Carl Mydans for the Resettlement Administration. View full size. Fix it ... that's all I askI am troubled by the top two signs' misalignment atop the decorative background latticework (for lack of a better word). Why are they not even with the placement of the bottom two signs? All they need to do is move to the left about two feet, until they are centered. Then it would all look so much better. Also, for davidk, I seem to remember remarking about a year ago on what appeared to be a window air conditioning unit affixed to an early 1900s tenement. A smart shorpyite informed me that it was meant to be a sort of refrigerator box, wherein a housewife would place items for cold storage during the wintertime. Which you probably already knew because that smart shorpyite may have been yourself. And now I need a Mars Toasted Almond Slice and a spin in an $810 Oldsmobile Eight. From houses to the Big HouseMilwaukee City Jail sits on that site, now. One for twoThe house on the left has broken windows and is boarded up. The one on the right has curtains and people living in it. And – in a whuzza moment – what I thought for a sec was an A/C unit in the top window. Today I learned1. How Milwaukee got the nickname Cream City. 2. The Milwaukee Vocational School still stands as the Milwaukee Area Technical College. (The Gallery, Billboards, Carl Mydans, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Milwaukee)
The Boys of Mott Street: 1942
... of Honor Those banners would be hung vertically between tenement buildings on both sides of the street. I seem to remember that some of ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 04/24/2013 - 9:35pm -

August 1942. "Italian-American parade honoring neighborhood boys in the United States Army." A close-up of the banner glimpsed here. (The bottom, just out of the frame at right, reads WE MUST NOT FAIL THEM.) Medium-format negative by Marjory Collins for the Office of War Information. View full size. StorefrontsHere's the view of those storefronts today, 278-280 Mott Street. From Prince to BleeckerWhat is that all about? [Streets. - Dave] Mott St.Mott is a marvelous Lower East Side street, running from Worth St. in the south, where it’s Chinatown, through some remnants of Little Italy a few streets beyond Canal, morphing into trendy shops before it terminates at Bleecker, above Houston, passing St. Patrick’s Old Cathedral (actually on Mulberry) on the way. Italian-Americans in WWIIItalian-Americans won thirteen Medals of Honor, as well as countless decorations for courage and meritorious service in WWII. My father served in the Marine Corps in WWII. He is now 100 years old, and grew up in this neighborhood, his parents having immigrated from Sicily and Southern Italy in the late 1800s. Although you didn't win any medals, Dad, you'll always be my hero! Flags of HonorThose banners would be hung vertically between tenement buildings on both sides of the street. I seem to remember that some of them had blue stars, one each for the boys of the block that were in the service and gold stars for each serviceman that died, Somehow they kept them updated. They would be blown down occasionally but raised again. Eventually the weather wore them out. In a previous post I said that the people threw coins onto the flags as they were being carried through the streets, obviously they tossed paper money as well. I now wonder if some of that cash was used to maintain them. Feast of San RoccoThis parade was on August 16, 1942, the day of the Feast of San Rocco in the liturgical calendar. Italian immigrants had developed a practice in the 19th century of celebrating feast days with street festivals like this. The residents of Mott Street decided to use that day to celebrate local boys who had just been inducted. (The Gallery, Marjory Collins, NYC, Patriotic, WW2)
Wise Valet: 1943
May 1943. "New York. A tenement house in Harlem." Note the sign advising of COVER. Photo by Gordon ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 02/28/2015 - 8:47am -

May 1943. "New York. A tenement house in Harlem." Note the sign advising of COVER. Photo by Gordon Parks, Office of War Information. View full size. Red Cross stickersDuring the Red Cross's many wartime "appeals" for donations, those who gave then received a red cross sticker, to be placed in their window. This also had a practical virtue, because it enabled door-knockers to concentrate on those homes with no such stickers. DetailGreat architectural detail in these buildings. BTW, that's a 1938 Ford at the curb. La Princessewas located at 143 West 135th, AUdubon 3-7722, thanks again to the NYPL Direct Me NYC 1940 page. Addendum: the website for the rental office gives a nice background on the block: http://www.135apartments.com/about_the_building Duck and COVERAccording to the Nov. 27, 1942 New York Times, the New York Department of Civil Defense started to install the "COVER" signs that month (beginning in midtown Manhattan), in order to mark places of safety in case of an air raid. It reported that "the signs, about eight inches wide and eighteen inches long, are marked with a large C followed by the word 'cover,' and an arrow." They Got Me CoveredThe poster in the window is advertising the Bob Hope, Dorothy Lamour movie with that title, released a couple months earlier in March of 43. Minus the storefronts plus some a/c unitsLargely the same. I wonder how they decided which of the building numbers to use. View Larger Map The Cross in the WindowI wonder what the significance is of what appears the be a RED CROSS symbol in the second floor window above the tailor shop. Any ideas, Shorpyites? (The Gallery, Gordon Parks, NYC, Stores & Markets)
Listen My Children: 1900
... the house where Henry Wadsworth Longfellow was born was a tenement occupied by Irish families. During that period, it is said a ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/21/2012 - 4:51pm -

