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Office Xmas Party: 1925
... two things that I’m glad have changed: The way Christmas trees look and protective coating for hardwood floors. And I’m guessing they ... the back, being bald myself. Go Go, folks. Christmas Trees If nothing else, we have made great advances in Christmas tree ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 12/21/2024 - 5:25pm -

        It's the Friday before Christmas, time for a hallowed holiday tradition here at Shorpy: The Office Xmas Party! Which has been going on for 99 years now. Will Clarence in Sales ever get up the nerve to ask out Hermione from Accounting? Is there gin in that oilcan? Ask the bear. December 1925. "Washington, D.C. -- Western Electric Co. group." There are enough little dramas playing out here to keep the forensic partyologists busy until Groundhog Day. 8x10 inch glass negative, National Photo Company Collection. View full size. Leer Kings"That Guy" looks like he could be the son of the older leering man directly to the right of him. I shall call them Denis Leery Jr. and Denis Leery Sr. The two men with them are obviously Christopher Walken as The Continental, and a young Franz Mesmer. Just a little creepy....Some of the looks on their faces, wouldn't you love to know what they were thinking! Debauchery 2.0Four years after behaving scandalously at the Krazy Kat, our bohemian friends find themselves slogging away at desk jobs in the boring adult world. Just WAIT until the Christmas party, though! The oil canOf course the bear and the cabin weren't mentioned -- everyone knows the best part of the party is getting well-oiled! Thank you. I'll be here all week. And don't forget to tip your server. H.P. Lovecraft?Could it be? Standing in front of the "Go Go" guy, half hidden? Maybe Franz Kafka, instead? This would be the guy who takes an extra-long time in the lav in order to scratch unseemly things onto the stall partitions. Every office has one of these guys and in this office, its either him or else its the nearly invisible guy standing across from him on the other side of the tree. Also, the girl on the far left, standing in front of the door, is unforgivably cute. I'll bet she's told a lot of these guys "NO" and that's why she's way over there. The Power Bloc ...Have you happened to notice how Big Boss Man - the guy holding that little stubby cigar - is surrounded by thugly-type guys? This is the power bloc for this office. The guys up on the top left are all from a different Department and are wary of Big Boss Man's thugs. There is a little bit of cross-pollenation, however. The first guy standing on the table at the right is shooting a bemused glance in the direction of his bud in that other Department. He's the shorter, unjacketed guy with the full frontal grin and the eyebrows in serious need of plucking. To them, this is all a goof. They hang out together and keep each other informed as to who says what about whom, which of the girls are doable and what the scuttlebutt is coming down from the top. There's more here but I don't want to get censored. A Story in every faceThis photo can inspire everyone to write a novel because there is indeed a colorful character with his own personal bio in every set of eyes. The bald guy with the candle on his head particularly stands out as one who has a complex persona but so does everybody else in the picture. Some appear depressed, some look beat up, some seem desperate. Make up your own scenarios. Personally, I used to look forward to the office parties when the most unexpected facets of co-workers' personalities would be revealed, giving us the rest of the year to talk about that until the next one. Stuffy old lady accountants and spinsters turned out to shock us the most when relaxed by a "touch of the grape". Lots of fun, too bad they have mostly been eliminated. Thank you for this blast from the past. [That's a "GO-GO" traffic signal on Mr. Complex Persona's noggin. - Dave] WiredCould it be that they tapped the power for the Christmas tree lights from the ceiling fixture? What a mod hairdo!The brunette peeking from behind the desk (right above the black purse) has such a 1960's hairstyle! Fat ChanceThe corpulent boss, stogie in hand, actually thinks that removing his glasses improves his appearance. He also seems to be playing footsie with the marcel-waved cutie who inexplicably has an oil can in front of her. A KnockoutThe woman with the pearl necklace sitting at the very corner of the desk is a knockout! She looks like a present-day actress whose name escapes me. The guy standing up and glaring into the lens at the extreme top right of the photo may very well be the Antichrist. His stare gives me chills. The guy behind him looks like an "evil character" straight out of Central Casting. This is a great photo. Thought BubblesIt would take me all day to write out thought bubbles for what I imagine is going through all those heads, but the lady at dead center seems to be thinking, "What was IN that punch? Did they repeal Prohibition and nobody told me?" The "dark lady" downstage right is thinking, "I hope they snap that picture before I freeze to death down here on the bare floorboards. You would think the electric company would have better heaters in its own offices, but old man Pennyfarthing won't even spring for a rug to keep the draft out." Western Electric (Shock Therapy)Great pic. And I'm sure there are as many stories as people in this one. But let's admit that the lady sitting on the floor on the left has to have the most interesting one. There is a haunted, post-experimental-therapy look to her that immediately reminded me of the psych-ward scenes in "Changeling." Where's the copier?Ahhh, the days before every office had a copier, and every office had some joker trying to get the temp to sit on it! Re: Fat ChanceWait -- so the oil can is worth noting, but not the bear statuette or the small house? Western ElectricWestern Electric was the manufacturing and distribution arm of American Telephone and Telegraph. I suppose that this office in Washington was one of their distribution points. At any rate one interesting thing about the photo is the decided separation of men and women as though they might have come from different sections of the business. I also note that the ladies are sitting on a pretty rough floor, which is something I would have thought they would have avoided in those clothes. As to the glasses, I suspect that the photographer cautioned them that the flash might reflect from the lenses, assuming that I can assert that there was flash. Who knows, maybe there's a window somewhere. That Office GirlI find her the most intriguing face in the picture. She looks almost out of place in this setting... her face is striking. Her expression says that she's part of a back story going on around the office that no one knows about. Wow. I'm falling in love with a woman who's long long dead. How sad is that? GiftedJudging by the peculiar items in the shot I'm thinking they exchanged white elephant gifts at the party. I got a big stuffed fish at our last party. I would have preferred the oil can. This is so great!A bevy of attractive females here but I'm partial to the blond girl standing at the far left of the photo. Wowzer! Also, standing next to Boss Stogie on his left: ladies and gentlemen ... Mr. Joaquin Phoenix. The Black WidowQuick somebody, get the story on the raven-haired woman sitting in front of the desk. She looks like she ate her young; perhaps she has a few "missing" husbands buried in her dirt-floor basement. I get the very distinct impression that if you crossed her, you ended up joining the silent majority long before your time. Dark LadyWell.....the woman at bottom left certainly catches the eye. Something of a femme fatale, I think. Not generally popular with the more strait-laced ladies, like the woman two to her right who's giving her a very frosty look. The younger woman though, above and slightly to the left, is more sympathetic. Since it's not uncommon here on Shorpy for unflattering comments to be directed at the olden-days womenfolk, let me be the first to say what a grim bunch the men are. I'll make an exception for the guy under the tree. Getting Oiled at the Office Xmas PartyThe oil can on the foreground floor is absolutely precious. There can be no rational explanation for it. Then again, one tends to get oiled at the office party. The hot babe is standing, far left, if not the girl sitting left, in pearls by the purse on the desk corner. The fat guy with the cigar has his conjoined twin growing out of his forehead. Girls on one side, boys on the other? Weird. How dare these people all die off before telling us why that guy is holding the little horsey? "Hey, Griselda. Spin my copter. If it says 'STOP - STOP', you are not mine. If it says 'Go - GO', oh you kid!" Most riveting photo ever.I've been a lurker on Shorpy for months, but this photo has prompted me to register and comment. I've been coming back to this picture every day since it was posted, showing it to everyone I know. What strikes me is that though there are several vintage-type characters here, there are also quite a few very contemporary looking people as well. This photograph represents such a vibrant living moment in the lives of these people. Some of them look like they could speak to you right from the picture. And, oh what a story they could tell! This photo takes first place from my previous Shorpy favourite, They Shall Remain Nameless. (But it's so close... check it out if you missed it.) Ansel Adams had the Zone System... I'm working on the points system. First I points it here, and then I points it there ... Shining, gleaming, streaming, flaxen, waxen......hair! I think that's my favorite part of this picture. There's such a great group of hairstyles among the women. A few of those girls were pretty darn good with the curling iron, or whatever they used. I wonder if they're more glammed up than usual for the big party. For some reason, the hairstyles are more striking to me than in other pictures. Anyway, fascinating as always. P.S. I think the guy that bdgbill thinks looks like the antichrist is actually kind of a hottie. I'm going to go on the assumption that he didn't look that intense all the time. If he did...well, I could see bdgbill's point then. Now I KnowMy father worked for Western Electric. The money wasn't very good, so I never figured out why he stayed there. Guess this answers the question. IN and OUTI noticed the IN basket on the desk to the far right, but where's the OUT basket? I sometimes wonder why I have an OUT basket on my desk at work - it's always less full than the IN one. The woman sitting on the floor to the far left bears a striking resemblance to the Italian actress Ana Magnani (The Rose Tattoo). Dramatis PersonaeMona, the woman on floor, far left (one of the few without the Marcel wave), is probably a Suffragist or at least politically active. Maybe she's trying to organize these party animals into a union and all they want to do is balance traffic signals on their heads and be wildly social. Don't mess with these guys!The boss from Hades has what looks like a goose egg on his forehead and the coatless guy on his right has a black eye and cuts on the nose and eyebrow: maybe the partying started the night before. Looks like a smoking hot curling iron was de rigueur for any well-coifed lady. That guyOf the four guys standing in the upper right, the guy who is on the left side, closest to the tree -- which girl is he leering at? Western ElectricIf you flip the picture around, you can sort of read the door sign. I can make out: 504 [Western Elec]tric Com[pany]. [INCORP]ORATED [?]ION DEPARTMENT I wonder what the missing part is. Administration? Office TensionThis must have been just after Phyllis spilled the beans about Dwight and Angela. Poor Andy! The Power Bloc, continuedThe balding gent just over Boss Stogie's left shoulder-- the real power in the office, he certainly looks confident that his recent appointment to regional director will lead to greater things. Boss Stogie's son, Junior (with the candy cane), was on the fast track to becoming a junior partner until he was befriended by Harold from the mailroom (his hand on Junior's shoulder), which displeased Boss to no end. UndercoverIsn't anyone going to ask why the woman in the middle is wearing a hat with a Police badge? Is this a costume xmas party? Could she possibly be a real cop?? My GirlSay what you want about the woman on the floor or the blonde with the pearl necklace, but my heart belongs to the woman standing fourth from the left, middle row. She reminds me of Bernadette Peters. The henchman second from the right at the top has a menacing Snidely Whiplash quality about him. You just know he slipped a mickey into someone's drink. Re: Western ElectricYou know you're a Shorpy addict when you "get" Anonymous Tipster's reference to the photographer's use of flash (or WAS there a window somewhere?!). Nice shot, A.T.! Twins or Sisters?Study the features of the young woman directly in front of the door - then look at the one just to the right of (and looking directly at) "blondie with the pearls". Eyes, hair, smile, shape of face, body build: if they are not twins then they must at least be sisters. It is uncanny! Christmas BackstoryYes, the young lady at the lower left leaning against the desk has the most interesting backstory in the room. Thanks to the passage of time we'll never know what was behind her haunted expression beyond that the woman giving her the evil eye must have had something to do with it. Dave continues to put these evocative photos up knowing our emotions will never be satisfied!! Meanwhile, notice the vintage Chia Pet resting on the scales in the "shipping department" (the desk along the left side). The girl in the fake police hat is looking longingly at it. Chia bunny? Chia elf? The guy in front of the Christmas tree holding the toy, "I got a PONY!" Keep them in their place.I, too, wonder why all the women are sitting on the floor in their silk satin dresses with fur collars. Surely there were some men who would have been glad to give up their places for them (and to sit amongst the women!) How did they get Xmas light strings in 1925?I thought people used small candles until the '60s. How did they happen to have these string lights? Great pic of us back then. [The 1960s being, I guess, when covered wagons brought in the first supplies of wired Christmas lights. - Dave] I spy...Second woman in the third row...Frida Kahlo, at her day job. SpellbindingI cannot stop looking at this picture. So much to see. The Al Capone looking guy is mesmerizing. The guy at top, second from right gives me the creeps. 1920'sI'm kind of young so maybe I'm missing something, but did pretty women not have to hold jobs in the 1920's? This office is worse than the one I work in, I didn't think that was possible. Re: 1920sI'm kind of young too, but I disagree with you. I think this office has quite a collection of lovely women (and some not-as-lovely ones too, just like today). Sometimes, it's hard to look past the hairstyles and the clothes. If you are young (20-something? younger?), you've really only seen one ideal of beauty--you've missed a lot of the different fashions and hairdos of the rest of the 20th century. You also underestimate what modern makeup does for women. There are so many more varieties of it today than there were then, and it's generally of higher quality and easier to use than in the past. If you took one of the women in this picture, say, the girl with pearls sitting next to the desk and plunked her down in 2008 to get a makeover, her hair would be longer, probably highlighted and dyed, and aided by daily washing and a host of conditioners. Then, add some good moisturizer, foundation, and concealer, as well as a lash curler, mascara, and a healthy helping of eye liner, and I'm guessing you'd think her quite the fox. Conversely, take the most attractive woman you know now, and put her in short hair and marcel waves, take away her hair dye and most of her makeup, and I'm guessing she'd look quite similar to the ladies in this photo. Even something as simple as the shape of plucked eyebrows really change the look of someone, and with the change in aesthetics, it's sometimes hard to get past the fashion to see beauty. It works with the men too--you'd probably look a lot different with a side part and a pompadour! That's right . . .. . . pretty women did not have to work in the '20's so, Miss Oilcan's exemption is assured, in my opinion - what a hottie. Foy Las Vegas That's my desk!I have a desk that's identical to the one on the left. I had guessed it was 1940's vintage. It's nice to see it's even older than I thought. Record Breaker?Look at the stats on this photo: 53,000 + reads, and still climbing. That's a lot of forensic partyologists! I wonder if even Dave knew what he had pulled out of the hat with this one? [I am shocked. Shocked! - Dave] re: Xmas light strings LOL! Dave, a lot of your comments (like this one) crack me up! Are you a comedian in real life? Merry Christmas! [Please folks, no applause. Just throw money. - Dave] Hotness quantificationI count 20 women in that picture; most of them you can see no more than their face and hair, and two you can't even see all of that. Out of the 18 you have a good facial shot of, I'd put 3 of them at 8.5-9.5 on the scale... three of them are SMOKING hot. I'd put another 4 at the 7-8.5 mark, meaning serious cuties, and at least three of the others are a 6 -7. Where I work we have 100 women in my office; I'd put exactly three in the 8.5-9.5 scale, and another 10 in th 7-8.5 scale; of the rest, probably only a smattering are really in the 5+ range. So, I have to know ... where do you work that the women are so attractive? Playboy Enterprises? Taking into account the differences in style, these women were, mostly, very attractive, and even a couple of the less attractive weren't awful. The Men of Western ElectricIn the interest of gender equality, I got to wondering about the relative charms of the office boys. I found three who tickled my fancy. 1. The tall smiling fellow whose head is sticking up behind and to the right of Police Woman. His face is open and honest, he's smiling with his twinkly dark eyes as well as his mouth, and although his ears are a bit prominent there's a lovely overall symmetry to his face. I'll call him Dimples. 2. The one man who has the sense to sit down with the ladies. He's a bit older, but I love his soft wavy hair. There's a certain aristocratic but slightly sad angle to his tired half-smile that puts me in mind of a young Prince Philip. I'll call him Phil. 3. OK, here's the hotness - the brash, cocky young sheik peeking out confidently between the heads of Boss Stogie Pennyfarthing and his wan shirtsleeved assistant. He's got the eyes of Frank Sinatra and the hair of Jack Kennedy. I don't know what he looks like from the neck down, but from the Arrow collar up he's all, "How YOU doin'?" I'll call him Frankie. In summary: Were I one of the office flappers, I would ride in Frankie's Studebaker, nurse a secret unrequited crush on Phil, and take Dimples home to meet Mother. Rogues' GalleryI can't stop staring at the chilly filly down by the leftern desk. She looks like three out of every five women I've ever fallen for. It's the eyes. As to the resemblance to Ana Magnani, she might be of Italian descent. I am also like the older gentleman in the upper right. Mr. Leery Senior, was it? Right between Charlie Sheen (or Leery Jr.), Snidely Whiplash, and Mr. Deer-in-the-headlights. What a jovial sort. And a snappy dresser, as well. Conversely, the startled fellow's vest is well off-center and makes him look like he couldn't decide which part of him was the front. Or maybe he was taking a nap under a desk just before the photo op and somebody had to drag him out. Funny how a photograph will turn Bob & Lisa from the office into Dick Tracy characters once you let your imagination do the walking. Thanks to all you for sharing your insights. You were linkedA local blogger from Beaumont's newspaper linked your site today. I will be forever gratful! Nevermind I got absolutely nothing done today and instead pored over your site at length. This is truly an awesome site! This Won't DoOne chubby gal. One chubby guy. As an official with the State of California, I say that this does not pass muster. There was hiring discrimination here. Walk into any State office and you'll see what I mean. Not to mention the plethora of Caucasians. The chubby gal is next to sheet music. Wonder what this melba toast group was singing? They're all dead nowJust think ... they all had their youth, their lives, their personalities, and now they are all turned into worm food. Just a happy thought for Christmas. No, wait a minute. . . okay, I've changed my mind. Now I like Miss Lookingaway, sitting in the lower left. Definitely. She's the one. Foy Las Vegas Oil Can GalThe siren sitting with the oil can is undressing me with her eyes. I'll ignore the fact she is 112 years of age, and let her. [Guess that explains the oil can. - Dave] Houdini?The guy on the left side, just above and to the right of the P.D. hat girl....did Houdini make a special appearance? In any event, he's got a mean set of eyebrows. And you are correct, Stinky, the girl on the far left by the door is surely a looker! Lost in the crowdNobody seems to have spotted Hugh Grant peeking out between Stogie Boss and Bald Guy. Famous facesTo keep Hugh Grant company, fellow British comic actor Rowan Atkinson is peeking out from behind Shirtsleeves. He is not a crookOh, my gosh. There's Richard Nixon on the upper right (with face partially hidden) just below old boss and crooked-vest guys. Roxie & Co.I love this picture, and all the comments! Here's my .02: *Girl with the oil can doesn't want to undress you, she's too in love with herself. You can see it in her eyes; she's a Roxie Hart if I ever saw one. "Eat your heart out, Sophie Tucker." *I swear I graduated with the girl who has her hand on Roxie's shoulder. She's the one who organizes all our class reunions. *If I were one of those girls, I'd probably want to date the guy sitting on the desk, right hand side. However, I have a feeling he'd want to "just be friends." So, *I'd have to go for the one behind Ol' Pennyfarthing. No, not that one, the bald one. Handsome features and sense enough to not put some ridiculous piece of fur on his head. *Girl leering at our castoff looks like one of Cinderella's stepsisters. Drucilla, I believe. Office HottieI think the guy looking over the RIGHT shoulder of chubby-stogie dude is hot. There's something about the eyes that grab me. And the hint of a smile. British InvasionNot only Hugh and Rowan - isn't that the actress/singer Patsy Kensit on the left, standing in front of the office door? Can't Get Over This PhotoI can't get over this picture. It's my favorite one on Shorpy, which is saying a LOT. And, it has nothing to do with my collection of high-end Western Electric phones from 1905-1939. The woman in front, referred to as the "Black Widow," I can't look at her enough. She surely would get a large kick out of the ruckus she would caused in 2008, unless it bored her as also being commonplace in her own time. The woman over her left shoulder has movie star looks. They are on the fifth floor, and I wish I could see the name on the glass door. Then again, the woman obscuring it may be the one to take home to meet the family, so she can stay. The finish on the floor is badly worn, as contrasted by the part under the desk. These fellas were habitually hustling to and fro, and with the feminine charms represented here, it's no wonder. Office romances must have been all there rage therein. I have been hoping the Farkers would be all over this one, except they love to specialize in the one-person quirk shots. I could place the Black Widow in countless situations... Is this the only picture you have on this stunning group? [Afraid so. - Dave] If onlyTterrance had taken this photo! We would know all about it, mystery solved. I thinkthe mysterious suicidal communist was probably a cleaning lady whom the photographer sort of forced to be in the picture and she's embarrassed to be photographed in shabby clothes and feels naturally out place amongst the staff with whom she's always been subservient. She reminds me of Camille Claudel on her way to the madhouse. 