Portland, Maine, circa 1900. "Longfellow's birthplace." The home where Henry Wadsworth Longfellow was born in 1807, when Portland was part of Massachusetts. Off to the right, in front of the Block Shop: Two Shortfellows. 8x10 inch glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. Watch Your StepI hope there is another entrance to the place next door because that first step at the door we see is a doozy. Blowin in the WindI like the ship weather vane. AntennaI am not sure of its exact location but there seems to be an antenna on a roof top near the telephone pole on the right If so, what in early 1900's would it hope to receive? [Airwaves. - Dave] Anecdotal evidence The house, which faced the harbor, stood on Fore Street, then a fashionable part of Portland. In later years the house where Henry Wadsworth Longfellow was born was a tenement occupied by Irish families. During that period, it is said a Portland schoolteacher asked her class, "Can you tell me where the poet Longfellow was born?" A small boy answered, "Yes'm, in Patsy Connor's bedroom." The house was torn down in 1955. Source: Maine Memory Network About to Fade AwayThe "Block Shop" was probably a source of rigging blocks for sailing ships, a business already in eclipse in 1900. The ship-rigged weathervane is appropriate. Not only did such ships require over 100 blocks to handle control lines, but to the people buying them, it mattered which way the wind was blowing. Another neat detail in this photo is the corner piece of the sidewalk, which seems to be a single piece of stone with the storm drain carved into it rather than a poured concrete thing such as would be used today. New England was always well endowed with stone, especially hard-to-work granite. 161 Fore StreetIf that's the correct address, then a Residence Inn sits on this spot now. What a shame that the city didn't hold onto this piece of history. (The Gallery, DPC)
High Stakes: 1909
... do group of boys. Even with the clothesline this is not a tenement roof, but a high end building. In the Park and 5th Avenue buildings, ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 04/19/2014 - 2:27pm -

"Living on a Skyscraper." Boys playing marbles on the roof of a New York apartment building circa 1909. View full size. George Grantham Bain Collection. Reminds me of...once upon a time in america. not really a skyscraper.Back in those days there were no residential 'skyscrapers'. Interesting picture, though. My kids don't get that dressed up for anything, much less hanging out with friends playing games. Re: not really a skyscraperA skyscraper is a tall building. Back then anything over maybe 10 stories was considered tall. The term got its start in the 1870s and was routinely applied to any building of a dozen stories or more. Which is why the photographer used "skyscraper" to caption this picture. Dumb QuestionBeing more of a girl-type human, forgive the question but did shooters really get that far away in marbles? I always thought they shot from just outside the circle. These boys look as if they really know how to shoot. MarblesI played a lot of marbles in different locales because we moved around when I was a kid. And each place had its own particular way to play marbles, I can assure you. Your version of a ring drawn in the dirt that a shooter would line up next to was pretty common. These guys in the photo seem to have a peculiar long-range thing going on. Or maybe the kid was just showing off. Fun to speculate about a lot of these photos. Up on the RoofThis was a very well to do group of boys. Even with the clothesline this is not a tenement roof, but a high end building. In the Park and 5th Avenue buildings, the maids occupied the top floors and lived in dormitory type rooms. The wash could be theirs or their employers. (The Gallery, G.G. Bain, Kids, NYC)
Kids in the Hall: 1940
... January 1940. "Tenants living in a crackerbox. Slum tenement in Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania." Medium format negative by Jack Delano. ... as a small, single family type home. This appears to be a tenement building of some sort. [As stated in the caption. - Dave] ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 11/08/2018 - 10:42am -

January 1940. "Tenants living in a crackerbox. Slum tenement in Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania." Medium format negative by Jack Delano. View full size. CrackerboxInteresting - I don't know the nuances of the term and it's not widely used in my experience, but I always thought of a crackerbox as a small, single family type home. This appears to be a tenement building of some sort. [As stated in the caption. - Dave] Yes but those are contradictory terms to my understanding. Far from Broadway Beaver Falls, Joe Namath's hometown. Bad landlordOwners, or even renters with a good landlord, would have swept away those cobwebs and swept the floor. I am also always stunned by the beauty of tenements. Yes, they were deathtraps, yes, they were tiny and disease ridden, but by golly, they knew how to do woodwork around that plaster. Icebox in the HallI have one EXACTLY like that sitting out in the garage. ZappCan't quite figure out what the collection of overhead wiring is all about, but I wonder if it has anything to do with the dark fan-like marks where the wall meets the ceiling. [You are looking at cobwebs and clotheslines. - Dave] Head slap: Of course, me bad. (The Gallery, Jack Delano, Kids)
The Pecans of Wrath: 1911
... 1911. "3:30 P.M. -- Picking nuts in dirty basement tenement, 143 Hudson Street, New York. The dirtiest imaginable children were ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 12/13/2017 - 6:56am -

December 1911. "3:30 P.M. -- Picking nuts in dirty basement tenement, 143 Hudson Street, New York. The dirtiest imaginable children were pawing over the nuts, eating lunch on the table, etc. Mother had a cold, blew her nose frequently (without washing hands) and the dirty handkerchief reposed comfortably on the table and close to the nuts and nut meats. The father picks now -- 'No work to do at any business.' (Has a cobbler's shop in the room.) They said the children didn't pick near. (Probably a temporary respite.)" The Libertine family, seen earlier here. 5x7 inch glass negative by Lewis Wickes Hine. View full size. Pecans ForeverA long, long time ago a road running through the Florida State campus was lined with pecan trees. During harvest time there were lots and lots of pecans for hungry students to grab. Had a roommate who filled a large bag to take home at Christmas time. Pecan pie is still a huge favorite of mine. Niche PictureDoes anyone know what the curling picture in the niche is of? Squalid conditions. Were they picking nuts for pay? One low ceilingThis picture is not only a graphic image of how food-borne disease is spread, even today (sick food workers are the chief source), but also why I don't seriously consider a lot of older houses. The ceilings in the basement, and often above the first floor, are just way too low. I'd guess Dad is only 5'6" or so and he'd still have to duck. Thanks anyway, but no nuts for meRe the question about pay from russiet: they were paid for this home work, but a mere pittance. See Manufacturing of Foods in the Tenements but be forewarned, squalid doesn't begin to describe the conditions. Ingenious!I love how the boy's pants are kept up by being hitched to the third button of his shirt. Aaahhhh ... the art of making do. Niche interestrussiet: The curled-up image in the niche looks like a Madonna with Child painting. (The Gallery, Kids, Lewis Hine, NYC)
Where the Bogs Are: 1911
September 1911. "Crowded tenement used by cranberry pickers ('Bravas' or 'black Portuguese,' from the ... we see replicated many of the conditions of an inner-city tenement block in what otherwise was probably a very bucolic setting. (The ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 05/06/2016 - 10:11am -

September 1911. "Crowded tenement used by cranberry pickers ('Bravas' or 'black Portuguese,' from the islands of Cape Verde) in bogs near Wareham, Massachusetts." Gelatin silver print by Lewis Wickes Hine. View full size. Toys for poor kids?Reminds me of the barnyard in Croatia 30 years ago where my 3-year-old nephew's favorite toy was a live chicken. He'd grab one and hang on for dear life. Great fun. ("You'd be wise to leave that big rooster alone.") Still plenty of bogsThere are still many bogs in the area. When I was a younger lots of us kids got part time jobs picking cranberries. It's quite interesting to see the bogs raked and flooded and the cranberries collected. Ocean Spray's headquarters were in this area of Massachusetts. Amazing!Here we see replicated many of the conditions of an inner-city tenement block in what otherwise was probably a very bucolic setting. (The Gallery, Kids, Lewis Hine)
The Signpost Up a Head: 1927
Fredericksburg, Va., circa 1927. "Tenement, 203 Charlotte St., residence of 'Gover­nor Hill.' Photo taken on ... kind of neighborhood we have here, as if the state of the tenement did not. One hopes that advancing age has deprived the "Governor" and ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 05/15/2016 - 12:51pm -