50 Little IndiansThis photo looks like a cast of characters who would end up in an Agatha Christie mystery....and I'm pretty sure I know who did it! The Officethis picture reminds me of the TV show The Office. Jim is sitting on the desk in the right corner. Pam is all the way to the left in the back row. Michael is the guy with his hand on Jim's shoulder although he should be the bossman with the cigar. Stanley is the guy between the man holding the horse and the man with the cigar. Creed is Mr Leery. Kevin is holding the horse. Dwight is the only guy in glasses. Kelly is the bobbed woman behind the desk with the permanent smile on her face. Meredith is the creepy woman off alone... she's just waiting for her next drink of alcohol. Andy Bernard is the guy to the right in the back with the striped tie. I couldn't decide who Angela was. Ryan is the deer in headlights next to Andy. Phyllis is in the satiny dress to the right. Oscar is right by the right hand edge. Man I love this picture. AngelaAngela's sitting on the floor with that big lace collar, giving the stink-eye to Meredith. Naughty NaughtySome young lady has just done something naughty off screen left. The Leery Boys approve, the Black Widow and Stink Eye don't, and the young lady behind Stink Eye is too drunk to comprehend. Also, is the bald man by the Christmas tree wearing a traffic signal on his head, set to "Go?" Somewhere in this crowd must be Col. Mustard, Miss Scarlet and Prof. Plum. My favorite pictureI and my co-worker check this site at least three times a day. He has never been on the Internet and when he passes by he will invariably ask "Anything new?" Which I know to mean "Anything new on Shorpy?" This Christmas Office Party is our favorite. We both live in Maryland and have seen many of the areas displayed in these pictures. When we scan the Office picture and see the "mob boss" guy with the stogie and the gun in his pants, he does a great Al Capone voice. I hope my posting this comment will bring new fans to this amazing photo. Merry Christmas everyone!have a great holiday and prosperous New Year. Oh Christmas Twig! Oh Christmas Twig!Considering it is 1925 and an urban area they probably had a hard time locating a showpiece Christmas tree. Probably the best they could do was this poor little immortalized twig. Timeless peopleEver notice how nearly every photo of a large group, from about 1900 on, contains at least one person who looks like he/she could have been photographed in just about any decade, or just the other day? The lady by the desk behind the pretty girl with the pearls looks like a teacher at my kids' school! There is nothing about her teeth, hairstyle, makeup, etc., that gives away the fact that she was photographed in 1925 except, of course, for most of the other people in it. The Timeless DeskI'm still using the exact same desk as the one in the photo; my wife purchased it from McGill university when they replaced the professors' desks in the mid 1960s. Oh what funAdolf (second from right at very top) has quite the leer going on. Peter Sellers could imitate him well. Mystery Lady could have been even more beautiful. I imagine her long hair flowing and her prominent features brought out even more with an expert's touch. What is Stogie Man carrying, besides his eyeglasses? I also wonder who took this photo. It obviously took some arranging, with the piling up of people. Excellent, almost spellbinding picture! I come here about six times a day just to visit it. I wonder who lived the longest, and what year they all died and how? Yes, I'm a morbid one. Office A-Go-GoThe gent at the back is, indeed wearing the miniature street signal (it has 4 arms to the signal so not a railway signal) on his head. Firstly, the only thing behind him is a fire extinguisher hanging on the wall, certainly nothing that the signal could be perched on. And, secondly, if it was sitting on something, it would not be sitting at the angle it is. Then and Now I'm wondering -- in today's world there is usually at least one person at an office party of that size who gets a little too inebriated and winds up making photocopies of their nether parts for distribution to all. Was there a way to do the same thing using a mimeograph machine or whatever other copying technology existed in 1925? Would the tipsy individual first have to draw their naughty bits on some special copy medium? Our grandparents sure had a lot of hardships to deal with. At First Glanceand in the zoomed out view, I thought the gent at the far right might be the office troublemaker and that the folks wrapped him up in Christmas lights for his just deserts. Alas and alack, when you go in for a closer look, it's simply the ravages of time taking their toll on the negative. [This batch of plates has water damage along one side. - Dave] The Lady of the Deskjust wandered in from the Sergei Eisenstein film that was shooting on the set next door. She's on a break between takes of the Odessa Steps sequence. RE: Oh GreatIf CBS could give us Rudolph, Shorpy can give us Western Electric. 2010 InterpretationsThis year, I think the Black Widow has pretty much just had it with that place. Stink-Eye isn't looking at the Black Widow. She's disapproving of something messy on the front of the desk. I can't find Don Draper Nor Joan Holloway, but this sure conjures up thoughts of Mad Men, 45 years earlier. I burst out laughing when my eyes scanned to the guy in the back with the stop and go-go item on his head! Maybe THAT is the flavor of the evening? More GO than STOP? This is the roaring 20s after all and these are certainly modern women.. Yes, this picture and your readers' comments may be my very favorites to date! Some Like It Hot The mademoiselle standing in front of the woman wearing the Policeman's hat could have been Billy Wilder's inspiration for his casting Jack Lemmon in drag. Another WorldThese people are denizens of another universe that, no matter how many photographs we study or books we read, we will never fully understand because we didn't live in it and never will. These are people who knew how to navigate themselves in the distant world of 1925. All of these people were born at the beginning of the last century and were brought up by people from the 19th century. If a modern young person were to be suddenly transported here without preparation he would find it completely disorienting and possibly quite frightening, because of so many technological and cultural and social differences between now and then. Deja vuI loved this picture. But the lass in front of the desk, looking stage right, is memorable. I think I've seen this picture before. Then I noticed the dates of the previous comments. 2208? Surely two years cannot have gone by so quickly. [To say nothing of the 198 after that! - Dave] SteamyThere are some SERIOUS sexual crosscurrents and hot vibes in this picture! Amazing! Slow on the uptakeI'm pretty sure Mr. Semaphore head isn't actually wearing that thing on his head; it's behind him. What is alarming is the second head growing out of his chest. The heads seem to be in agreement to lurk. Oh great!Shorpy is doing reruns for the holidays. Kidding. Merry Christmas. Uh-Oh TannenbaumThat's the most bedraggled Christmas tree I've ever seen. It has more tinsel than needles. An unflattering portraitMy god, this is by far the ugliest group photo I've ever seen! Both girls and guys look like winners from the Walmart Ugly Photo Contest. Kimono-wearing parrot?With a bouffant, no less? Over there, on the scale!! The gal with the candy cane, to our left of the much-ballyhooed oil can chick, seems to be presaging late '60s hairstyles. And yes, the balding dude in the rear with the traffic semaphore on his head wins the covert group-photo clown award in spades. Sad to SaySo many hotties, so many dorks. Season's GreetingsHope everyone has a wonderful Holiday Season, from Walter and all his friends in this, my favorite Shorpy picture. General Electric Crime FamilyOk, a lot of the men look like mafiosi with the big-lips guy in front being the capo. The two guys at the right, top, are hit men. Western Electrical FireI can't believe, in 90+ comments on this remarkable photo, that not one person pointed out the extension cord running from the ceiling light fixture to the tree. I think the answer to the comment about how and when these folks died is: a few minutes after this photo was taken, in a horrible electrical fire. It would be a chore, but could someone pleasecolorize this! BeautyI love the woman sitting on the floor next to the desk looking away. At first glance you think; boy she looks tired, and then you look again and you see how beautiful she really is. She is just stunning. I also find it interesting with the commentary just how similar our comments in the office were to the ones posted on this site. We too made up stories about these folks. I love this photo. Thanks for sharing it. I never tire of looking at this one.Always noticing something new, frinstance, The object on the scale, seems to have some heft to it based on how far the scale dial has moved, maybe a cast iron toy? The young fellow on the far right, Candy Cane in his right hand but whats on his left hand? Looks like it's slipped inside of something, a toy holster maybe? Completion All this tableau requires (perhaps) to make it complete, is a large paper bag on the floor stuffed with goodies, including the obligatory pair of turkey-feet protruding upward in a festive fashion. Best of the Season to All in the Shorpyverse Continuum! Secrets never revealedThere is no question that many secret alliances and not-always discreet hook-ups probably took place during and after this festive celebration 86 years ago. Luckily for those involved, there were no surveillance cameras, cell phone cameras, tape recorders, security guards, texting devices or other pesky snooping devices that could cause the merrymakers a permanent record (and deep lifetime regret) of their missteps. They were the roaring 20's when people gathered their rosebuds where they may and parties were for having the best time you could have. I'm betting many of these revelers took their sweet and sordid memories of that night to their graves. Another Shorpy Party!I love this photo and we're going to test the limits of the reply counter. Merry Christmas everyone and have a grand new year! Lord Almighty!!!It's the butler in the pantry!!! I have never, ever seen so many guilty people in one photograph. Unbelievable that it was not staged. But it obviously wasn't. Wow!!! My hat!How did she get it? "Pure horse, Danno. Book 'em."Having just spotted the drug paraphernalia on the left - the scale, the packaging materials, the kimono-wearing parrot - our undercover coppette in mid-pack has whipped out her official police hat and ignoring the cries of "that baggy's not mine!" is about ready to haul the whole gang downtown. A bust like this baby was sure to bump her upstairs and away from all these dreary office parties. Up to no good?The gal sitting on the floor behind the Oil can has had a drink or two already, and she is plotting mischief. I can see it in her eyes! Was she the good time that was had by all? Cost of that treeCould not have been more then a dollar in 2011 money Must have been last minute!!! The ion DepartmentA quick flip of the door confirms we are in room 504 of the ion Department. FestivusIts good to see this one again. I just keep looking at the people and see more than a few that would have been great company. I hope everyone, viewers, commenters, Dave and webmaster Ken has a great Holiday Season in the company of friends and loved ones. She apparently had a good time with my grandpa.As she is my grandma! "The gal sitting on the floor behind the Oil can has had a drink or two already, and she is plotting mischief. I can see it in her eyes! Was she the good time that was had by all?" 3rd rowfrom the top 3rd from the left. I'm in love. Oh wait. Party HeartyOoooo -- Roaring twenties office party, bathtub gin. Oooooo -- I think I just threw up in my throat a little bit. Shorpy Christmas cardIf Dave would produce an annual Shorpy Christmas card I would buy a few boxes, and I'm sure others would as well. Cards with this photo would be seen in every business cubicle in the country and quite a few places around the globe. It says Merry Xmas for me. So much to read into This picture is as familiar to longtime readers of this blog as our own family photos and as evergreen as that Christmas Tree was before it was cut down. One can imagine so much here, for example that as soon as the photographer finishes with his duties, the Volstead Act will be violated by most of the people in this room (there are a few who look as if they might disapprove), and the usual office party shenanigans will occur, some of which might have consequences in the months to follow even if they all swear that what happens at the Office Party stays at the Office Party. Al JolsonIs that Al Jolson in front of the "Traffic signal" bald guy? He's peering out just a bit from behind the guy with the vest and holding his glasses. 1925, the timeline is right. :) Iconic StatusThis photo has taken on a level of immortality that few others can hope to achieve. A Photograph for the ages that will always be appreciated and admired. A Tradition is born! Thanks to Dave and all that visit here; hopefully someday your office pictures will be shown here and we can all marvel at how far we've come in so short a time. Tiny Tim said it best so I shan't repeat it but that is my wish for one and all. Thank you, DaveI hope this re-posting will bring new fans. Merry Xmas,everyone! Why the oil canThose three objects in front - Maybe just spur-of-the-moment party silliness? Another year olderI just love this photo. There's so much to analyze. Saw it last year for the first time. Here we all are, another year older. That would include those in the picture, in a macabre sort of way. Best Christmas Party EverFirst, Dave, you have cured my holiday depression. I found this during a post-Xmas hangover and there are no words. I was instantly addicted to your site. Thank you. Second, if there is anyone out there with connections to the BAU I would like you to seriously consider imposing yourself on that relationship and get them on it. I'm dying for a more complete story. You must be too if you're reading this. You know who you are. Pick up that phone and give him/her a call. Not Al JolsonWade in NW Florida: if he looks like anybody of that period, it would most likely be Eddie Cantor, not Al Jolson. The other 13I have just spent an extremely enjoyable hour reading all the comments reaching back to 2008. Of the 47 people in the photo, 34 have been commented on. So what about the other 13? Six guys in the upper left have been ignored, plus seven gals in the pack. The most prominent of the abandoned baker's dozen are, to my mind, the two women standing side by side, closest to the tree. Both have bead necklaces: one tucked in, one on the outside. They seem neither hot nor cold, neither suicidal nor drunk. The two of them actually look (dare I say?) like really nice people. NOW it's the holiday season.....when Shorpy breaks out this holiday classic! I wonder what pop-culture figures of the past year will be likened to our hard-partying crew? The face that could sink a thousand shipsThe guy holding the cigar, oh man I want to punch his face! Every yearEvery year when I look at this, I think the same thing: do all those dames hate Desk Woman for the same reason, or different ones? Lots of single women in that officeNo wedding rings on almost all of them. Perhaps a woman worked until she got married, or at least until she had children - and then she was sequestered in the kit home built in one of America's booming trolley suburbs. It must have been a major change for these ladies to go from office life, with its daily human contact and pleasures (such as this office party) to a few rooms, kitchen and nursery figuring predominantly. My grandmother still reminisced proudly about her work as a lawyer's assistant in the 1920s, way back before she got married, had three children, and spent most of her time in the top floor of a Boston triple-decker for the next 20 years. Colorized Version Hidden in Plain SightCheck out https://www.shorpy.com/node/11937 for colorized version in Colorized Photos by members. Dave, do I get a prize for finding it? Talk About Your Lonely HeartsThis could be the Sgt. Pepper album just before The Beatles stepped into the shot Par-TAY!I totally wanna party with this crew. I've always loved the Roaring-Twenties era, and the show Boardwalk Empire is doing a great job with the fashions and the music. I think Nucky Thompson needs to sprinkle a little Xmas cheer on this group. Volstead Act be damned! Young bald guyEvery time I see this, my eyes go to the young, very handsome man who is looking over the shoulder of the rather portly guy on the right side of the photo. Balding men didn't have many options, then, like they do now, but I rather doubt that the premature balding kept all the young ladies away from him! I wonder which of these men were veterans of WWI? At the Ion Department Christmas Party . . .That exotic woman sitting in front of the desk in the lower left STILL seems distracted by something just out of camera, and the woman in front of her is still watching her carefully. It's a wonderful photo worth our annual holiday attention! --Jim Naughty or Nice?This oft-repeated photo is starting to remind me of the traditional holiday tune by Eric Cartman (of South Park fame) singing about the Swiss Colony Beef Log; irreverent but fun. What's printed on that document?Dave, can you zoom in on the piece of paper being held by the guy kneeling in the center, right in front of the tree? It's almost as if he's trying to show it to the camera. Thanks! ------------------------------------- Just a something something TO WISH You and Yours A Merry Christmas and A Happy New Year Division Four Office 1925 Worth a second or third look There are some half dozen ladies in this photo. Like the one right behind the corner of the desk, with the chevron shapes on her dress and the one directly in front of the door on the left that are definitely worth seeing again. Merry Christmas Shorpyites! Is there anybody out there?Surely one of these people in the photo has a living relative (great grandkids, grandkids, etc) that might be able to shed some light on this photo. 