Fredericksburg, Va., circa 1927. "Tenement, 203 Charlotte St., residence of 'Gover­nor Hill.' Photo taken on commission from Mrs. Devore of Chatham." Note the head-on-a-pike signage. Photo by Frances Benjamin Johnston. View full size. Stockyards Make Poor NeighborsThe sign on the left gives us a barely discernible hint as to what kind of neighborhood we have here, as if the state of the tenement did not. One hopes that advancing age has deprived the "Governor" and his first lady of their olfactory senses. [???? - Dave] Well HelloDolly. GaitersDespite the obvious poverty, the gentleman is wearing a fine pair of gaiters over his pants and shoes. Too bad such a practical fashion went out of style. (The Gallery, F.B. Johnston)
The Libertines: 1911
... 6 years; Millie, 9 years, picking nuts in the basement tenement, 143 Hudson Street. Mary was standing in the open mouth of the bag ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 12/13/2017 - 12:10am -

New York, December 1911. "Mrs. Lucy Libertine and family: Johnnie, 4 years old; Mary, 6 years; Millie, 9 years, picking nuts in the basement tenement, 143 Hudson Street. Mary was standing in the open mouth of the bag holding the cracked nuts (to be picked), with her dirty street shoes on, and using a huge dirty jackknife. On the right is the cobbler's bench used by shoemaker in this room. They live in dark inner bedrooms, and filth abounds in all the room and in the dark, damp entry." Photo and caption by Lewis Wickes Hine. View full size. Tribeca143 Hudson Street was replaced by a 14 story commercial building in 1929, it was then numbered 145 Hudson Street. Located at Hubert and Hudson, the building has undergone a change to residential lofts and is now known as the Skylofts at 145 Hudson Street. They're around 5,000 square feet and sell in the $5 million range. The area is now called Tribeca and what you get for the 5 mil is raw space. How marvelousWhat a marvelous old photo. Love your site. JJ Lucy LibertineYou have to be at least mildly amused that the hardworking folks shown here were blessed with the surname of "Libertine"! "Lucy Libertine" sounds like a good name for a racy comic strip character. (The Gallery, Kids, Lewis Hine, NYC)
Phipps Garden: 1940
... space would cure many of the social ills associated with tenement life. Whether or not that experiment succeeded or not is hard to say, ... Henry Phipps (1839-1930) grew up poor in a Pittsburgh tenement and became a friend of a neighbor, the Scottish immigrant, Andrew ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 05/10/2014 - 10:04am -

May 17, 1940. "Phipps Garden Apartments, 5101 39th Avenue, Long Island City, New York. Clarence S. Stein, architect." Hanging with a big girl whose feet touch the ground. Large-format negative by Gottscho-Schleisner. View full size. An early housing experimentPhipps Gardens is still a desirable development after all these years. It's owned and managed by a nonprofit corporation, with apartments made available at affordable rents to people who meet income guidelines. The concept is similar to the neighboring and larger Sunnyside Gardens, though the latter development is a cooperative rather than rentals. Both developments were inspired by the English "Garden City" movement and built by a corporation headed by various dignitaries including Eleanor Roosevelt. The idea was that providing working-class people with (relatively) low density housing that included ample open space would cure many of the social ills associated with tenement life. Whether or not that experiment succeeded or not is hard to say, but given that the developments remain quite nice today a qualified "yes" may be in order. The photo's caption notwithstanding, Phipps Garden is not in Long Island City. As the name of its neighbor Sunnyside Gardens suggests, it's in the Sunnyside neighborhood. While Long Island City has gotten a bigger influx of affluent people who work in Manhattan, Sunnyside is a desirable neighborhood itself with its tree-lined streets and a bit of a small town feel. In the 1940's and 1950's it was known as New York's nursery on account of the high birthrate among the young families living in the area. Current view of Phipps Garden: View Larger Map BenefactorHenry Phipps (1839-1930) grew up poor in a Pittsburgh tenement and became a friend of a neighbor, the Scottish immigrant, Andrew Carnegie. He worked for Carnegie as a bookkeeper. Carnegie Steel was merged with the steel companies controlled by another Robber Baron, Henry Clay Frick in 1901. Phipps part of the deal earned him $69.5 million, worth today, just slightly south of 2 Billion. His family Bank, the Bessemer Trust, controlled now by his Great Grandson, Stuart S. Janney III, was able to increase the net worth many times. Phipps became a Philanthropist building affordable housing for NYC Working People. Thousand of housing units have been built over those years, including those in today's Blog. Attached is a shot of Henry Phipps Plaza in the Kips Bay Section of Manhattan. HeyHula Hoops weren't invented till the 60's, what is that? [Wham-O's hula hoop dates from 1958, but hoop rolling has been around for centuries. -tterrace] Sunnyside/Astoria/Long Island CityPhipps is in zip 11104; the post office's preferred designation is Sunnyside, but Long Island City and Astoria are also acceptable for parts of the zip. For a while in college I was a Fuller Brush salesman in this general area. Lots of 4-6 story walkups. I didn't last too long. (The Gallery, Gottscho-Schleisner, Kids, NYC)
Junk Men: 1941
... seen in Google streetview as the last remaining red brick tenement building on a nice-ish block in Chelsea, not far from the meatpacking ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/17/2020 - 2:33pm -