2%Of the 47 people in the photo, only one is wearing glasses. Did the Ion Department require perfect vision of its workers? My cueI don't even start listening to Christmas music until I see this picture reheated. It's a classic. The Girl with the Curl -- and the candy cane. There once was a girl with a pretty little curl right in the middle of her forehead When she was good She was very, very good and when she was bad she was even better! Re 2%The cigar smoker on the right in the three-button suit and the gent on his right both are holding eyeglasses, all the more to ratchet up their smashing good looks. Well, maybe just looks. What's Left To Say?Besides their clothes and hair dos, two things that I’m glad have changed: The way Christmas trees look and protective coating for hardwood floors. And I’m guessing they had a White Elephant gift exchange, thus the whimsical gifts. Raise your glassesI'm sure one of our more knowledgeable posters might know better, but I wonder if glasses were removed to prevent unwanted flash effects? Could it be?I've looked at this photo for three Decembers now, and I just noticed that the girl sitting behind the girl with the striped blouse, and how much she looks like she could be Johnny Depp's great-grandmother. Party TimeThe office parties and associated grab bags were created to give us all a chance to regift. Allow me now to wish all of our Shorpy viewers, creators and commenters a very happy Holiday season. Let us all be well, prosper and keep returning to this wonderful site. Love this photo....Like so many of you, I love it when this photo is trotted out! We are so drawn to it and love imagining what this party must have been like, the silly little gifts, the party girls, and those who just wanted it to all be over with so they could get back to work. Each year I am struck by the lady behind the one in the striped blouse. She looks like she could have been in my high school annual from 1970. Yes, I dated myself there! Her hair style looks like it could have been from the 1970's, unlike her co-workers with their many finger waves. Keep posting this one, Dave....truly a classic! An Evocative PhotographThe romance of old photographs is especially powerful in a picture like this. Studying the faces of what we assume are long departed strangers, we can't help speculating about the nature of their inner lives and how things turned out for them. Who ended up married to someone who made them happy or miserable? Which one(s) got ahead and who descended into poverty? Who died young - and so on? With hindsight we know that only a few years after that Christmas party in 1925, the stock market crashed and the Great Depression began. Then World War II winnowed out a great many - how did this group of individuals make out through all those difficult times? There are many such questions which occur to the curious. This is an extraordinarily evocative photograph. The transience of everything is plain to see in this picture if you notice such things. This photois what prompted me to make an account on Shorpy. The first thing that jumped out at me was, is that a man in drag standing with his hand on the young lady's shoulder? The lady in question looks a bit like Drew Barrymore. I noticed the indentations between the eyes of many of the men, and realized that they did take their glasses off for the photo, to minimize glare. No featherweight lenses in those days! Tales from the Jazz AgeI'd like to take a crack at imagining who some of these people could be -- Oil Can Girl (seated at bottom, center) - Never turns down a chance to cut a rug at a speke. Very generous with the contents of her hip flask, which in a pinch can supply fuel for her sometime-boyfriend’s Hupmobile. Desk Girl (seated at bottom, left) - Staring intently at a winged, two-horned leopard and wondering if she should jump up and scream at everybody to run for their lives. Lace Collar Girl (two left from Oil Can Girl) - Wondering why Desk Girl is staring so intently at the office kitty-cat. Time Warp Girl - (immediately above Desk Girl) - Up until a few weeks ago was a liberal arts major at an Ivy League university in the year 1969, then stumbled through a time portal into 1925. Decided to stay and get a job because, well, things are a lot less crazy here. Starlet Girl - (above and to the right of Time Warp Girl) - Avid reader of Photoplay, Picture-Play, Screenland, Movie Weekly, Movie Mirror, and lots more. Passionately believes that her good looks could bring her fame in Hollywood, if only she could manage to stop tossing money away on magazines and save up for the train fare. Hat Girl (immediately above Starlet Girl) - Took a few slugs from Oil Can Girl’s hip flask, now having trouble remembering her name. Trashed Girl (immediately to the right of Hat Girl) - Took even more slugs from Oil Can Girl’s hip flask, but still conscious enough to realize that if she stops leaning on the girl below her, she’ll tumble to the floor. Handsome Guy (standing in the back, left side, farthest left) - All the office girls have swooned over him at one time or another. Been engaged six times, but it always breaks off when he tells his bride-to-be that his mother will be living with them. New Pretty Girl - (third from left, standing) - Just started work this past month. Soon to be Handsome Guy’s next ex-fiancee. Wow, this is way too long already. Anyway, you get the idea. This is fun! White Elephant Gift ExchangeI going with a White Elephant Gift Exchange for an Office Christmas Party. It explains the goofy gifts and the attire. Some of the exchanged presents still have tags on them. No one seems to have noticedbut the shy guy in front of GO GO is none other than Irving Berlin, on a guided tour of the Western Electric facility and already evidencing the reclusiveness of his later years. At uppermost left, we have the mustachioed miscreant looking disdainfully at those beneath him, which is everyone. And finally, we have Grishkin at lowermost right left, a handsome woman whose lean and hungry look hath a troubled aspect not customarily associated with holiday gatherings (apart from those with family members present). She seems to have wandered in from one of those Russian plays that Ira Gershwin makes reference to. All of which can only mean one thing - it's Christmas time here at Shorpy's. Greetings and salutations to all! Times they don't changeThe women definitely place this picture in time by their clothes and hair. The men, especially the back row, center in photo, remind me of my father's photos of the late 1950's. It's all quite timeless. Hey, long time listener, first time caller!I wonder if camp Pierce Brosnan (top row, far left) found the Ion Deptartment accepting of his flamboyant wonderfulness. Festive DressThe bald gentleman in the back has the best holiday hat I have ever seen, the festive Go Go hat atop his bald head. We need those names!The spectacular Massafornian colorized image should have some labels for the people in it. So, here we go. (Gimp and Python/PIL scripts did the job) Thanks for the MemoriesThank you for publishing this picture again this year. It just doesn't seem right to not have these wonderful people wishing all of us a Merry Christmas. I wish all of the Shorpy readers and the Admins a Merry Christmas also. Merry Christmas!I'm a faithful reader of Shorpy, have been for over 10 years now, since I joined up. Every year, I always look forward to the Shorpy Office Xmas Party picture. I don't know what it is; maybe it's the continuity of it. We know every year we'll see it, and every year we'll get to talk about new fictions we've created for the people therein. It's such great fun. Re Office StoriesNice commentary! You really bring life to this party. Glad for TradIt's truly a fun Shorpy-looker tradition to view this pic large and spend an hour time traveling and reading the comments. Hope everybody had a Groovy Solstice yesterday. Happy Holidays! Hair dressersWho did the hair styles back then, terrible...... Sic transit ursusI love the Shorpy Christmas party! This guy still startled me when I spied him on the floor, despite the fact that I commented on him FIVE YEARS AGO. Dean NorrisAh, it wouldn't be Christmas without this delight from Shorpy! The guy behind the big boss's left shoulder looks like a sightly younger version of actor Dean Norris. According to IMDB, Dean Norris was born in 1962 or 1963, but if this post on Shorpy is any guide, he's at least 100 years old. Is he pretending to be younger than he really is? And what's the secret of looking so young? Cheers!Thanks for posting again, this is one of my favourite pictures on Shorpy. Some odd Barnets going on with some of the women though...I'd love to know if there was a gramophone at this party and if so, what the playlist was. Tradition I can almost hear Tevya, singing the song in "Fiddler On The Roof", but not quite. It is of course the Holiday Season, office parties and good will to men and of course women. It is time for us Shorpy Junkies to wish each other the best of the season. Good health, prosperity and peace to all. Thanks to our Hosts Dave and Ken and to our interlocutor terrace for their grand efforts. G-manI had to do ctrl-f for all three pages, and I'm amazed that no one to date has identified J. Edgar Hoover standing in the front row, cigar butt in hand, between vest-and-watch chain guy and three-piece suit guy. I can't believe I didn't notice him when I first commented three years ago. Time for a Shorpy Xmas party!I think we are overdue to have one where we all meet and discuss THIS picture (because with 150 comments, we clearly have a lot on our minds about this W.E. holiday soiree). Merry Christmas ShorpyitesMerry Christmas to one and all, fans of the photos posted in Shorpy. Thanks to Dave and everyone who helps out with the site. I hope the new year is good to all and everyone will be back next Christmas to view Xmas Party. I've been a member for 3 years, 2 days and anonymous for several before that I think. What's with the oil can?I understand the Teddy Bear and little house in the front of the photo. But what is the significance of the Christmas Oil Can? [Yet another beloved Christmas legend inspired by this photo. -tterrace] Do they know?The standing gal, 3rd from the left, and the kneeling gal (center and one row back) both have the same necklace on (7 little cascading chains ending in a pearl). I think that the boss-man, J. Edgar Hoover (on the right with the cigar), is having an affair with both of these gals and he gave them both the same necklace. He thinks it's really funny and smiles when he sees them together; his own little private joke! I wonder if the gals know and are just playing him for whatever they can get? We will never know for sure. Modern Woman+89 One must wonder if oiling the bear will make the Yuletide bright? Thanks again!This is now my official notification that the Xmas season has begun. The Office Party re-post. Threadbare BoughsNow I know where Charlie Brown got his tree. Merry Christmas everyone! Hours and hoursI, like so many others here, have spent hours with this image. I'm always drawn back to the woman in the lower left. She's always struck me as the office outcast trying to get out of the picture. The woman to the right of her, with the lace collar, looks like her boss giving her the stink eye for not participating. Roaring Twenties!Thanks for this flash-back, Shorpy! Love the very mysterious Lady on the left... and still dislike that pompous guy with the cigar. Wee fish, ewe, a mare, egrets, moose... and a hippo gnu year! I have to askDoes "Office Xmas Party" have the largest amount of comments? [That record might be held by Our Lady of Lourdes School. Another much-commented post was The Beaver Letter. - Dave] FinallyShorpy's annual "Office Xmas Party" has arrived! There's my guy standing in the back row, far left still waiting for me. Swoon. Happy Holidays, Shorpyites! And thank you, Dave, for all that you do. Re 2%, and Raise your glassesI think glasses were considered unattractive. I remember lots of members of this generation (my grandparents') or the next who would whip off their glasses whenever someone raised a camera. Tough Day At The Office?The best part about these office parties are the grab bags. It's always the best way to regift. Other than that, I hope Dave, Ken, tterace and all our outstanding commentators and readers have a wonderful holiday and a healthy prosperous New Year. Must have been a heck of a partyAll the way in the back is a tall bald man with a traffic signal on his head! That's better than a lampshade. The body language between the woman on the far left and the woman to her right who is glaring at her is really very sad. You wonder what sort of ugliness was going on behind the scenes. The lady looks like she's been crying a bit. Who knows. It's fascinating to see such a candid photo none the less. An oilcan!Now I know the perfect gift to get for all my co-workers. Merry Christmas Shorpy nation. I look forward to these people each yearThey've become familiar yet remain interesting. As I said years ago, we're testing the counter on this one. Merry Christmas fellow Shorpyites and wish a grand New Year! It was ninety years ago today ...... and the photo never ceases to give. The fun is overOkay, we had our Christmas celebration, now everyone back to your desks and let's finish out the day at 5:00. The lucky onesDue to the magic of photography, this happy group has been celebrating now for ninety years. If you enlarge the picture and study their faces and demeanors, you may get some insight into their characters and personalities in 1925. After seeing this photo for many Christmases on Shorpy, I almost feel that I know some of them as well I know my own friends. Merry Christmas to all, especially the Shorpy staff. What are we missing?Great photo, been seeing it for years now, but I always wonder what else was going on? People are looking left, right, straight, up, down. What was going on out of frame? That lady in lower left looks ready to bolt, especially with the other lady looking on concernedly. If this was a Halloween photo, the massacre would be about to begin. I've been ill, and maybe delirious... Spooky Lady of Christmas PastI remain endlessly curious regarding the woman with her back to the desk. Spooky and haunting, amid all the fascinating characters in this classic shot, she is The One. Department Name for Room 504Western Electric Company Installation Department 5th Floor 1319 F Street Washington DC (From the 1925 Washington City Directory) This department installed Central Office equipment (testboards, operator switchboards, signaling equipment, etc) supporting both local and long distance telephone service. Google street view has an office building that looks old enough to be our Christmas Office party location. Perhaps another Shorpyite can add the street view for us. [It was built in 1913. Interestingly enough, it's just one building away from Harris & Ewing, another source of many Shorpy photos. -tterrace] Merry Christmas, George BabbittThe guy on the right, in front, with the grand forehead, holding the stogie, reminds me of Sinclair Lewis's protagonist in "Babbitt" (1922): "He was the modern business man; one who gave orders to clerks and drove a car and played occasional golf and was scholarly in regard to Salesmanship. His head suddenly appeared not babyish but weighty, and you noted his heavy, blunt nose, his straight mouth and thick, long upper lip, his chin overfleshy but strong; with respect you beheld him put on the rest of his uniform as a Solid Citizen." Room 504Flip the photo horizontally, and you will see that we are on the 5th floor. Who can guess the "department" we are in? Now it is Christmastime for sureI couldn't truly celebrate Christmas without seeing this picture again. It must be after Thanksgiving or Shorpy would not have posted it. Any comments I could make about this picture would only be a pale response to all the previous comments. It just makes me try to think what an office Christmas party like this must have been compared to a modern day party. I look forward to this picture every year for some crazy reason. 294408That's how many people have called up this photo. Over a quarter million! And this isn't YouTube. What an amazing picture. What an amazing site. Merry Christmas to all my Shorpy comrades and a huge thank-you to Dave and tterrace for all they do to bring this amazingness to us every day. YuletideI heard Springsteen singing about Santa on my way to work, and now I see this. It is truly Christmastime now. Oh, Beautiful Lady in the Lower Left......let me unwrap that bear for you, before your nearby friend gets more worried that you're not having any fun. DoppelgangerThe young woman framed in the door on the left looks remarkably like today's woman who was a business partner of mine. Nothing but the best at Shorpy!!Thanks for this expected post! Never noticed this beforeThe men's jackets have creases running the length of the arms. I wonder if this was a customary thing for "the office" or typical treatment "of the times" for pressing? Perhaps this treatment was typical only of a worsted fabric? P. D. Police Dept.I keep being intrigued by the one and only joker in the crowd, our lady with the "P.D. Police ...." hat. There must be another word after "Police," I suppose it is just "Dept." Marching In PlaceSeeing this picture so many times tells me that I'm growing older but these celebrants have become ageless. Along with that piece of wisdom allow me to add my Seasonal Greetings for a Merry Christmas, a joyous Hanukkah Past and a Happy, Healthy and Prosperous New Year to all. Of course we are all in the debt of Dave,Ken and tterrace (who may or may not be on the Payroll) for their addictive posts, explanations and comment rebuttals. From NYC, where the Christmas Eve Fahrenheit is forecasted at 72º. Mel [tterrace is salaried, deals in a service and is bigger than a bread box. -John Charles Daly] Life of the partyMy best guess for "life of the party" status goes to the lady in front with elf buckles on her shoes. I love this image- there so much detail and depth of relational perspective. Afterlife Office PartyThis photograph has become a holiday tradition for me, as anticipated as my Christmas eve tradition of baking cookies, wrapping gifts and gently placing a dish towel under Uncle Trouble's chin so he doesn't drool on his good shirt after passing out on the couch. Scanning the full-screen photo, I wonder if a small corner of the afterlife might be populated by tenants doomed to spend eternity at a perpetual office Christmas party for some workplace sin like stealing lunches from the office fridge, pilfering office supplies, or failing to replace paper or toner in the printer. I can picture Dickensian clarks with ink-stained fingers forever mingling over paper-cupped eggnog with 60's swinging secretaries, Old Kingdom robed Egyptian scribes trimming the tree with bored mid-level Qing Dynasty bureaucrats, and that impenetrable knot of young IT guys and gals speaking in that techno-babble, side-eyeing the boss, forever giggling. I imagine the mirthless rounds of the eternal white elephant gift exchange: the Take Me to the River-singing fish going round and round and round the conference table ad infinitum. I can see the everlasting greasy pile of stale taquitos, timeless sips from the bottle of booze hidden in the file cabinet, Starbucks Christmas Jazz CD playing in an endless loop -- the horror. Goober Pea UpdatedUsing John J's sleuthing on the location of this office, I recently ventured there to see if any resemblance to the photo remains. I got as far as the only door in the hall on that floor. Nothing appeared to remain. Seek and ye shall find . . . GO!TimeAndAgainPhoto, that's a great job of investigating one of our Shorpy.com favorites, but I'm convinced that if you'll just badge your way into that office, you'll find a fellow in there with a traffic signal on his head. I hope so, anyway. Re: Seek and ye shall find . . . GO!Jim Page - I had to badge my way past security and up the elevator before I was stopped by the secured door. Those were the daysI really do miss the office Christmas parties from my working years which gave us an opportunity to meet, greet and schmooze with people we hadn't seen in 20 minutes. Merry Christmas to all, rejoice and be glad. Every Year and I am Still Captivated But I Don't Know WhyThanks Dave, I'm still enjoying this for some reason I don't understand, and I'm still curious about the front and center oil can. SNL Time Traveler?That person standing directly to the left of the tree is either a time-traveling, cross-dressing Pete Davidson from SNL or his Great Grandmother worked at Western Electric Group in 1925! Shorpy - I look forward to this picture every year and am a regular viewer of your site. Even have a couple of large prints on my walls at home, with another coming soon! Thanks for this site - it's one of the pleasures of my day! Yuletide.I love seeing this picture every year. As do my co-workers. Thank you. I have seen this picture for six (I believe) years nowBut today, today there is a new face, one I instantly recognize, that I would swear was not there in any previous year. I once found my wife's doppleganger (Trackless Trolley) in one of these pictures. Today, I find my youngest daughter, Cecilia (16); she's poking her face out between the 2nd and 3rd fully visible women on the left side of the photo (their right) from the tree. Ok, it's spooky Dave.... but I'm starting to believe someone has a time travel machine, and everyone but me in my family is using it. P.D. clocheWonder what she's hiding under that hat? It's timeThis picture (and the myriad comments) are so entertaining, I sometimes search for it when I'm feeling low, even in July! I especially love Oil Can Sally's come hither look. I amost know these peopleMy Great-Great Grand uncle was Dan Richardson, a senior accountant for Western Electric in the New England/Northeast US area. He certainly visited Washington D. C. during his time with Western Electric, and would have met and worked with one or more of the people in this photo. Odd to think I could, via relatives, have been introduced to these people. This is my first ChristmasI see 26 men, 21 women and hundreds of possibilities. Oh My GoodnessI had no idea it was so close to Christmas. We really need to finish the baking... Old Friends From The OfficeAre like warm Gluehwein to heat the cold heart at Christmas. Merry Christmas my Shorpyite friends and a Happy New Year to everyone, especially Dave who keeps all of us in memories. [updated] Phyllis Diller"What I don't like about office Christmas parties is looking for a job the next day." QuorumThis picture puts the "mass" back in Christmas. Sturdy DesksI guess the nine guys head and shoulders above everyone else are standing on two or three of these desks. Curious as anyone about the office relationships and the lady sitting in front of the desk. My eighth year of wondering and guessing about this picture. The scraggly looking treein the picture most probably was bought with donations from some of the people in this picture. Older Shorpyites will no doubt remember the single set of lights on the tree. The lighting "outfit" was an inexpensive 8 light series set, with C-6 miniature based bulbs. When a bulb burned out, it was time to hunt for it with a good one...unscrewing every bulb in the set until it was found. I remember helping my grandmother do just that. For some reason, the C-6 series set was always at the top of the tree. Grandma would get up on a stool, with me holding the good bulb, and switching it one by one until the set lit. Wonderful times. Timeless memories. What Are They ThinkingI've enjoyed this picture year after year, and like many who had suffered through office parties, I often thought what goes through their minds. Click to enlarge. Lady in the foregroundI've also wondered (several years in a row) about the lady with her back to the desk. The thing that really stands out to me, is her hair. As far as I can tell, she has her hair swept back in a bun, which is clearly very old-fashioned compared to all the bobbed and shingled ladies in the office. I know this is a bit far-fetched but her clothes and hair suggest to me that she wasn't an office worker, as they give the impression of having less money to spend on herself. I wondered if maybe she was the office cleaner/ tea lady who was called in to be part of the photo? It could explain why she seems a bit distant from all the others in the group. It's here! It's here!The Shorpy Christmas Cheer office party picture is here! Smack dab in the middle of Prohibition, the gang at Western Electric make merry with two or three hundred stories or thoughts about what the heck was going on in their heads! My favorite is the seductress "oil can" Sally with her bathtub-gin induced come-hither gaze! Merry Christmas! #UsTooI bet if those girls had a voice today there would be some explaining to do. Night Before ChristmasWhen what to my wondering eyes should appear but a company Christmas calendar, the same as last year. Season's GreetingsThis is simply the greatest captured moment in the history of office photography! Nothing puts me in the spirit like --this pic, a glass of egg nog and Darlene Love's "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)" on a loop! Merry Christmas all!! The distant gazeAs fun as it is, I think we're way overthinking the motives of the 5 or so "looking away" women. Yes, even the comment-generating pair of the sultry one in the