December 1941. "Junk men with waste paper. New York City." Medium format acetate negative by Arthur Rothstein for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. A Junk Shop for Junk Men?Perhaps there is a '4' obscured by the cart wheel (preceding the '59'). This, because at 459 W 18th Street in those days there was a Junk Shop. Mickey's home todayIf I'm correct in reading Mickey's address as 159 West 18th Street, it can be seen in Google streetview as the last remaining red brick tenement building on a nice-ish block in Chelsea, not far from the meatpacking district. [There is no "1." The address is just two digits. - Dave] ColumnarHigh paid metals rags. Prices for paper. Not so fast, Buster!How'd these rocks get under here?! (The Gallery, Arthur Rothstein, NYC)
Tiny Seamstress: 1924
March 1924. "Tenement homework. Pictures taken in connection with invest­igation (see ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 03/03/2014 - 4:05pm -

March 1924. "Tenement homework. Pictures taken in connection with invest­igation (see report TE-NY-39)." Photo by Lewis Wickes Hine. View full size. Better working conditionsThis little girl seems to have a much nicer working environment than this earlier Hine family previously posted on Shorpy: https://www.shorpy.com/node/13561 Working GirlThe only point Lewis Hines could make here is her age. Not that this 1924 young girl is living the American dream, but she appears to be in much better shape than some his previous subjects. I'm pretty sure she dressed up for this picture. However that doesn't excuse the fact the a child, I'm guessing her age around 12, has to work. But this is 1924 and the average family family in the US earned less than $600. Every dollar that the children brought in lessened their burden, but it didn't take them out of the mire. The machineMy mother had a machine like that--I sure wish I had it now. (The Gallery, Kids, Lewis Hine, NYC)
Annie: 1912
August 1912. Tenement home work (piecework for garment makers). "Annie Fedele, 22 Horace ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 12/10/2007 - 3:11pm -

August 1912. Tenement home work (piecework for garment makers). "Annie Fedele, 22 Horace Street, Somerville, Massachusetts. This is one of the places she works on crochet." View full size. Photo and caption by Lewis Wickes Hine. 22 Horace StreetThe online database for Somerville's assessors includes a current photo of 22 Horace Street, as well as other buildings in that city. The Assessors' database says the 2-family house was built in 1900, so it's probably the same building, although I can't seem to match them up. Take a look yourself by following this link -- http://data.visionappraisal.com/somervillema/search.asp [That's interesting. Hine's caption is saying Annie lived at 22 Horace Street, not that this is necessarily the house at that address. - Dave] PieceworkWhat kind of quality work could a young child like this do? Was it only the poorest of the poor whose children had to work? Most people who knew about these times are long gone now. [These were mostly families that had recently immigrated from Russia, Ireland, Italy and Eastern Europe. - Dave] (The Gallery, Kids, Lewis Hine)
Blankets Fluffed: 1936
... income groups. Across the street from Mrs. Hochfield's tenement. Washington Avenue, Bronx, New York." Photo by Arthur Rothstein for ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 06/23/2018 - 2:13pm -

December 1936. "Housing for poor and lower income groups. Across the street from Mrs. Hochfield's tenement. Washington Avenue, Bronx, New York." Photo by Arthur Rothstein for the Resettlement Administration. View full size. And convenient to the curb ...Our state-of-art toxic waste disposal facility! Calligraphically delightful.I'd like to know more about the sign-painter of that window menu. Them's some gorgeous 2s & 5s! Ashcan SchoolThose cans look like they have been through a lot, and are still in service. One is marked 1291 Wash, so doing some Shorpy-taught investigating reveals the neighborhood to still be low-income housing taking over the 1291 address and rolling it into 1285. Mrs HochfieldThe 1940 census has Elka Hochfield living with her husband Benjamin and their son Joseph living at 1251 Washington Avenue. Both Elka and Benjamin were Russian born (around about 1870) whilst Joseph was 25, the census shows that Benjamin was a "reverend" at a synagogue, possibly at Temple Adath Israel, which was not far away at 1275 Grand Concourse at East 169th. The 1920 Census among the family members lists 24-year-old Max, a tailor; googling him I found out he was a survivor of the 1911 Triangle Fire. http://trianglefire.ilr.cornell.edu/primary/survivorinterviews/maxhochfi... (The Gallery, Arthur Rothstein, NYC)
Urban Eden: 1908
... They would normally be installed by the customer or the tenement handyman. Using Scotch Tape and chewing gum with the upper sash ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 04/19/2014 - 3:27pm -