lower left corner and the one sitting to her left who appears to be staring her down. It was evidently fashionable for many decades for women to "look into the distance" for a portrait photograph, and I think that's all they're doing here. My theory is that this practice started as a way to prevent the "zombie eyes" effect of the exposure capturing the blink after the flash. My mother always did it, even when I implored her to look at my camera with everyone else. That GirlIn the middle front, her hairdo reminds me of a poem my mother (b. 1915) used to recite: There was a little girl who had a little curl, Right in the middle of her forehead. And when she was good, she was very, very good, But when she was bad, she was horrid. [Nursery rhyme by Longfellow. - Dave] Every yearI feel sorrier than the year before for the one sitting on the floor with her back to the desk. She looks like she is just waiting for the party to be over so she can throw herself out the window. Reminds me of "The Office"I can find the whole cast from Dunder-Mifflin -- Michael, Jim and Pam, Dwight Schrute, Stanley, Kevin, Angela, and Phyllis. Let's danceHey, did anyone remember to bring their Lasses White albums? ClaireThis pretty gal looks exactly like my wife. I just printed out the image and am going to show her tonight. Work or PleasureIs the machine on the desk at the right (above the In Box) a record player brought in? A radio? Or is it merely some office device like maybe a phone-related routing/switchboard machine? Also, wingtips apparently were in style. Sure SignOf the Season: this picture on Shorpy (Thanks, Dave) and "A Christmas Carol" on TCM. All the best to all wherever ye might be! Ghosts of Christmas pastIt really is curious that we can scrutinize a picture like this every year and each time we notice something different that we did not notice before. This year, while observing enlarged close-ups of these people's faces, I see resemblances to many of my own acquaintances, friends and public figures and one can almost even determine the personality and attitude of each person. I think the young lady standing on the extreme left, second row, closest to the door, looks like a younger Martha Stewart. I also know that these happy holiday office parties are quickly disappearing due to the current lawsuits involving harassment, etc. so the people of my generation (old fossils) can move into the history books with them and just remember how it "used to be" and know it will never be again. This festive group gets a prime spot in that chapter and exemplifies what it was like, for better or for worse. Party on kids, 'til the end of time. The BossThe one sure thing about this photo is who the boss is, probably flanked by his second in command to his right. Ion Dept. XmasI have followed this wonderful Xmas photo for years but have never commented, till now. I always wondered what I might say, since so much has been said. But what really made me start this year -- the thing I’d never really noticed before – the new thing! – is that guy (head) craning behind the Xmas tree. Compared with all the other people, he’s really only half there, penciled in, lacking in the vibrancy and heft of every other person. So I guess my comment is: Merry Xmas, Ion Tree guy! (And Merry Xmas to all my Shorpy sisters and brothers, and of course to our all-puissant but beneficent overlords, Dave and tterrace, who make this daily joy available to us all.) [Or maybe Ion Guy is just tinseled in. - Dave] Was the Electric Company a Communist Front?Psychodramas? How about it looks like Alger Hiss and Whitiker Chambers’ cousins were exchanging Christmas gifts in Washington in 1925. Alger’s stands to the left and Whitiker’s to the right—significant? Whitiker’s cousin looks like someone socked him on the forehead and Alger’s has a smile on his face. [Ahem. Whittaker, not "Whitiker." - Dave] That Temptress!All these folks saying they see something new each year -- nuts. I first laid eyes on the beauty behind the oil can, what -- a decade ago now? And she has had me in her spell ever since. It is now officially Christmas season for me. I'm busy here!You Shorpyites who fantasize about folks from over 90 years ago -- How strange you are. And all your blather is distracting me from my mission of saving the saintly Love of My Life whose shoulder had been latched onto by the Evil Witch with no opposable thumb ... I must complete this pesky time machine before Christmas. Holiday RomanceI see that its time to renew my holiday romance. Every year I fall in love with the young lady the farthest to the left. Brings warmth to my heart, of course, I don't dare tell my wife. Season's Greetings!I look forward to this picture every year. I like that it's been a running thing here for so long, because I see it as a way to bind all us Shorpyites together. No matter where we live, how old we are, what we're doing in our lives, we can all stop here and comment on this picture, wishing everyone a wonderful holiday. Thank you, Dave, for providing that for us. I wish all of you that read this a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. May 2019 be the year you've been waiting for. Hip FlasksEven the Bear won't tell, but, I am sure the oil can will. 1925! Prohibition! Almost every woman had one and, I am sure, that there may be a few here. Maybe, that's why Gladys sitting with the Bear and oil can, is smiling knowingly? Even the person who introduced Prohibition had a still in his basement. "It was 93 years ago today" Happy Christmas, John! Happy Christmas, Yoko!...Esther, Mary, Eugenia, Mabel, Nellie, Ida, Clara, Edith, Winifred, Maude, Violet, Gladys, Daisy,Doris, Agatha, Gertrude, Elspeth, Velma, Thelma, Myrna, Hortence... The LevelingTo paraphrase William Makepeace Thackeray "It was in the reign of President Calvin Coolidge, that the above-named personages lived and quarrelled ; good or bad, handsome or ugly, rich or poor, they are all equal now." Most popular galMy favorite - Oil Can Sally - has three gag gifts displayed. That probably makes her the most popular woman in the office. In addition, her provocative smile suggests a hangover was in her future! Still GOGO after all these yearsI love the bald guy just visible in the back row with the traffic signal "ballanced" perfectly on the top of his head. Very steady! It sounds crazy... but I swear the bear moved a bit since last year. That old gang is back!The Christmas Party Picture is back! I'd actually forgotten about it, so a quick check of Shorpy was the most welcome way to end my Friday. The week to come will reveal new snarks about these buddies of ours, and I look forward to that. Thank you, Shorpy! Those EyesThe beauty sitting against the desk gets me every year. She looks exhausted. My Favorite TraditionI don't post a lot of comments, but I check the site every day to see what's new and to read what *other* people have said. This is probably one of my favorite posts on this site because it's great to go back through the years of comments and read people's observations about the image, maybe see if someone has come up with something new. I hope we keep seeing this picture on the Friday before Christmas until the heat death of the universe. It would be a lovely constant. Happy Holidays to everyone at Shorpy. I hope it's filled with love, contentment, and joy. If you like this photo ...You loved the Shorpy.com postcard you just received!!! When mine came in the mail, my wife said, "Do you know those people?" OF COURSE I DO!!! Find the BossI just love the way he stands there holding his cigar. You can almost hear him barking out orders in a very Edward G. Robinson-ish voice. This reminds me of --That photo in "The Shining" of the 1921 New Year's Eve party at the Overlook Hotel. These folks will be back, again and again. The timeless shorpy traditionEvery year when I see the office party pic, my eyes always wind up gazing into the sideways glance of that beauty in front of the desk. I cant help imagining what the conversations of the day were, who brought a flask full of illegal libations, was jazz coming from a tube type radio, did everyone get a little Christmas bonus (it was the roaring 20's mind you), and who has a crush on who? Dave, thanks for all you do. Shorpy is a constant in my day. Be well everyone! I guessed the right number of buttons in the jarMerry Christmas! The Shorpy Ion Dept.A crazy thought occurred to me this year with respect to this beloved standard photograph: what if it were not the Ion Dept. from 1925 but the Shorpy regular contributors from 2019? Which one is Dave? Where is tterrace? And what about so many of the devoted Shorpsters (in no special order) – Jim Page, fanhead, TheGeezer, PhotoFan, Baxado, BethF, TimeAndAgainPhoto, Vintagetvs, OTY, Solo, Jeb70, switzarch, DaveA, JennyPennifer, rhhardin, pennsylvaniaproud, JohnHoward, kines, loujudson, lindab, Jano, StefanJ, jimmylee42, Hayslip, rivlax, Mattie, joemanning, Born40YearsTooLate, GarandFan, mountainrev, perpster, Dbell, Doubleclutchin, Root 66, KathyRo, archfan, GlenJay, alexinv, karenfryxell, Gooberpea, Angus J, 510Russ, Michael R, Brett, BillyB, bobzyerunkl, Alex, jsmakbkr, Marchbanks, Commishbob, Jimmy Longshanks, DoninVa, mgolden, Alonzo, Dag, Juan de la cruz, bobstothfang, Ice gang, Rute Boye, Vonderbees, Ad Orientem, MacKenzie Kavanaugh, JazzDad, Maniak Productions, EvenSteven, Doghouse Riley, John.Debold, Sewickley, Paul A, and jd taylor. And let’s not forget some of the people we haven’t seen for a while: stanton_square, aenthal, Mr Mel. (My apologies to those I have not listed.) Best of the season to you all, my fellow Shorpsters! Who's WhoDavid K - Dave runs the joint, so he's the three piece with the cigar. TTerrace is his major player on this site, so he is the guy looking over Dave's left shoulder. Now we just need someone to post a picture with numbers, and we label them. Maligayang Pasko all. Re:Shorpy Ion Dept@davidk, I'm the one peeking from behind the Christmas tree. I hope everyone in the Shorpy pantheon enjoys all the holidays! Postcards From The EdgeWhen I got mine, I literally jumped for joy seeing the people that I love and cherish so much. Now I can look at them anytime throughout the year, not just at Christmas. And, thank you to DAVIDK for the mention. [@davidk, I would be the guy with the object upon his head] Our own office partyI love seeing this photo every year and thanks to davidk for the guest book entries of our office. Top of the season everyone! Still HereEvery time I see this picture I think that these people could have been my mom or dad.The time and ages represented are almost perfect. It reminds me of aunts and uncles and family friends who are long gone although I will never forget them. I just turned 80 years old this past July and can remember a lot of people who would have been right at home in this picture. Thank you davidk for including me in your list of people who have liked this picture in the past and a big Merry Christmas to Dave and tterrace for maintaining the site. This one never gets oldHow is it that an old picture never gets old? Every year, I always notice something new that I hadn't noticed before. This year it's the guy with the beard, hiding behind the tree. Also, the woman just above and just to the left of the woman in the striped blouse (her left, that is) - could that be Johnny Depp's great-grandmother? I see a definite resemblance. Merry Christmas everyone! Love itI love this photo. The expressions, the faces. Some of the women are quite attractive. The man with his hand draped across the shoulder of another man is interesting. Office desk sultry beautyI wonder why the dark hair beauty is staring off to the side? Was she jilted? Was she sick of the many advances by the suited men, or despondent that the one she wanted got away. Why does the women in the RBG collar stare at her? Does she know what happened? I love the captions from another commenter. Michael ScottIf Michael Scott were the manager of this office, I wonder if he would have said (as he did 85 years later on the TV show), "Unbelievable. I do the nicest thing that anyone's ever done for these people and they freak-out. Well happy birthday Jesus, sorry your party's so lame." Merry Christmas, Shorpy! And for the record, I don't consider this a lame birthday party, and I doubt Jesus would, either. Bal MasqueNinety-five years later, if there even would be a party! With an added suspense -- what does Hermione look like, under that mask? Socially DistantWould they have believed it had someone told them that in 95 years their photograph would be the highlight of 2020 for a group of remote observers? Merry and BrightThis photo has become the official kickoff of the holidays for me. Best wishes to all the Shorpy regulars and particularly those who keep this place running. Neither here nor thereEach year my attention is drawn immediately to the three beauties at the bottom left of the photo: sultry beauty far left floor level, looking off to her right at someone/something off camera; the lady to that lady's left who seems to be watching her with deliberate intent; exquisite beauty just behind the desk corner, beheld with what appears to be fond regard by the lady just behind her to her left; and wholesome beauty smiling behind exquisite beauty, being kept tabs on by the lady in the Police Department helmet. I do eventually get past these women, to study the remainder of visages and postures and wonder about the other long-dead revelers of both genders, but it is these six who take up most of my time each year as I wonder what might have been the complexities of the various relationships. And as always, I hope each one in the photo had a Merry Christmas that year and many years after. I know that the likelihood is slim to none that all lived long and were carefree throughout, but that's still what I wish for in this suspended moment that so many have celebrated for so long, thanks to Shorpy. So a Merry Christmas to beloved Shorpy and its erudite, esteemed company of gazers no less fascinating than any who attended Office Xmas Party: 1925. Thanks Again Dave and Merry ChristmasThanks again Dave, I've been waiting for it. Obviously, we all love this yearly Christmas "surprise". I enjoy everyone's take on this party I missed awhile back. Questions, questionsEvery year I wonder. What is that thing on the postal scale? A misplaced elf? A misshapen magus? Why is that woman with the oil can looking at me? Am I safe? And why is the Christmas tree so scrawny? Merry Christmas Dave!And to all the crew at Shorpy! Thanks for the memories and keeping some of us sane in 2020! What I want for ChristmasI don't care what it is, I want one. [Update, thanks to all the gizmo identifiers. I love tape dispensers! Now I really want it!] Nothing stops this partyOh, thank goodness the Shorpy party is still on! It's the only event the pandemic cannot cancel! Judging youDon't know what got into her holiday spirit. Not too pleased with someone. Re: tterrace What I want for ChristmasIt's a gummed tape dispenser, similar to this one: https://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/antique-vintage-ornate-cast-iron-... She of the averted gazeI know that we enjoy interpreting what is in - or not in - this photograph each year. However, eight people, including "she of the averted gaze" are looking in that direction, suggesting something was going on while the picture was taken, sufficient to distract. A further basis for interpretation and speculation, perhaps? Merry Christmas. Only one bow tieAmong all those Windsor knots on the gents, third on upper right. In group after group they are always in the minority, even until today. Going to a Go-GoNothing says Christmas like a Go-Go party hat. That machineMay be a gummed tape applicator. National Package Sealer model #206 Do they know?Do you think the two women wearing the exact same necklace (dripping pearls) suspect that it might have come from the same man? Are the pearls from the handsome young gentleman with the pen sticking out of his pocket? Is this an early version of "The Bachelor" that we are witnessing? Which one will he choose? Austerity Christmas?From the Charlie Brown Christmas tree to the lack of any visible food or drinks (except for a few candy canes) to the blank, unimpressed looks on some faces, it looks like an Austerity Christmas in Anytown this year. Well, Merry Christmas TermiteYou can probably still find one somewhere. It's an automatic wetter and cutter for wide, brown packing tape. You just mash down on the handle and it shoots out a measured length of wet sticky tape and cuts it when you release. There is a messy water reservoir up front. I used one in a shipping department in 1974. Buddha Bear!Puts in his once a year appearance. Merry Christmas to Dave & Ken & tterrace and all the naughty boys & girls at Shorpy! Nice $-value todayThat horse that guy in front of Christmas tree is holding. All with bit of wear and patina collected in 95 years. Another yearWe all get another year older and they stay the same. Five groupsPart of the endless fun with this photo is deciding which part of it to center as the embiggened image on my screen. I fluctuate between the five main Ion Dept. groups: on the left, the ladies on the floor, the ladies standing, and the men standing above them, and on the right, the lower men and the upper men. (If I had to distinguish a special sub-group, it would be solo guy behind the tree and the fellow on the very far right who hovers between the upper and lower groups.) Once I have the group du jour embiggened, I focus on the individual characters. As we who have been doing this for years well know, that’s when the fun begins. Might I take this opportunity to offer the best of the season to Dave and Ken and tterrace and all my fellow Shorpsters. In this extraordinary year of greater screen time than ever before, I find that my Shorpy screen time is even more intense and valuable, if such a thing is actually possible. Bless Shorpy, and bless you all. Elbow to elbowEvery year I have a different response to this photograph, depending on general mood and the state of the world. This year, I truly envy those people. They get to stand together in a bunch, breathing one another’s air, touching each other casually, sharing food and drink, simply going in to work at an office. They all lived through a plague of their own six years earlier, and they look fine now, so there’s hope. Happy holidays to all the people who create and enjoy this wonderful website that gives me joy and perspective on a daily basis. Re: Elbow to elbowI must concur. Having spent nine months wearing a mask, practically bathing in hand sanitizer every time I touch anything, and staying as far removed from people I don't live with as humanly possible, I'm jealous of these long-dead coworkers for being able to crowd together, enjoying one another's company in person, rather than over Zoom or FaceTime. It's been a bad, bad year, there's no denying that, but Shorpy has been a bright spot in my day since January, much as I'm sure it's been for the rest of you. Happy Holidays to all the Shorpyites out there — may you find some contentment and peace in the face of all this tragedy and come out the other side hale and hearty. That Time of Year AgainThrough the miracle of photography and our friends at Shorpy, we are able to visit this party again. A Vintage CrumpleAfter all these annual viewings I finally noticed what looks like a lone crumpled piece of paper at lower right. We'll never know what was on it. Maybe a dig at one of these people? Or love note? Ah, the mysteries! Christmas Past, Present, and Future all at once!Every year I wonder about the dark-haired smiling young woman third from the front, beside the desk. With her modern-looking bob, she looks like a Time Traveler, so that's what I've named her. (Not far away are The Maniac, Da Boss, and The Very Secret Lovers.) This photo, along with its subjects, never gets old, and I hope the Holiday Spirit that originally inspired it never does either. Happiest of Holidays to everybody who produces and sees Shorpy, and a New Year of peace, love, courage, and good health to all. 12 Years of ChristmasMerry Christmas Shorpy. Thanks for the memories. [This is Shorpy's 14th Christmas! - Dave] PerspectiveThey all lived through a plague of their own six years earlier, and they look fine now, so there’s hope. Thanks, jdtaylor--I'm sure I'm not the only one who needed that perspective today. Happy holidays to Dave and all the Shorpyites. This site has been a great distraction lately! Time to Move OnI vote that next year you post the 1926 photo. Some of the lingering issues must have been resolved by then. The X-mas Party Presents!And here you may have a look on how Christmas looked 100 years ago in the U.K. (including a display of toys made by Meccano in the toy department of Whiteleys store in Bayswater). Mysterious machineNow that the gummed tape dispenser has been identified, I hope someone will be able to reveal the secret of the machine on the desk behind the in-box. A perforator or a mimeograph machine perhaps? [It's called a typewriter. - Dave] Dead ringer, etc.At the very back and far left - the attractive woman 3 in - I have a friend who looks exactly like her but with a more modern hair style, but identical facial features. How eerie! Something tells me that Oil Can Mary's wicked smile indicates that she is already planning what flapper attire she will wear at the local speakeasy that night. Her future toast might be: "My candle burns at both ends; It will not last the night; But ah, my foes, and oh, my friends— It gives a lovely light!" Published in 1920. Edna St. Vincent Millay. I often wonder what became of all these people. It is my hope that they all lived long, happy, prosperous lives but alas, as we know, life can be more complicated than that. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year you ghosts of Christmas past! The only Christmas party I'll go to.Merry Christmas to Dave and the Shorpy Crew, as well as my fellow Shorpy followers. It appears that I've been around for 12.5 of the 14 years of Shorpy.com, though it seems like yesterday and DoninVa no longer lives in Va. There's always something to be found in a Shorpy photo: the young woman framed in the glass of the door is the doppelganger for someone I once worked with. Cheers! Newcomer To The PartyAfter viewing Shorpy for some years now, I finally decided to join this party; I'm in awe of the many observations, and for now, am unable to come up with any new angles on this fascinating photo. I do want to say that the comments of jd taylor and BethF most definitely struck a chord with me; I, too, envy those in the photo, survivors of even greater trouble, coming as it did following The Great War. Hope to see you all back at the party next year, and a few other places along the way. May you all find peace and hopefully some joy this Christmas. A Merry Christmas to You All!It's been a rough few years for me (family deaths, health issues), and my Internet usage dropped off considerably. I may have stopped commenting, but I never stopped reading, and I've looked forward to this photo every year for a long, long time. I'm glad that for all the things in flux in this world, the Shorpy Office Xmas Party remains the same. I wish you and yours the very merriest and happiest of holiday seasons. May your days be merry and bright, and may all your Christmases be white. :-D EerieWhy the rush? [??? - Dave] MassafornianWhat a great comment, thank you. I’ve never colorized, and I use Photoshop for barely 10% of what it can do, but I truly appreciated your insight into the process. More amazing is that you’ve named them all. Gosh, I’d love to know who the others are, in addition to Mary, Bobbie, Lulu, and Lila. And how honest to share with us your faves, Mary and Bobbie, made legit by your wife asking. I agree about Lila: trouble. Also the lady with the marcel wave in the purple dress and blue coat with fur fringe behind the bear and oilcan and house: you might think of her in off moments but you could never make it work. (What’s her name?) Thanks for explaining about Remini because I wondered how their teeth and various other features were so brilliant and precise. And don’t worry about the rouging: it raised the temperature on the whole event (and not just on the ladies – it’s perfect for that guy third from the left in the upper right, the older fellow with the red tie, who’s had too much to drink or is about to have a stroke or both). One more thing: I’d never really noticed that unsightly blotch on the forehead of the boss with the cigar – you did it full, gross justice. Again, great job, and thanks, man! I'd like to be the first this yearSurely, it's not too soon for this Yuletide Jewel ... The Oilcan Need an explanation for the purpose of the oil can at the party. [It's not a party unless everyone is well-lubricated. - Dave] Now the season is complete!I look forward to revisiting this every year. Thank you! - Ken Colorized versionI've been working off and on to colorize this wonderful image throughout the year. Here's the result. You can also find it here in high resolution: http://www.hearthworks.net/1925/1925_office_xmas_party_12.12.jpg Merry Christmas! [Bravo! - Dave] Amazing colorization!@ Massafornian -- thanks so much for that epic job. It adds so much to an already incredible image. (Judging by your username, I suspect we are compatriots -- I was born in Massachusetts and live in California.) Merry and BrightWith retirement, our lives have been simpler here so the Christmas decorations go up earlier and earlier. But it isn't *really* the season until the annual Shorpy office party. Happy Holidays to Dave and the regular contributors that make this place special. BTW...it's kind of odd that I get older but none of the partygoers ever seem to. Must be something in the eggnog. As We Seek Normalcy, This Pic Provides it!The last two pandemic driven years, makes most of us seek glimpses of normalcy. Having this Christmas tradition each year, having a peek into the office Christmas party, gives a moment of that peace. Knowing these, and their children, and their grandchildren...made it through the Great Depression, WWll, the Cold War, etc., etc., still, a moment frozen in time, gives a certain reassurance, that everything is going to be ok! Merry Christmas, office party, as well as all the Shorpy members that crash the party each year! Bravo, indeedWell done on the colorization, Massafornian. It adds a level of vibrancy to an already-lively photo of an intriguing bunch of people. I’m also surprised at some of the effects, for example the oft-commented-upon woman in the lower left, sitting against the desk, craning her neck for a beady glare offstage – the rouge on her cheeks and the lipstick blunt the ultra-crazy impression and make her look, dare I say, somewhat fetching. Thank you for your addition to this seasonal favourite. And best of the season to my fellow Shorpsters and to the toilers in the digital mines who bring us this much-loved website. Everybody's back in the officeNobody's working from home and the party is ON! Happy holidays! WFHAs we head into Covid Christmas #2, it again strikes me that these folks would have no idea what working from home would even mean. (Taking in sewing?) Here they are, in joyous proximity one to the other, while we are still asked to distance, mask up, etc. Their mingled exhalations, their casual touches, the humid density of their gathering – how I envy them. Well, we come here to dream and fantasize, don’t we? Happy holidays to my fellow dreamers and observers and to the hard-working trio who bring us the stuff that dreams are made of. Up to good or no goodI am incredulous that I have never really noticed the girl at the far left of the photo, just in front of the door -- the last of the women. She is concealing something. Knowledge or intent, benevolent or nefarious ... no matter. Keep a weather eye on that one. Egad! New versions!Shorpy Patreon members have been treated to a short, elegant--well, creepy--music video in Ken-Burns-goes-Edward Gorey style. And now a colorized photo with costumes straight out of Technicolor heaven. And in 2021 they all sneaked in to party on Saturday! Old FriendsI've seen this picture so many times over the years at Christmas time on Shorpy that the faces have become like familiar old friends. I'm of the opinion that Christmas will never be the same for me unless I get to see this photo at least once during the Christmas season. Girl At The Far LeftNo one tried to say a thing When they took him out in jest Except, of course, the little neighbor boy Who carried him to rest And he just walked along, alone With his guilt so well concealed And muttered underneath his breath “Nothing is revealed” Time For A Rhyme...or TwoIt's Christmas Party time again, so back to yesteryear, To faces from so long ago, we now hold somewhat dear They lived through their pandemic, and now we've had our own For some, it was an ordeal; of much more time alone, Yet, gazing at these faces here shows us things will improve, And then to next year's gala even more will gladly move! A Merry Christmas to you all, here at this special time I thank you all so very much for bearing with my rhymes, May next year's party be the one our current trial's behind us But our friends from 1925 will be there to remind us ... A very special thanks to Massafornian for the superb colorization! A bit more on the colorizationThe colorization was done by hand, for about an hour most every morning, when I had the spare time while listening to podcasts. I started in early January and completed it around April. I am sure that most Shorpians know that colorization is tedious, mostly due to the need to mask objects and details as much as possible, to distinguish them from other objects. (The Christmas tree with its fir needles and tinsel was a bit of a job). Automated colorization just doesn’t compare in quality to doing it by hand. Each person is a smart layer in Photoshop that in turn contains many layers of isolated bits to colorize. The fun part was choosing the colors of people’s attire. Hopefully what I chose is close enough to what this cast of characters might’ve actually worn in 1925, but I won’t claim any historical research was performed for color accuracy. I could easily spend the same amount of time on this image again, by further masking textures and smaller objects, and separating their colors. If anyone wants the original layered PSD to do more magic, you can have it here: http://www.hearthworks.net/1925/1925_office_xmas_party_12.12.2021.psd.zi... You have exactly one year to post the next refinement! You might notice in the high resolution version that the faces are oddly higher resolution than the surrounding parts of the image. This is a bit of AI deployed on the faces, called Remini. Google it to learn more, but in a nutshell, Remini analyzes a face that is low resolution or blurry and magically reconstructs it in high resolution by drawing from a huge library of face components. Remini reassembles face components onto a map based on the original image. The process is hit-or-miss as far as how it can interpret low-quality image data. It was fun to apply it to this image one face at a time and integrate the rendered AI faces back into the master image. I feel that I know all these characters in the photo intimately, having spent a lot of time on each one of them. I’ve given them all first names to distinguish the Photoshop layer names. My wife asks me which lady I might’ve fancied back in the day, and I think it’s a tie between ‘Mary’ (the blonde in front of the ‘504’ door wearing purple) and ‘Bobbie’ (third-to-the-right of ‘Lulu’, (the pixie by the desk), with brown hair, a green coat and blue dress, looking directly into the camera). Those two have nice, approachable personalities. I’m intrigued by ‘Lila’ (the mysterious lady on the floor in front of the desk), but she’s perhaps too brooding for 1925 Me to take on; and ‘Lulu’ is far too racy and trendy for my sensibilities. I was born in 1963, so I imagined a lot of these people from 1925 as being my many older relatives who were a huge part of my childhood in the 60’s and 70’s. My grandmother was born in 1890 and her gaggle of five sisters had birth years that ranged between 1885 and 1902. Though elderly, they were all alive and vibrant for most of my childhood, and greatly influenced me. I’ve been patiently waiting for this time of year when Dave publishes this wonderful photo, to submit my contribution. I think this version turned out pretty nice. @ Born Too Late - my geographical fate is the opposite of yours: I started out in the Alameda, California and moved to Massachusetts some 20 years ago. Massachusetts is really a great place to live—weather be damned! @ DavidK - Yes, ‘Lila’ did indeed turn out to be beautified by the AI software, Remini. In retrospect I think I got carried away with rouging people’s cheeks, but without it, the skin tones just seemed too flat. Cheers, —Massafornian HUAAgreed, davidk ... most likely she's a downright dollbaby but there is a definite glint in her eye and you must admit she has a secret or two or ten. Maybe she's even got something on some of the other girls. Not nefariousI’ve had my eye on that woman on the far left in front of the ION window for years, JennyPennifer. She has a touch of high color, and I really like that ringlet that has broken loose by her right eye. She seems mild yet ready for fun. Not naughty. At this rateI'm thinking that by the 2025 centenary we should be ready for an animatronic enlivening of this ongoing party. Cast of charactersAbsolutely outstanding job of colorization, Massafornian! It really brings out details that were easy to overlook. I see the Serbian Anarchist, peering out just to the right of the Big Boss with the cigar, and wonder what he's planning. And the guy hiding just below the life of the party, with the STOP/GO headgear - he looks like he's hiding something, for sure. But is the Big Boss truly the Man? My money is on the distinguished looking silver haired gent at the top right, overlooking the affair with a cautious gaze ... And, who really *is* the mustachioed guy to his left, glaring at the photographer? Is he worried about this photo getting out? Does he appear on a Wanted poster?? Merry Thank YouBecause it's never Christmas until the Office Party and new Office Party Comments. Office Stories@ DavidK - If you have Photoshop, try downloading the PSD and you’ll see their names in the layers palette. The oilcan lady I named ‘Janelle’ because she looks like my cousin who has that name. I believe ‘Janelle’ to be the well-regarded office trickster. The aging lush in the top-right standing group of men is named ‘Redd’. Me thinks he’s barely evading his mortality this fine evening, and perhaps is about to fall off of whatever he’s perched upon, to be carried out to a waiting cab, muttering something about his childhood pet dog, Wilberforce. After his early departure his hip flask was found on the floor, where he fell. No one knows what happened to it, or its contents. The leader of the pack is named ‘Boss’, for obvious reasons. My wife thinks that perhaps he has a familial connection to ‘Bertha’, the large lady in the red dress. Boss’s blotch is an expanding skin growth. By 1945, it will have grown over his face, poor fellow. Unfortunately, the portly Boss died of a heart attack in 1946 while un-crating his new supply of Consuegra cigars and munching on a donut. I note in this photo that there is no evidence of food or drink, save the candy canes. So while we have conjectured on this post about the state of inebriation these people might be in, strong drink seems unlikely at this event, particularly in the age of prohibition these people find themselves in. (Redd is the exception, having brought his own supply of spirits.) The food might be in another part of the room, but the lack of it has me thinking that this event was a relatively brief gathering after work. ‘Lulu’, the office pixie, is only 19 years old. She is Boss’s niece. This makes her somewhat problematic for all concerned in the office, and something of a political figure. She’s not exactly incompetent at her job, but the office matriarch, ‘Ursula’ (sitting on the floor in the green dress) was grudgingly forced to hire her. Lulu got married to a Studebaker salesman in 1928, moved to Pasadena in 1930, and had 4 children. She died in 1988 in a car accident. The thing about the brooding ‘Lila’ that no one knew was that she had a very wealthy aunt in New York City. In 1934 her aunt passed away, and Lila inherited nearly $3 million dollars in property and bonds. She moved to the Upper East Side in 1936, but never married. She lived to the age of 103, dying in 1998. Here's a closeup of Lila: Go-GoIs that something hanging from the wall or sitting on the man's head as a prank? Has it ever been commented on before? Though not shown, there has to be a portable Victrola and stack of jazz records somewhere for when the party gets hot! This was the height of the Charleston era and there are plenty of flappers present! A White Elephant In The RoomMay explain the oil can, the Honey Bear, and all the other strange gifts. I don't know how long the White Elephant Gift party has been around, but my wife and I just had one at our house. That is one thing that I have been looking at all these years on Shorpy (the crazy gifts), and now realize the crazy gifts could be from the White Elephant in the room. Merry Christmas and a Happy new Year to all my Shorpyite brothers and sisters. (Thanks archfan. Good to know that it is still around after all these years) Colors!Kudos, Massafornian! At first I thought, hm, some of those dresses are awfully bright, but then I realized of course that for the office party some people always wear a “special” outfit. I doubt that woman in the red satin dress would have worn it any other day but it’s so Christmasy how could she resist! Colors!Kudos, Massafornian! At first I thought, hm, some of those dresses are awfully bright, but then I realized of course that for the office party some people always wear a “special” outfit. I doubt that woman in the red satin dress would have worn it any other day but it’s so Christmasy how could she resist! Re: Go-GoVictrolaJazz asks if the mini traffic signal on the head of the man at the back, to the right of the tree, has been commented on before. Yes! Many times over the years, in fact. This would provide a fine opportunity to review the long and enjoyable string of comments where you will find the following: Going to a Go-Go (12/12/2020), Still GOGO after all these years (12/20/2019), Festive Dress (12/19/2015), Must have been a heck of a party (12/23/2014), No one seems to have noticed (12/14/2012), Office A-Go-Go (12/25/2010), Slow on the uptake (12/24/2010), Kimono-wearing parrot? (12/23/2010), I can’t find Don Draper (12/23/2010), Naughty Naughty (04/21/2009), Getting Oiled at the Office Xmas Party (12/15/2008), Dramatis Personae (12/15/2008), and, finally, A Story in every face (12/15/2008) which includes a Dave link to a Shorpy post with a real GO-GO traffic signal in it. Time travel?Either Johnny Depp was the original Doctor Who time travelling as a woman or his mother was working Working for Western Electric that Christmas A white elephant party?I hadn't thought of that and now I'm disappointed. For years I have been daydreaming about the oil can lady, the one with the unnervingly lascivious direct look. Then I remember she'd be old enough to be my grandmother. Jeepers. Grateful Holiday pome These people, alas, are all now dust. But we on Shorpy surely must visit them once more. Cheer to all on Shorpy! Sad or Stimulating, or a bit of both?Having been recently retired, with no more company Christmas parties to attend, I am faced with a conundrum. Is it sad that the 1925 Christmas Party on Shorpy is now the Office Party I look forward to the most, or is it tantalizing that the faces and actions of these folks, now long gone, give all of us smiles nearly a century later? Let this serve as a reminder to treat every moment as if that moment is also "frozen in time"! Merry Christmas, Dave, and the entire Shorpy family! MomObviously, this is another photo in the Shorpy Hall of Fame inaugural class, but the best thing about it for me is that it was likely taken when my mom was just a newborn, having come into this world on December 17, 1925. Merry Christmas to all and a Happy Heavenly 97th Birthday to my mom! My how time fliesSeems like it was just a month or two ago when last Christmas flew by with this pic. NobodyHas changed much from last year. Remarkable. Gag Gifts?I look forward to this party every year, and I notice something new each December. It's occurred to me that everyone in the photo is holding some kind of small gift, and all of them look like "white elephants": a toy horse, an oil can, a little bear, a toy policeman's hat—perhaps it was a "Secret Santa" kind of gag gift swap, and each gift was appropriately unique to the receiver. The photograph makes every one of these people forever young, and I always wonder what happened to each one of them: all those life stories that we'll never know. (I hope they all got a Christmas bonus!) Happiest of Holidays—and a Happy, Healthy New Year—to every Shorpyite. The finer detailsI’ve chosen to focus on some of the smaller, obscure points this year in my investigation of this beloved photo. The woman in the bobby hat towards the left? Go south to the hand of the woman in front of her, the hand on the shoulder of the woman in the light-colored dress: that hand looks disembodied and is therefore creepy. Person who looks most Photoshopped in? The woman to the immediate left of that hand, staring right into your soul. Stuff like that. The picture is positively filthy with wacky, kooky, scary little things. Sober thoughtFourteen years of beautiful fascination. Wonder if some folks who commented earlier, by now "are with the people on the photo" too? Go-Go indeedI just wanted to second the man at the back, being bald myself. Go Go, folks. Christmas TreesIf nothing else, we have made great advances in Christmas tree technology. Every year they look a bit youngerMeanwhile, every year I look less like my father and more like my grandfather. Love the ones you're withThanks for the labor of love and commerce Shorpy is. Years ago this photo evoked for me speculations about what may have divided these office mates. Now what comes out of this photo is the love that is possible if only ... with enough time and enough patience and enough "having lived through" being absent from one another we arrive at a finality of cherishing "in spite of" or even "because of" the uniqueness we bring. The big read 1925I wonder how many of them were concealing new books in their purses, briefcases, or desk drawers. It was an era of readers, and 1925 was a banner year. Here are some of the newly-printed titles waiting for them in bookstores: Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby Hemingway, In Our Time Woolf, Mrs. Dalloway Dreiser, An American Tragedy Christie, The Secret of Chimneys Dos Passos, Manhattan Transfer Cather, The Professor’s House Loos, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes Milne, a Winnie the Pooh story at Christmas Kafka, The Trial (if you read German) Proust, Albertine Disparue (if you read French—though some of them may still be working through the 1922 translation of Swann’s Way). By December, early subscribers could have accumulated ten months of the new “New Yorker.” But let’s hope that they still had a few years to be blissfully unaware of Mein Kampf, published in Germany in July. There's one in every office. Frank is holding up an equipment assignment sheet while calling (vainly) for the frivolity to end and a return to work. He will not succeed. Group AnalysisObviously far too long a comment, but Shorpy is so inspirational. Still had fun thinking and writing, as well as viewing picture again. I was wondering about the woman at the far left. She is showing a sideways glance, and nobody else in the picture has a sideways glance. A sideways glance can be a powerful indication of attention to a subject, like romantic attention or professional attention or just surprise, but in any case something out of the ordinary. Like here, it seems different, just that one woman. Trying to analyze a sideways glance, there is the face angle (determined by the nose angle) and the eyes angle. For a sideways glance like this, the eyes are directly pointed at the subject, but the face is pointed elsewhere. Using a reasonably limited choice of angles (0, 15, 30, 45) and expressing angles as "eyes angle / face angle" (eyes come first, most expressive), then this mystery woman with the sideways glance could be a 0/30. Directly below her on the floor is a 45/0 woman, and her eyes angle is the extreme opposite. Seems absolute difference between the two angles can show degree of interest or attention, not the amount of either angle. With any 45/0 difference then attention seems to be very much elsewhere. The 30/45 woman to her right apparently has her attention directed to the same subject, but not to the same degree, more a casual interest, just a difference of 15 between her angles. And the next woman above is a 30/30, also looking in that direction, but no difference between her angles, no indication of interest or attention, just looking. Also just looking, but now at the camera, are all the 0/0 men and women, no differences, the largest group. They seem to be posing conventionally for the picture, and there is no apparent sign of interest or attention (other than to the camera). The exact pose varies by individual, some are smiling more than others, but they are all 0/0's. Some 0/0's may be simple conformists, and others may be nonconformists bored stiff (they can still smile, for the camera), but you can't probably tell which is which from the picture. The big boss on the right is a 0/0, and the men in line with him are mostly 0/0's too, diligently following his traditional example. Above him are three 45/45's, you may not be able to tell about attention or interest from a 45/45, no difference there, in that way like a 0/0. However they are definitely not posing for the camera in any conventional way, not following the big boss example, and probably not in line to succeed him. His successor would probably be a 0/0 closest to him. We could also consider tilt angle of the head as a variable, but that's more difficult to determine, because it varies with perspective, further away or closer to the camera. Also could consider extent of smiles, but that also difficult to determine. Eyes angle and face angle (nose angle) should be easier. These angle measurements are probably useful only in a posed office photo, like this one. In a family photo 0/0's can be visibly full of emotion. And in real life anyone can look at you straight on, a 0/0, with amazement or fury or love or anything else. So angles won't help much in real life, although a sideways glance can still show interest and then create reciprocal interest, even mutual interest. Mistletoe and High Voltage for all the women!I love how the ladies' hair has that "Bride of Frankenstein" look ... creepy yet sexy. It reminds me to get the yule log out. ZoomThat was a quick year. Another Year Gone ByBeen seeing this annually for a long time now, am I the first to comment ?? Anyways all these souls, their troubles and happy days are behind them and now are just dust in the wind … enjoy yourselves as we will be dust too! Merry Christmas My Newest Favorite Christmas Tradition!I have gotten to the point of looking so forward to this party each year, it has indeed become one of my favorite Christmas traditions! LOL For most of those attending the party, they are indeed, "living life!" That is so valuable, the ability to live life. On a personal note, I am learning that this year, having lost my precious wife in March, to Dementia. As iamjanicemarie well noted, all of these, are now just "dust in the wind." Which makes me wonder, in what order did they pass? Did some in the picture in 1925 not survive till the party in 1926? Who was the last to go, and in what year? In the hundreds of comments, some pointing out actual things, others just speculating ... we can learn one lesson. Live Life Fully Every Day. Who knows, a hundred years from now, you may still be having an effect on someone who you never even met! Merry Christmas, Shorpy family! What's up with the gals?Are they wearing kryptonite jewelry? Old friendsI never get tired of this party and these coworkers. The job, yeah, I'm sick of it, but the people make it all worthwhile. I feel like I've known them forever. Welcome Back, Dear 1925 Office Party Friends. . . and all Shorpy friends, too! I look forward to seeing this wonderful photo every year. These folks never age, unlike the rest of us. I find this reassuring: life goes on, as it did for the office partiers whose lives continued through the Depression, WWII, and possibly even on to the 1990s. I always wonder who they were and what happened to them. Here's to a Happy Holiday season and a peaceful 2024. Seems Like Old TimesNice to see familiar faces, even though I never met them. However much they aged after this photograph, we'll never know, so just once each year, it's 1925 again. StableThis firm has a very stable workforce. Every year, it's the same folks in the Christmas photo. Macabre variationAlthough certainly macabre, I do like the door that iamjanicemarie tentatively opened and that HarahanTim swung fully open. In what order did these people pass? The annual response to this photo has definitely taken a curious turn, but I’m glad to chime in. First to go, I believe, was Boss Man with the cigar, the very next morning, in the wee hours. He’s clearly in bad physical shape, a massive coronary waiting to happen. And it wasn’t the fault of one of those young ladies sitting on the floor that it happened in her bed. It was a different time when office and sexual politics were vile, and everyone was drunk. Last to go was Heather on the far left in back, framed by the glass of the door. She’s only 23 in the photo, and she lived right into the next century, dying at 102 in 2004. She had moved back to Ohio, and on her last day was surrounded by her children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and even one of her great-great-grandchildren. They all loved her very much. It's finally Christmas ...... when this bunch show up. I checked; they're all there. Proceed to celebrate. Merry Christmas, everyone xoxo In the officeIt's hard to imagine this bunch "working from home". The dynamic would be lost with a "Zoom" holiday party. Fire ExtinguisherJust behind the gentleman with the "GO" signal on his head it looks like there is a classic soda/acid fire extinguisher that I noticed for the first time today. Conveniently located next to what appears to be a rather combustible tree. Season's Greetings to Dave, tterrace and the whole Shorpy gang. Well, having had time to ponderabout these folk for a good decade since discovering Shorpy, I have come to a tentative yet preliminary assessment. The only woman with no apparent makeup and yet the most beautiful features is the lady sitting on the floor at bottom left. Really in a class of her own in this crowd with those almond eyes and high cheekbones, yet with hair and dressed a bit out of date, but still sporting brand new shoes judging by their soles. How they got her to sit on the dirty floor for the pic is beyond me. In any case, the photographer has just given her a huge suggestive wink, and she's snapped her head to the right in response, looking faintly amused / bemused, no doubt used to the unwanted male gaze. The woman second to her left is staring at her, annoyed that Gloria (for that is her name) has caught the roving eye of the photographer instead of her -- the body language is obvious. The flapper two to the left of Ms Envious is giving the photographer a bit of a come-on with her lopsided grin -- she has sussed out his game. Mr Fatlips the boss is terminally near-sighted but for photos and thus posterity takes his glasses off when posing, as one can see. What he looks like with them on is a subject for a horror movie. The rest of the crowd barring a few are to a greater or lesser degree tipsy on smuggled-in booze, it being Temperance Time, er, prohibited drinkees time in America I'll have an update in future when other things become more clear to me from my favorite Shorpy image. Merry Xmas to all! Finger WavesThe blond and brunette whose backs are against the door and doorjamb, respectively, look modern. The other modern looking girl is two rows in front of them, also a brunette. These three look timeless. The other women either still have long hair wrapped up some way or they have those awful finger waves that look like ridges in their hair. None of the girls that have finger waves have benefitted from that style. It does not flatter any face shape, it just looks weird and kind of Bride of Frankensteinish. The blond miss sitting on the floor is looking daggers at the moody looking woman sitting against the desk. I will always wonder why. Holiday Party Fun (2023)Dear Shorpy folks and friends of the site. This year I used this very photo to make a SPOT THE DIFFERENCE game at our work Christmas party. Each of the participants had 20 minutes to spot all 19 differences. I used Photoshop and AI to make the changes to the photo and we all had so much fun with it. If you would like me to post that image here, you may have fun too! Let me know Dave! Also, we have some new friends that might be joining us on this site as they were fascinated by all the expressions of this 1925 party. I did inform them of the site and URL. Merry Christmas everyone Guess who's coming to the Xmas party?I finally gave this picture a very close inspection and have noticed a few things: The Wizard of Oz tin man seems to be absent, although is oil can is sitting on the floor, bold as brass. Perhaps Al Capone knows of the tin man's whereabouts, although he and his cigar are apparently saying nothing? Maybe Al hired "Mr. Bowtie" from the top row. He has the look of someone ready to rub someone out with his own personal brand of ink blotter. One other notable "character" is to the left of Al Capone. I think it's possibly New York's former governor, a spritely, young Andrew Cuomo. What is on the hand of the number 2 guy next to the boss?There is something on his pointer finger and thumb. Could these be some type of grippers for leaving through papers? Could it be he was working until they forced him to come get his picture taken? He is clearly annoyed to be there. Maybe he is plotting to have the boss removed so he can be in charge? Half a MillionI expect that the number of reads for Office Xmas Party will pass 500,000 shortly. Is this a record number of reads for a Shorpy photo? [Office Xmas Party holds the No. 2 spot. Shorpy's most popular post is ... Lady in the Water, with over 640,000 reads. And at No. 3 is The Beaver Letter. - Dave] Merry Christmas to all Shorpians!May your holidays be merry and bright. A special Merry Christmas to Dave and tterrace who keep this very special website going. And to all pictured from that office party held nearly 100 years ago, a Merry Heavenly Christmas to all! ONE MORE TIMEAfter passing this photo around for everyone to look and laugh at, it was probably hung on the wall for a time, then taken to someone's home and put away in a chest and forgotten ... perhaps copies were made. But how would these people feel if they knew that almost a half million people have studied it? Also those desks have been in their current positions for a very long time, the floor below them new and pristine. [This was not a casual snapshot -- the National Photo Company was primarily a news service. Its photographs appeared in newspapers, advertisements and publicity material. This particular image might have been used for Western Electric's in-house newsletter or a company Christmas card. - Dave] Thank ya Dave for clearing that up. Meet some of the boys ...Introducing ... Charles S. Barker, District Superintendent: "With the right personnel and a good organization, you can do anything in telephony" E.N. Searles, Division Superintendent J.E. Grant, R.D. Dick, and... Walter W. Lodding, Division Accountant ... with an invitation to Christmas at the Loddings': This image was featured in the December 1926 issue of the Western Electric News with the title: "YOUTH AND THE CHRISTMAS SPIRIT" and caption: "Santa Claus did right by this little lad the son of W.W. Lodding of the Installation Division 11 Headquarters" Looking daggers?Susanhumeston wondered, "The blond miss sitting on the floor is looking daggers at the moody looking woman sitting against the desk. I will always wonder why." I have always been intrigued by that interaction. Pretty much come to the conclusion that three of the ladies were diverted by something off set to the left. One (Charlotte) clearly annoyed, one (Lila) merely taking it in, and one (Gwen) mildly amused. NamesMarkJo - nice job finding the real names! I'm fascinated by the different names and nicknames in all the posts. Then I scroll to 12/23/21; alex_shorpy did a great job labeling everyone. Or go further back to 12/22/19 and see davidk's comment. I also don't look at these folks as having turned into dust. Every year they come alive in the imaginations of many readers. Maligayang Pasko to all. Well, what else?Say, we don't view the full size for a micro-study. What we see is the "pyramid" of working stiffs that retracted into one side of the office against the forceful advance of upper management group. Sharp diagonal dividing line was disturbed somewhat at the bottom, by the lady and gent behind her. There he is!Every year I look forward to seeing dear old Mr. Hilter at the top of the picture looking so skeptical! "Mildred, what did you do with my flask"?This party was during the TEETH of prohibition too! The REAL fun will come later. Lucky 13I first started following Shorpy in the fall of 2011 (didn’t make my first comment till May 2012), so that’s 13 years, making this my 14th "ion" Department Christmas. Over that time, the place where I celebrated Christmas with my wife for 45 years disappeared (burned down) and her parents have died and we were forced to adopt new Christmas customs, but this group in the Office Xmas Party in 1925 has persisted throughout. May they last another century. Merry Christmas and happy holidays to all my fellow Shorpy followers, with a special thanks to Dave for bringing it all to us. The Real Visions, Dancing in Their Heads!It’s not on Christmas Eve that visions dance through the heads of the Shorpy family, it is the high anticipation of the night before Friday before Christmas! Merry Christmas, 1925 Party, and Merry Christmas Shorpy family! Its officially the season!Wishing all of the Shorpy community a very Merry Christmas!! 100 Laps Around the SunWill they be more cheery for next year's 100th Anniversary Party group picture? Shorpy minds want to know! Number nine, number nine ..."99/9 is about completing one's life lessons, goals, dreams, and actions, whatever the price. Sometimes competition becomes the goal in itself. 99 is the end of a cycle and represents the completion of the ultimate goal. 99 resonates with "doomsday." If NumerologyPRO is right, we can look forward to some changes come next December 19: Clarence and Hermione may be happily married. The fierce competition of District Superintendents Searles and Baker for promotion to the home office may have led to both being fired. Prohibition may have ended and booze will be on the desks instead of in the oilcan. The bear may have opened a restaurant. The party may have moved to the W. W. Loddings' home, with young Bobby running happily about. Or perhaps the Loddings will have joined forces with Ray and Rose Dickey to host a bash at the Chevy Chase Club. Or the jury-rigged electrical cord may have caught fire and burned down the building. Or the world may have come to an end. Boss Bill Lodding - Baseball Team ManagerThe “Boss” was Walter William “Bill”, Lodding who managed and played on the company baseball team in 1924. Several last names were included in a May 6, 1924 “Evening Star” article about the company-ball league in which they played many games. Soon after this party (maybe due to it?) he found himself transferred to Atlanta. He was born July 1, 1897, and died on March 1, 1940, in Chicago. He left behind wife Agnes and two sons. Enjoy This Every YearWas looking forward to these folks again. Aways a pleasure after so many years, thanks! One & AllMerry Christmas to my Shorpy family. At 17 plus years with Shorpy, it is a daily indulgence that is addicting, but neither fattening or harmful. Christmas overloadEven more obviously two years later, far too long a comment, and analysis too, probably not in the Christmas spirit, analysis (dated 12.20.2022, 5:20 pm). But I'll submit it again, and suggest this time you gather some of the comments over the years that strike you one way or another, and put them together in a separate folder. So many comments, would help if you gathered some together. Perhaps this comment or perhaps not, but a selected bunch of comments. Enough to capture the spirit, but not too much, please. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Obviously far too long a comment, but Shorpy is so inspirational. Still had fun thinking and writing, as well as viewing picture again. I was wondering about the woman at the far left. She is showing a sideways glance, and nobody else in the picture has a sideways glance. A sideways glance can be a powerful indication of attention to a subject, like romantic attention or professional attention or just surprise, but in any case something out of the ordinary. Like here, it seems different, just that one woman. Trying to analyze a sideways glance, there is the face angle (determined by the nose angle) and the eyes angle. For a sideways glance like this, the eyes are directly pointed at the subject, but the face is pointed elsewhere. Using a reasonably limited choice of angles (0, 15, 30, 45) and expressing angles as "eyes angle / face angle" (eyes come first, most expressive), then this mystery woman with the sideways glance could be a 0/30. Directly below her on the floor is a 45/0 woman, and her eyes angle is the extreme opposite. Seems absolute difference between the two angles can show degree of interest or attention, not the amount of either angle. With any 45/0 difference then attention seems to be very much elsewhere. The 30/45 woman to her right apparently has her attention directed to the same subject, but not to the same degree, more a casual interest, just a difference of 15 between her angles. And the next woman above is a 30/30, also looking in that direction, but no difference between her angles, no indication of interest or attention, just looking. Also just looking, but now at the camera, are all the 0/0 men and women, no differences, the largest group. They seem to be posing conventionally for the picture, and there is no apparent sign of interest or attention (other than to the camera). The exact pose varies by individual, some are smiling more than others, but they are all 0/0's. Some 0/0's may be simple conformists, and others may be nonconformists bored stiff (they can still smile, for the camera), but you can't probably tell which is which from the picture. The big boss on the right is a 0/0, and the men in line with him are mostly 0/0's too, diligently following his traditional example. Above him are three 45/45's, you may not be able to tell about attention or interest from a 45/45, no difference there, in that way like a 0/0. However they are definitely not posing for the camera in any conventional way, not following the big boss example, and probably not in line to succeed him. His successor would probably be a 0/0 closest to him. We could also consider tilt angle of the head as a variable, but that's more difficult to determine, because it varies with perspective, further away or closer to the camera. Also could consider extent of smiles, but that also difficult to determine. Eyes angle and face angle (nose angle) should be easier. These angle measurements are probably useful only in a posed office photo, like this one. In a family photo 0/0's can be visibly full of emotion. And in real life anyone can look at you straight on, a 0/0, with amazement or fury or love or anything else. So angles won't help much in real life, although a sideways glance can still show interest and then create reciprocal interest, even mutual interest. WE_xmas_width_750.jpg Facial anglesMy response to this photo every year is along the lines of Flash's, but I come to a different conclusion. My belief is that there may have been more than one camera trained on this group on that evening 99 years ago, or at least, there were other things going on attracting people's attention. Conspicuously, the elegant woman seated at the far left is looking off at someone or something on the right of the camera that took this photo. She is not at all the only one. There are two woman seated on the floor who are pointed in the same direction. To them I would probably add the woman wearing the bobby helmet. There are two somewhat goofy looking men standing on the desk at the back who also seem to be smiling to whatever lens the women are looking at. There's a fellow standing right below and to the right of them -- partially obscured -- who is also looking that way. As a counterpoint, a woman in the center and a man over her shoulder appear to be looking at something to the photographer's right. If this picture had been taken a half century earlier, in 1875, I would understand the people staring sidewise at a faraway point as a standard photographic custom. I think it had died out well before this party, but I suppose it's possible some folks hadn't gotten the memo. Sideways GlancesThese people, on what might be the photographer's third or fourth exposure, are averting their gaze from the mini-explosion of his magnesium flash. ThanksThanks Dave and the Shorpy crew, this photo has become one of my comfort constants throughout the year. When I opened the website tonight and saw this photo it feels like seeing my cousins I only see usually once a year. When I listen to music, I have this thought about having a time machine and going back to when a certain vocal or guitar riff is performed for the first time, say any Doors song or Eddie Van Halen playing the lead into You Really Got Me (Eruption). I'd use my machine to go back to when this photo was taken. But then I think, do I want to take the mystery out of it? Nah. Merry Christmas! WW = Walter WilliamWalter William Bill Lodding: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/217917725/walter-w-lodding https://www.familysearch.org/tree/person/details/GWNW-7QB A Merry Christmas to AllI don't post much here anymore, but I read the site every day. I look forward to this post every year because I enjoy the comments so much. There's always something new or funny to be read. I hope all your Shorpyites out there have a wonderful holiday season no matter what you do or don't celebrate. :-) Western Electric Installers BaseballersThe Western Electric Installers' "clever" ballplayers listed in this 1924 article all transferred to D.C. from New York. Each named is likely shown in this pic, probably the ones surrounding their manager, Boss Bill. I remain completely fascinated by the woman on the floor sitting against the desk, and see from so many past comments that I’m far from alone. If she was a baseball fan a coworker could both pitch and woo with equal fervor. Oh dearI just noticed that the smiling lady seated on the far right in front (bear and oil can at her knees) has undone (or lost) the top button on her shoe. I hope that if it was the former, she went home and put her feet up to bring the swelling down, and if it was the latter, she got a new pair for Christmas. However I'm sure a good cobbler could have fixed them right up in the event there were not a new pair of kicks beneath her tree. The good news is that it looks like her permanent wave will last until at least Valentine's Day. (The Gallery, Bizarre, Christmas, Natl Photo, The Office)
Just a Little Closer to the Volcano ...