New York circa 1908. "Living on a skyscraper." An apartment building rooftop garden, with a small menagerie. Bain News Service glass negative. View full size. Double hungIt's nice to see someone knows how a double-hung is intended to be used. Now, what is that sinister looking gardener going to do with his bumper crop of Castor Bean? Meanwhile, overhead --A DEA observation balloon is hovering, its aeronaut observing through heavy lenses. FenestrationProtruding from many of those windows these days and for about the last 40 or so years, would be room air conditioning units. On one of our NYC 90 degree, very humid summer days, with the Heat Index in the low 100s, the noise would at best, be annoying or at worst deafening. Those roof top Gardeners would be quite discomforted. In our working spring and summer days these A/C units were an important part of our business. They would normally be installed by the customer or the tenement handyman. Using Scotch Tape and chewing gum with the upper sash lowered onto the top of unit, I was always amazed that one didn't come crashing down on a passing pedestrian every day. (The Gallery, G.G. Bain, NYC)
Coal Wagon: 1928
... dump mechanism and sliding the coal down a ramp into the tenement's coal chute. I think it took about a half hour or so to complete the ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 10/26/2013 - 12:29pm -

Washington, D.C., circa 1928. "Semmes Motor Co. -- Consumers Co. coal truck." National Photo Company Collection glass negative. View full size. The Coal RacketI remember the coal trucks of my youth while growing up in the Bronx. They were humongous chain driven electric behemoths. The coal would be dispensed by raising the dump mechanism and sliding the coal down a ramp into the tenement's coal chute. I think it took about a half hour or so to complete the delivery. The noise was deafening. Ironically the supplier was the Gassman Coal Company. Our local coal companywas "The Burngood Coal Company". The owners name was Goodburn. 40 Years Later Although greatly diminished, the home coal delivery business was still around. I drove a coal truck part-time to make ends meet while serving in the Air Force at Niagara Falls International Airport in 1968. My truck bed was partitioned and I could load different types of coal (lump, stoker, run-of-mine, etc) for up to four different houses on one load. After leaving the coal yard, I would pick up a casual laborer to spread the dumped coal in the customer's cellar. Usually one trip was enough for any cellar man, that job being extremely hard and dirty. After a while, I could see the laborers scatter as I approached the corner where they hung out waiting for jobs. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, D.C., Natl Photo)
Open Wide: 1908
... so equipped. My parents lived in an old five story N. Y. tenement apt. in the early 1930's and even though they got a 3rd floor apt., ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/24/2013 - 9:36am -

Detroit circa 1908. "Grand Circus building." Named after the large, semicircular park nearby, and home to a curiously high concentration of dentists. 8x10 inch glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. Cardiologists neededWhile electric elevators were in limited use around 1850, not all new buildings were so equipped. My parents lived in an old five story N. Y. tenement apt. in the early 1930's and even though they got a 3rd floor apt., there were some people who lived on the 5th floor walk-up and had to use the stairs to get up and down. I would think that people would not even go to a dentist on the 5th floor walk-up, but it might have been a great location for a cardiologist. 6 Years LeftThe Grand Circus building was built in 1887 by David Whitney, lumber baron; he died in 1900. In 1914, his son, David Charles Whitney, demolished the Grand Circus building, and built the David Whitney Building, seen here. While looking up dates, I also learned that Charles Lindbergh's mother was born here, in a house that predated the Grand Circus building. (The Gallery, Detroit Photos, DPC)
Washday Rigging: 1905
New York circa 1905. "Tenement courtyard." Rear Window: The Prequel. 8x10 inch dry plate glass ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 06/15/2015 - 11:11am -

New York circa 1905. "Tenement courtyard." Rear Window: The Prequel. 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. "Lines up! Lines up!"My father said that in his youth in early 20th century Mt. Vernon, NY, a city with many multi-story dwellings, there were street vendors who rigged clotheslines. These men would walk the streets shouting "Lines up! Lines up!", seeking householders who needed help to rig or re-rig their clotheslines. (The Gallery, DPC, NYC)
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