Kilauea eruption with molten lava and papaya trees near Kapoho, Hawaii , 1960. 35mm Ektachrome transparency, photographer unknown. View full size. Fake Trees? The trees in this photo have got to be faked. This looks like a ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/07/2011 - 10:23pm -

Kilauea eruption with molten lava and papaya trees near Kapoho, Hawaii, 1960. 35mm Ektachrome transparency, photographer unknown. View full size. Fake Trees?The trees in this photo have got to be faked. This looks like a poster background for a B-movie! Judging by the scale of the lava and the gravel on the ground, it looks like the lava at the right of the picture is at most 2 feet from the lens. The "trees" make no impression on the gravel and have a strange "glow" around them that is probably a result of the compositing process. Check out the real trees on the horizon on the left side of the photo. They are nearly as tall as the ones being "engulfed" by lava despite being what appears to be at least a half-mile away! Just my $0.02I think the pic's legit. The distant trees are some much taller species; the nearby papayas are pretty short. The gravel, I think, is ash from the volcano, so there's no way of knowing to what depth the trunks and roots are covered. The air is extremely hazy, hence no shadows and a sort of glow around stuff. Re: Fake Trees?The trees in the distance are palms - much taller than the ones in the foreground. There's no "impression" on the pumice cinders because they've fallen down like rain (and knocked the papaya leaves off). Re: Fake Trees?I think the photo is real as well. The reason I think it looks "off" is that we lack a reliable scale reference. I've been thinking about this for a bit, and I think the main problem is how we perceive the lava flow. If we see it as as large as it really is, then everything looks fine. But if we see it as much smaller than it really is (Glenn's comment that "it looks like the lava at the right of the picture is at most 2 feet from the lens" indicates that this is how he is perceiving it), then the trees suddenly look abnormally large. So why does the lava flow look small? Well, yes, the palms in the background are much taller than the papaya trees, but that's only part of it. Other reasons include: 1) Difficulty in perceiving the distance of the volcano (and the palm trees that appear to be next to it). The air is hazy with smoke, making objects look farther away than they really are. 2) Depth of field. The depth of field is relatively narrow for a shot like this, again making the volcano look further away. In fact, the photograph almost looks like a tilt-shift lens shot, making everything in the foreground look "miniature" or "model-like." 3) The size of the debris. Those chunks of debris are actually fairly large, but if we see them as gravel (which is fairly small), it again throws the scale out of whack. (The glow around the trees and papaya, by the way, might just be light bleeding into what is otherwise a dark background. I'm not really sure, though.) Just some ideas. Sorry for the long post, but stuff like this (i.e., how we perceive things) fascinates me. The TreesThe palm trees are far behind the eruption. The "volcano," such as it is, is maybe three or four stories tall. You can see it from a distance here. The parts of the papaya trees remaining above the cinders are maybe four or five feet tall - below eye level of the person holding the camera. This was a rift that opened up in a sugar cane field on January 13, 1960. Two weeks later the lava flow reached the settlement of Kapoho a few hundred yards away. Despite everyone's best efforts (bulldozing a dike, spraying water on the lava) the town was obliterated and never resettled. treesHas anyone noticed the trees that are deep into the lava aren't burning or even smoking. They should have ignited instantaneously. I've watched lava flow through trees often and they quickly smoke then burn. [See photos above. - Dave] Papaya Zombies of KilaueaMore 1960 Kilauea pics from the U.S. Geological Survey website: Defoliated papayas in orchard at the north edge of the Saefuji orchid farm. Papaya fruit cooked by radiant heat from the fountain and flow and sheared away by falling pumice. Eerie twilight view of papaya zombies at foot of high fountain. Stripped coconut palms north of fissure. (The Gallery, Landscapes)
Fresh-Cut Firs: 1903
New York circa 1903. "Cut Christmas trees at market in front of Barclay Street Station." May all your Christmases ... Publishing Company. View full size. Electrical trees More impressive than the Christmas trees are the number of electrical ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 12/02/2011 - 4:33am -

New York circa 1903. "Cut Christmas trees at market in front of Barclay Street Station." May all your Christmases be bright and all your ceilings be tall. 6½ x 8½ inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. Electrical treesMore impressive than the Christmas trees are the number of electrical wires on the poles at the right. Three bits for the 16-footerLooks like the two men on the right might be haggling over price. Any one on Shorpy have a clue what Christmas trees were going for in 1895? [From a 1901 article in the New York Times: Small firs cost around $5; a large spruce, $30. - Dave] Today Goldman Sachs at 200 West Street sits where the pier used to be. Lobby TreesI imagine the tallest of these would have been for department stores or hotel lobbies. Or for setting up outside. So many wires and crossarmsSo many wires and crossarms on the poles... Are these telephone lines or telegraph circuits? Hello, Operator130 telephone lines! Tall trees, taller buildingsIt's somehow strange for me to think of Christmas trees being sold like this in Manhattan so many years ago. I do remember them being sold at curbside in Greenwich Village back in the 1960s, on Sixth Avenue and on Hudson Street. Since I lived in a fifth-floor walkup on West 12th Street at that time, I wasn't much interested in lugging a tree up five flights to have on display for only a week or two. Tribute to an unknown heroJust look at the individual lines on those telephone poles! It's a visible tribute to the man who invented the cable! Wow.They weren't kiddin' around with those power telephone lines. Make a wreath!Cut the tree to fit, and you'll have plenty of material to make a Christmas wreath. Telephone PolesIn all the old photos of the city, there are always a mass of phone lines. I would guess that each telephone had its own wire on the pole. If that is the case, there wouldnt be much more space for new customers. Ooooooh That Smell!!Can't you smell that smell! Heavenly! Trees for the RichThose trees are expensive! $5 in 1901 is about $100 today. That makes the large spruce $600. I'd be haggling over the price too. Holy crossarms!!Sure, the Christmas trees are interesting but what really caught my eye was the telephone pole line with the insane amount of crossarms! No fewer than 100 arms, on just eight poles stretching maybe only two or three city blocks. As a lineman by trade, I can't imagine the man-hours necessary to build all that across the whole city, without power tools, bucket trucks, or probably any proper safety equipment. Each and every one of those had to be drilled out by hand with a brace-and-bit, and hoisted up on a hand-line, by linemen who climbed the pole. And if you've never felt a crossarm, they're heavy, probably a good 50 pounds each. And after all that is done, the stringing of all that wire is no small task. That was when men were really men, and I kinda feel like a wimp now! Rooted in traditionI think if you look up the history of Christmas trees in this country, you'll find that they started with the upper crust and worked their way down. Christmas trees became popular in England after Queen Victoria married her German husband, Prince Albert. He introduced them to Britain. They became popular with the American upper crust shortly after that. Common folk might have had small carved wooden representations of trees, or other similar decorations. Veteran Shorpyers will remember some of the big fancy trees shown at various times going back to the turn of the century. Bring a ruler I decided, having just moved into my first home with my new bride, that I would return to the family farm in up-state NY to cut down and install a fir tree, thereby cutting out the middleman. After removing two foot from the bottom, then another two foot from the top, I ruefully conceded to my amused wife that this bloated monstrosity would simply fill our entire living room and wound up turning it into garlands. P.S. I had to pay $8.00 for a decent mini tree. (The Gallery, Christmas, DPC, NYC)
Cotton Carnival: 1940
... picture is looking South ... in every sense! Now with trees As close as I can figure, Marion Post Wolcott took this nighttime ... Mutual Tower and, later, Lincoln-American Life. The trees just beyond are in Court Square. Finally, while this photo may have ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 01/02/2025 - 12:38pm -

May 1940. Memphis, Tennessee. "Main Street at night during Cotton Carnival." Acetate negative by Marion Post Wolcott for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Charity, Community, Commerce and CelebrationToday it's Carnival Memphis. "Cotton" was dropped in 1987 because "our economy has become more diversified. We accomplish our mission through the four C's: Charity, Community, Commerce and Celebration." "The Cotton Kingdom" was the slogan used by the antebellum South to justify slavery and secession. In 1895, John Philip Sousa wrote his "King Cotton" march, which intentionally or not contributed to "Lost Cause" sentimentalization of the Old South. It is still played. "C"-BrysAs my pun suggests, breeze was how (the first word of) the Bry-Block Mercantile Co was pronounced. It was one of Memphis' three main department stores, and its presence here tells us this picture is looking South ... in every sense! Now with treesAs close as I can figure, Marion Post Wolcott took this nighttime photo from the red brick building in the foreground. While it's still there, at the northwest corner of Union Avenue and Main Street, most of the rest of the buildings in the foreground are gone. The site of Bry's is mostly a parking garage now. The smaller buildings across the street are different. The Rhodes Jennings Furniture store and tall building next to it are now the building with the flat white roof. It's not until the Hotel Chisca at Main Street and Linden Avenue (upper-right corner) that I can identify a building still standing. I suspect Main Street today never sees the bustling nightlife it did in 1940, even for carnival. DavidCrook, thanks for your correction and additional information. I don't mind being wrong, but does it have to be my first post of 2025? Dave, do I get a mulligan? POVDoug Floor Plan, your estimate of the location of the photographer is off by a few blocks. You place her in the Three Sisters building at Union and Main. This photo was most likely shot from the roof of the old Claridge Hotel at the corner of Adams and Main--about six blocks north. Bry's was replaced by the "new" Lowenstein's (another department store) and an apartment tower at 99 North Main in the mid-1960s. The Claridge Hotel, now a condominium, is next door. Interestingly, Rhodes-Jennings furniture moved into the vacant old Lowenstein's building at Monroe and Main. The building with the white features and the elaborate entry next door to Rhodes-Jennings is the Court Square Center apartments and offices -- originally known as the Columbian Mutual Tower and, later, Lincoln-American Life. The trees just beyond are in Court Square. Finally, while this photo may have been taken during Cotton Carnival, this is just regular traffic--no parade--on Main Street, bumper-to-bumper traffic going south, lighter traffic going north. Zoom in, and you can see the empty bleachers for parade watchers in Court Square. Here's a view from the top of the Claridge via Google Earth. Site "C"-ingBry's was on Main at Jefferson; it was purchased by competitor Lowenstein's in the mid 50's, who subsequently closed, and finally demolished it. The angle of the shot suggests in was taken from the nearby Hotel Claridge, extant but now condo-ized (I also suspect that to take the pic, Ms. Wolcott leaned out a window farther than management would have liked.) If Bry's related to Lowenstein's future, Rhodes-Jennings was tied to its past: the building had been the former's former home. It, too, survives as a residential property: Court Square. Preservation in Memphis seems rather good; the theme of this post notwithstanding, I'd give it a B+. Old MemphisWow. Just wow. Wish Memphis were still like this. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, M.P. Wolcott, Memphis, Streetcars)
These Trees: 1910
... What are those lines? There are marks on the trees just below where the branches split off. Marks on trees It looks like they were trying to prevent an insect infestation. I can ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/08/2012 - 2:01pm -

St. Clair Flats, Michigan, circa 1910. "Willow Avenue, Star Island." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. What are those lines?There are marks on the trees just below where the branches split off. Marks on treesIt looks like they were trying to prevent an insect infestation. I can remember doing this to our elm trees at home. You have to get a draw knife and shave the rough bark down fairly smooth but not cut into the live bark. Then you spread a very sticky substance onto the trimmed area. I think one brand was called Tanglefoot. Looked like Vaseline but was like resin. Any bugs that tried to crawl up the tree got stuck in the mess and died. Good for gypsy moths too. Lines on the treesMy father used to circle the trunks of his fruit trees with some thick, sticky black gunk to trap ants and other destructive creepy crawlies trying to make their way up. Maybe that's some similar stuff, or its residue, here. Not that these are fruit trees, obviously. My kind of "Avenue"It's high time for a stroll down a grassy path on what appears to me to be an early spring day. I agree with tterrace; those lines are some sort of pest control material that an arborist has applied to protect them. Ironically, sometimes even used motor oil is employed to defend trees from certain insects! (click here for a really technical discussion) Tree linesI think tterrace has it exactly right, some sort of sticky gunk to keep insects from climbing from the ground to the tasty leaves. In this case it is probably to protect against tent caterpillars or something similar. These days when we have a possible infestation developing they tell us to put a band of insulation around the trunk of the tree, then cover the insulation with plastic, and then put the gunk like Tanglefoot on the insulation. This was seems quicker if not as efficient. Current stateI would love to see what this area looks like today. C FlatsThe St. Clair Flats, where the St. Clair River empties into Lake St. Clair, is the largest freshwater river delta in the world. Star Island House was on the south channel through the delta. I think I found the "Flats."The St. Clair Flats is the name given to the northeast section of Lake St. Clair along the border with Canada near Harsens Island and Algonac, Michigan. I found this image at the web site for the Harsens Island Historical Society. Note the reference to Star Island (lower right) and a ship often seen on Shorpy, the Tashmoo. (The Gallery, DPC)
Mrs. Claus: 1949
... You don't see those silver icicles on today's trees. How I miss them. Zelda This lovely lass reminds me of my ... 
 
Posted by delworthio - 12/26/2024 - 8:40pm -

Christmas 1949 in Valparaiso, Indiana. That's Grandma in a Kodachrome slide. View full size.         Our Christmas coda is this cocktail-hour Kodachrome submitted by Shorpy charter member Delworthio 16 years ago, in 2008. Cheers! Very Very MerryNow this is what I call a Christmas tree. Scotch, cigars and hazmat tinsel. Don't ForgetDave, you missed the bourbon and the ashtray. Now that's a Merry Christmas! We Need More Like This!This is Christmas for the grownups. I heartily approve! It is a Christmas MiracleI love all the wonderful gifts under the tree, but I'm curious about what appears to be the ship's wheel. Is that a clock or a decanter full of Old Spice? Ship's WheelIt looks like a thermometer. Grandpa was a chief engineer in the merchant marine so I'm sure that provided the theme for lots of gifts. He probably placed it over by all the Old Spice and ships in bottles. While in the Navy during WWI he met this fine lass in England, married her there, and shipped her home to St. Louis while he finished his tour of duty. If only they had reality newspaper serials back then. "We thought we would place this English girl literally in the middle of the United States with people she's never met, including her new mother-in-law!" Smokin'Grandma enjoyed a good stogy, eh? Ship's wheelIt's a decorative thermometer. Its twin is illustrated and described on this page of an antique dealer's site. Scroll down to the thermometer listings. [So it doubles as a flask, right? And hopefully has a lighter built in. Put it all together and you'd have a little thermostatically controlled stove. - Dave] Yum.Looks like some nice fruitcakes there on the right. Or maybe it's Grandma's famous Wensleydale Loaf. Een More MerryBoth Schenley and Old Forester. (And just think, that used to be the norm and not worthy of comment.) Scotch-IrishI heartily approve of a "grownup Christmas" too! My fiance has asked for a bottle of good scotch and Bailey's Irish Cream for Christmas -- doubt that we will save those for New Year's Eve. Unfortunately the bottles won't be under a tree as beautiful as this one. With two tree-climbing, ornament-batting cats, I've had to settle for my ceramic tree since 1994. HeavyThose aren't fruitcakes, just decorative doorstops. But then, again, aren't they the same? Christmas decorationsYou don't see those silver icicles on today's trees. How I miss them. ZeldaThis lovely lass reminds me of my grandmother Zelda Small, my mother's mum. I was born 12:28 a.m. on December 27, 1949, two days after this picture was taken; missing the Christmas due date much to Zelda’s chagrin. As a young boy, I remember presents wrapped gaily in simply printed papers with thin curling ribbons just like this used more like string than decorative embellishments. This photo represents what was quite a nice bounty for the times. Martha-Stewart-styled rooms filled with mansion-scaled decorations and piles of elaborately wrapped gifts touching the ceiling all came progressively later peaking in the 80s and 90s. Everyone has now either passed on or the younger ones are now living in their new families. I am back to this simpler Christmas and I cherish every moment of it. Thank you for this "memory spark." I am preparing for a very small party and have to mull some cider for a friend from Marseilles. Merry Christmas Charles Worthington Tasteful TinselGramma Delworthio had a nice, light touch with the tinsel for a midcentury lady. Hoosier HolidaysI have so enjoyed all the family holiday pictures you have shared of late - especially this one from Valpo (I am a lifelong Hoosier myself). Even though I never knew any of these people personally, still I grew up with people very much like the ones depicted in your family photos. Ashtrays and Tinsel... two things we don't see much anymore. What Did Santa Give You For Christmas?An ashtray! Adult's Christmas TreeMy dad would feel right at home here. Growing up, he had his own tree. All his presents were from business clients. If it was food (not of the fruitcake variety), it ended up on the dinner table. The food was really good. If it was alcohol or cigars or the like, under his tree. Whiskey and cigarsOld Forester is a very well regarded brand of Kentucky bourbon that has been in continuous production since the 1870s. It even managed to stay in business during the Prohibition era. If it were still around, that bottle would likely be worth a good deal of money. Schenley is no longer being produced as far as I can tell. The business was absorbed some time ago in a series of mergers and acquisitions. Not sure when they ceased production. Apparently it was regarded as a somewhat mediocre quality whiskey. Regarding the cigars, I'm afraid I found very little on the brand. There is an Ambassador chain of stores that markets high end cigars and spirits. However, I have no evidence that they are connected to the cigars under the tree. That ashtray brings back memories. My parents were non smokers, but back when I was a kid you still kept the ashtrays around for guests. Polite people always asked if it was ok to smoke before lighting up in someone else's home. And polite hosts always said "oh go right ahead," as they reached for the ashtray. Mom finally said enough and put the ashtrays away sometime in the mid-late 1980s. Green and red (tape)When the 21st Amendment repealed national prohibition, Indiana initially returned to some state-law liquor restrictions, some of which would still have applied to Grandma in 1949. By 1949 she was no longer required to go to a drugstore in order to purchase hard liquor "by the package" (that is, sealed in a bottle), but state and local layers of permitting requirements hampered her ability to buy it from a store that was out of favor politically. As a woman in Indiana, Grandma could not serve as a bartender (until 1967), and she could sit but not stand at a bar (until 1969). And even today, Hoosier state folks do not lawfully have the option in a grocery or convenience store to buy their beer cans and bottles chilled (like from a cooler), instead of at room temperature. Curious CatI know I'm a little late to this Shorpy party but.. I have questions! 1) Anonymous Tipster declared Schenley and Old Forrester were previously "the norm" and "not worthy of comment" but I'm afraid I don't understand what norm we're talking about. The habit of giving whiskey for Christmas? Or the types of whiskey ( which I confess are unknown to me )? 2) Is the fruitcake sitting IN the ashtray?? Truthfully if I didn't see the words "ASH TRAY" in the picture I would have thought it was just a fruitcake.. if it is a fruitcake?? Very confused. 3) What is in the box in the center, above the big yellow bow? Can anybody read the label? Lastly I have a message from 1976: 9 year old KathyRo wants you to know there is not enough tinsel on that tree!! Not at all!!! LOL. (ShorpyBlog, Member Gallery, Christmas)
Main Street USA: 1905
... replaced by the clutter of branches ("after" and "before" trees if you will). Today we would offer up a guess of what's in the barrel, ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 01/15/2025 - 12:40am -

Circa 1905. "Central Square -- Keene, New Hampshire." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative (cropped), Detroit Photographic Company. View full size. Two things --Can anyone zoom in and read what it says on the blanket or tarp draped over the horse to the right of the "gaze bow"? And the young woman doing the twirl by the nearby water fountain seems very happy! What an idyllic scene. ShhhCan you imagine how quiet this must have been compared with the street noise of now? There is a lot happening in this picture, but at most we are likely assaulted with only the sound of horse hooves and rustling leaves. I wanna know ...What's in that "slack barrel" on the wagon in the lower left that calls for a groomed horse team and uniformed driver. Their townThe modern scene looks not too different, save for the clutter of wires being replaced by the clutter of branches ("after" and "before" trees if you will). Today we would offer up a guess of what's in the barrel, for it approximates the site of "Creative Ink" (Tattoo Studio). OK, so one thing is pretty different. My Favorite YearThere is something wonderful about your photos from 1905. The cars and modern world have hardly shown up and we still see a glimpse of a forgotten world of horses and wagons and sturdy towns and cities that had no idea they were about to be swept away. This photo is ground level and easier to get lost in compared to so many of the old photos looking down from above. What is your favorite year? Animal CrackersShop at far right. As Groucho might have said, ‘Hurrah for Captain Spaulding!’ Busy townL-R A man who sleeps in his clothes/Nice pair of black horses at rest pulling a full elliptic sprung wagon/ an emancipated woman on a bicycle/ two young women checking out the action under the bandstand/ a horse at the horse fountain wearing the latest in summer clothing/ a matched pair of horses pulling a coupe? Note all the women got the memo: long dark skirts and white blouses DecapitatedKeene still has lots of charm. Comparing the then-and-now views, I was sad to note the five-story, Second Empire building at far right is now only three stories, losing a lot of its charm in the decapitation. Also lost was the dedication plaque above the third-floor chamfered window reading, Bank Block 1870. Today, the upper floors are apartments. In response to robb moffett, my favorite year is now. We have technology and medical advances people in 1905 could not even imagine (like Shorpy). A friend told me that, when he was young and talked about living in the past, his father would always tell him, "Don't go back before penicillin." The Bank Block is still half there (right side).Half of its still there. I wonder why so many buildings are missing their upper stories? Fire, taxes, what? [For the Bank Block, a fire in 1934. - Dave] John McGiver comes to mindAnytime I see one of these quaint structures I hear 'gaze bow' in my head. A perfect scene!and not one reference to Willoughby?!? Pretty good fit to River City, too. Re: My Favorite YearBack in 2014, I made a comment called New York City 1905 about the post Netherland and Savoy: 1905 (www.shorpy.com/node/10401), in which I said: “I don't know that I'd actually want to live back then, but if I could be magically transported to any particular Shorpy year and location I think it would be New York City in 1905. The combination of horse-drawn conveyances, streetcars and automobiles; the women in white blouses and long dark skirts and huge hats; the profusion of striped awnings; the beautiful and varied ornamentation of the architecture; the vibrant street life (accentuated by the movement blurs in these photographs); the spirit of infinite possibility even before the age of modern communications and the internet -- I want to take a vacation to that place and time!” QuaintComplete with a penny weight scale outside the Millinery shop SIX SECONDS OF HISTORYUsed some AI software to animate and colourize this photo. The entire process took less than five minutes. The future is now. [Evidently a shy AI. - Dave] I attached the files, not sure why they're not showing up. Is there another way to upload them? https://www.shorpy.com/node/27632 Re: Favorite yearI second some of the comments below. We need to be careful about looking at the past with rose colored glasses. In general the past was dark, stinky and dangerous. And the farther back you go, the worse it gets. People may have dressed better and had manners, but they didn't bath with the same regularity we do (if they did so at all). Poverty was the normative socio-economic condition. The middle class did not gain true ascendancy until after the First World War. There was little in the form of social safety-net if you were the victim of some misfortune. Racial and religious prejudice was rampant. Women did not even gain the vote until 1920. Most people ate seasonally, refrigeration being a long ways off for ordinary people. Eating out was a treat that most people could only dream of. Electricity and indoor plumbing did not become the norm until well into the 20th century. Health care was frightening by today's standards. Life expectancy was late 40s. It's a bit before this image, but if you want a truly terrifying glimpse at the reality of life in the land of long ago, I would refer you to the New York Tribune December 7, 1847 (pg. 1 column 3 about half way down). There you will find the weekly report on deaths in the City of New York along with causes and ages. And while you are there, take a look at the other news of the day and the adverts, including all of the patent medicines guaranteed to cure you of every illness under the sun. https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn83030213/1847-12-07/ed-1/seq-1... (Panoramas, Bicycles, DPC, Small Towns)
A Summer Place: 1906
... You got your path down to the beach, your baby banana trees, your "shooting positively prohibited" sign - looks like Paradise to me. ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 01/17/2025 - 7:46pm -

Ormond Beach, Florida, circa 1906. "Chaco Chulee, a summer cottage (and 'winter camp') on Santa Lucia Plantation." 8x10 inch glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. What you don't seeThe picture makes the scene look quaint, as a lifelong resident of Florida I can tell you what a photograph cannot. The oppressive heat, the swarms of mosquitoes, the pesky feral hogs, rattlesnakes and scorpions. Florida before air conditioning was pure hell, it's not much better since then either. Just So We're ClearShooting is positively prohibited. Got it. Is bludgeoning okay? Gotta be summerI see clothes on the line to the left of the porch. Not in the house, PleaseYup, sign at the entrance is quite specific, "No Shooting." Looks remarkably similar1886 Santa Lucia Plantation Cottage, built of palm logs. Hugh C. Leighton Company #2293According to Google, Chaco Chulee is best known for its appearance on a collectible postcard published by the Hugh Leighton Company of Portland, Maine. The caption reads: "Chaco Chulee" The House of the Pine Tree. A Winter Camp on Santa Lucia Plantation. Apparently there is a good deal of confusion regarding the location; some postcard dealers have taken the notion that this is somewhere in California or the Caribbean, despite the fact that the other cards in the 229x range all have "Ormond, Fla." in the title. Looks like Florida to me. Scorpions and coral snakes, oh myThis looks so unprotected from the local wildlife. My father was in Florida in 1947 and when he opened his box of shirts fresh from the laundry, a scorpion jumped out. I would be unable to rest in this open abode. Not in summer, thank you very much!I would not have had the courage to make a summer visit on any of Florida's beach communities in the years before mosquito control. They still, on islands like Cayo Costa that feature salt marshes and no mosquito management, will eat you alive. Pre-Bug SprayThis picture makes me itchy. Why all the bellyachingLook at the surroundings: this is semi-arid coastal scrub (sadly, it's almost all gone now), so the mosquito threat is minimal, even in summer. Those leaning pines mean a steady wind off the Atlantic, which would make the heat more than bearable, especially at night. You got your path down to the beach, your baby banana trees, your "shooting positively prohibited" sign - looks like Paradise to me. Of course, that's also prime rattler habitat. Ah, the anesthesthetic balm of old age! Well, I've stayed in meaner digs than these. But a good onshore breeze, while often intolerably humid, cleared out most of the skeeters. Even the ones afraid to carry you home where the 'Big Skeeters' might take you away! Oh, That looks like a 'Honey Bucket', out front. Usually emptied by poor Blacks, these buckets served as an indoor outhouse in most cabins up to the sixties. (The Gallery, DPC, Florida)
Charleston: 1902
... of that carriage. But I do not get the concept of planting trees in the curbs of the street. Is this some special tree with roots that only grow straight down? Charleston Trees If you will notice, the trees in the foreground are much older than ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/20/2012 - 1:39pm -

Charleston, South Carolina, circa 1902. "Residence on Hasell Street." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. A Tree Grows in CharlestonI get it that the wooden ramp is to take your carriage out to the street, and the blocks on either side of that ramp are mounting blocks, to help you step in or out of that carriage. But I do not get the concept of planting trees in the curbs of the street. Is this some special tree with roots that only grow straight down? Charleston TreesIf you will notice, the trees in the foreground are much older than the trees near the intersection. It appears that when the trees were first planted, there was a median between the sidewalk and the cobbled street (note the vertical cobbles). People were thinking "Green" before it became fashionable, after Al Gore invented the internet and global warming. Trees in the StreetI think they figured they wanted shade trees. They didn't want them in the middle of the street and they didn't want them in the middle of the sidewalk. The curb was a compromise location. So you aren't likely to bump into a tree...Perhaps the older trees were there before the sidewalk, and the latter created to accommodate the former. New trees would then be placed in line with the old. I dob't think the nature of the roots was a determining factor. Turnbuckle Stars!I love turnbuckle stars! Single HousesThis street has many fine examples of a residential style unique to Charleston, the single house -- one room deep with two-story porch ("piazza") on the side that catches the prevailing breeze. You enter through the piazza, not directly from the street. Single houses were built in Charleston from the second half of the 18th century through the end of the 19th, and devotees of New Urbanism are building new ones today. Charleston architectureHope I'm not telling everyone things they already know here: The single house style previously mentioned is a feature I love down here (I live right outside Charleston). Property owners used to be taxed according to how much of their house lined the street--the more house footage on the street, the higher the taxes. To beat the system, they started building houses one-room deep on the street. The result is streets full of narrow, deep houses which seem almost set on their side. Those turnbuckle stars are actually the end of bolts that run all the way through the house from one side to the other. Charleston has frequent mini-tremors, and those bolts are designed to help keep the houses from falling apart. They were also used for added support during hurricanes and other storms. I don't know if turnbuckle stars are always used for those purposes, but down here that's why they show up in many buildings. [They were generally used to keep brick facades from bulging out and separating from the frame of a building. There are many to be seen in our Washington, D.C., photos. - Dave] Charleston's Single HomesI was born just north of Charleston, and I remember my parents telling me that back in the day houses in Charleston were taxed based on "road frontage" and the number of rooms. Consequently, homes were built with the "front" facing the house next door, as narrow as comfortably possible, and without closets. Folks had furniture - wardrobe closets or armoires instead of closets in the bedrooms instead. SerendipityBetween many of the beautiful Charleston homes are equally impressive courtyards and many secluded alleys with ferns and moss-covered walls, along with an abundance of hostas and other plants. Most alleyways are public thoroughfares and offer a welcome reprieve from summer heat, as well as affording a moment of quiet for meditation or romance. I always treasure evening walks around Charleston in the spring and fall. No wonder so many people who come to visit Charleston end up moving here. +10839 and 41 Hasell (pronounced "HAZEL") Street are still there and in great shape (as are many of the other homes on the street). They're located just east of Anson Street on the south side. Below is a similar (not identical but close) perspective from May of 2010. Turnbuckles I live in Charleston and love history facts like this. These were part of what were called earthquake bolts. Since the 7.2 earthquake of 1886 damaged approx. 90 percent of the structures in and around Charleston, these were designed in rebuilt homes to hopefully hold the building and walls together in the case of another quake. Many areas of Charleston are on fill land so that does not help either for some houses in certain areas.These go from one end of the house to the other and There are decorative ends like these stars and some are just plain round or square metal plates. Thankfully they have not had to be tested. As for Taxes way back then, Charleston also had a "door tax". Many of the older houses have huge windows that were almost floor to ceiling. In some of the main rooms, you could lift up the bottom part of the window and it would also serve as a door. Since it was not technically a "door" it was not taxable. It also served and good ventilation on hot summer days. TreesThe trees were likely planted before the street was paved. The sidewalks in Charleston were often paved so that people could walk without getting muddy, before the streets were paved. Trees for shade were planted in the street and when the street was paved, the trees were left in place. (The Gallery, Charleston, DPC, W.H. Jackson)
Black Tie: 1943
... that simple pleasure away from us. Rotten. Save the trees! Now they make them out of concrete! Smells like ... Progress! ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/29/2024 - 9:58pm -

March 1943. Albuquerque, New Mexico. "At the Santa Fe R.R. tie plant. The ties made of pine and fir, are seasoned for eight months. The steaming black ties have just come from the retort, where they have been impregnated with creosote for eight hours." 4x5 Kodachrome transparency by Jack Delano. View full size. StinkytownMy wife grew up on Terre Haute, Indiana, where they had a creosote factory that made railroad ties. Some days we could smell Terre Haute seven miles east on I-70 before we got there. I can only imagine how nasty it would be to work with the chemical. If you believe Google MapsActo the address given in the various SuperFund papers this is in the vicinity of the current autorack terminal, but there s a lot of empty land there. Concrete ties are used in high-speed service and in some nasty places where wood ties don't last long, but for the most part creosote-treated ties are what get set under almost all freight rail in the USA. So if you want to know what creosote smells like, the trackside is the place to go. Unless you like sniffing telephone poles. My old jobI had a summer job unloading those creosote-infused railroad ties. That was a nasty, nasty job. The ties are very hot and creosote vapors burn, so you have to cover all exposed skin with calamine lotion. But it’s the middle of summer and it’s hot, so anywhere your sweat lands on you, it washes away the calamine, and you get a burn. Not a happy summer. Donkey EngineThe small shed in the center of the photo appears to house a steam "donkey", a steam-operated winch, used to pull the narrow-gauge tie cars in and out of the various sidings. The two men in the center seem to be wrangling the donkey cable, and the large round objects on the ground near them are probably large pulleys, used for changing the direction of travel of the cable. Black Tie, forsoothI know I've said it before, but I'll say it again: the only thing better than these excellent photos is the delicious titles you come up with for them. This level of cleverness is a sort of high-wire act and I constantly marvel at your surefootedness way up there ... Creosote steaming!I wouldn't like walking there in the clouds of creosote! Anyway, this is an interesting photo. Thanks for sharing it here! Railyard ParkIs this the area that's now Railyard Park? Definitely interesting to see what it looked like back in the day. If toothpicks were dollarsthis would just about cover the national debt. I lovethe smell of creosote in the morning! Not surprisinglyThis became a Superfund site. It's just south of the GE aircraft engine plant. Air QualityI'm trying to imagine how pungent those aromas would have been. Like Cookies from the OvenMmmm the smell of creosote. I used to buy it at the hardware for dippin' the bottom of fence posts. Not for sale to the general public anymore. The environmentalists took that simple pleasure away from us. Rotten. Save the trees!Now they make them out of concrete! Smells like ... Progress!There are still a few historic rail lines where you can immerse yourself in that old-time railroad smell. The Colorado narrow gauge lines, like Durango & Silverton, Cumbres & Toltec Scenic, and the Georgetown Loop come to mind. Ahhh, the heady perfume of coal smoke, hot grease, and of course, creosote. Train SmellAlways loved the smell of the old railways. Of course, the old telephone poles smelled the same on a hot summer day. The only place to really immerse yourself in the scent is a railway museum. The Museum of Science and Technology here has a big room filled with cars and engines. When I worked there, it was my job to dust these babies. The job was a pleasure only because of the smell of trains. Smells not unlike my car does, at the moment, because of a slipped brake pad. Where's Godzilla?You'll need him when those caterpillars hatch! Blue puddlesI work as a trackman for a Northeastern railroad. We still put in wooden ties all the time. Creosote is a real nasty little chemical that not only burns, but causes a slipping hazard as it will ooze out of the tie in high heat and will make the wood feel like a newly waxed floor. And if it rained the day before, look out for those nasty little blue puddles all over the place. Note the narrow gaugeThe creosote trains, center and right foreground and middleground, are running on narrow gauge track, while the flat cars on the left and the gondolas and crane (right background) are on standard gauge track. Hard to tell, but the narrow gauge could be 3 feet, possibly less (30 inches?). It doesn't look like there is any dual-gauge trackage in the photo, but this was not uncommon in industrial settings such as steel mills. The superb quality of the photograph (view full size!) is cause yet again to lament the demise of Kodachrome, the finest color transparency film ever produced, bar none. Although K-chrome in cut film sizes such as 4x5 had not been produced for many years, 35mm size was made right up to the end of production in 2009. It is missed by all serious film photographers. Kodachrome images, properly stored, will still be vivid and true a hundred years from now. I wouldn't bet a nickel on anything digital lasting one-tenth as long. [Nonsense. - Dave] (The Gallery, Kodachromes, Albuquerque, Jack Delano, Railroads)
Our Lady of Lourdes: 1914
... shown in the photo. As for changes — there are trees on the block now, and the cornice has been removed from Our Lady of ... today via Google Maps indicates that, other than a few trees, fire hydrants, automobiles and removal of the statue, everything is ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 12/13/2022 - 12:33pm -

        A newly restored version of a Shorpy favorite that has collected three pages of comments since it was first posted in 2007 -- The caption for this one just says "Post Office." Thanks to our commenters we now know that the building with the statue is the Our Lady of Lourdes School at 468 W. 143rd Street in New York circa 1914. 8x10 glass negative, Bain News Service. View full size | The school in 2007. Post office?Looks like a Catholic school, actually. This is just a wild-a**ed guess, but St. Jean Baptiste on East 75th? This would coincide with the warehouse cart on the left (sort of). Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic SchoolThis is Our Lady of Lourdes School in New York City on 143rd Street between Amsterdam Avenue and Convent Avenue. The school was built in 1913 in Washington Heights, an exclusively white, upper middle-class neighborhood. It was built and equipped at a total cost of one hundred and forty thousand dollars. Besides classrooms for five hundred pupils, the building contained an auditorium with a stage lavishly equipped for theatrical productions, a gymnasium, a roof-top playground, an assembly room for parish organizations, rooms for classes in cooking and sewing, and offices for the school officials. The associated church (Our Lady of Lourdes) is located directly behind the school on the next block, 142nd Street. Yes...Which is the Post Office? The large building in the center must be a Catholic School, what with a saint on the roof and all. As for the location, I have no clue. Post OfficeWhich building is the Post Office? post officeBuilding with street level entrance and flags would be my likely guess. Today...Google Street View. It's always interesting to see NYC in the early years, and how it's changed. Our Lady of LourdesI attended this school for eight years in the 1950s. The lower grades entered by one door and the higher grades used the other. City College frat houses faced the school. Recess was on the street out front. We didn't have any cooking or sewing classes, no classrooms equipped for that. There wasn't any gym. We weren't allowed to go up on the roof and there wasn't an assembly room. We did have a annual spring play using the stage and we had a Christmas concert. There was a way into the church from the back of the school. The nuns that taught there were called Society of the Holy Child. Father Kline was one of the priests and Mother Mary Edward taught there. A good school, good memories. Johnny PumpThat fire hydrant probably was installed in the late 1880s. Was born and bred in NYC and traversed all five boroughs many many times, but NEVER laid eyes on a johnny pump like that. Every boy who ever grew up in "The City" is instinctively drawn to hop over as many hydrants as possible. However that one is a KILLER. Our Lady of LourdesI attended OLL from 1933 to 1941. The lower grades kindergarten to fourth were taught by the Ursuline Order of Sisters. The upper grades fifth to eighth were taught by the Sisters of the Holy Child. The school was funded and guided by the priests of the adjoining OLL Church. We were there to learn,to pray: no play, no library, no lunch room, no outside activities. It was not an easy life for children of poor families during this Great Depression Era. I often cried and asked God to help me through the day, the year. I know I received a very good education but not a happy one. There were nuns I would have died for, however there were many that should not have been allowed to teach children. The Church and school were founded by Monsignor Thomas McMann. There is a bust of the good priest near the entrance to the upper church. In the 1930s we were allowed on the roof for various activities. The term "very stern " comes to mind. The statue is Our Lady of Lourdes, similar to the statue in the grotto in the lower church on 142nd Street. It was removed a few years ago as it decayed and was ready to fall off the roof. Convent AvenueThis photo faces east, and the townhouses in the background are along the east side of Convent Avenue. All of them still stand, most are in superb condition. This is the finest real estate in Harlem; a house across the street sold for $3.89 million about 18 months ago. Here is a listing for a house a few doors down from the ones seen here: http://tinyurl.com/2396kb Note the terraces on two of the buildings -- those are stunning and almost never seen in New York. Does anyone remember anDoes anyone remember an Irish nun by the name of Sister Gerard? She was one of the Ursula ? nuns at the Our Lady of Lourdes in Manhatten. She emigrated about 1910, so am not sure anyone would remember her... Is there a cemetery associated with Our Lady of Lourdes? Upper and Lower ChurchCan you tell me if the Upper and Grotto Church still exists and do they have mass on Saturdays and Sundays? I lived 2 streets away a long time ago and would like to see the old neighborshood. I have never forgotten the Grotto. It's so unique. Would like to share it with my spouse. Or maybe I can speak with someone in the convent. Are the nuns still there? Thank you. Diana Gosciniak Our Lady of LourdesI also went there in the 1950's. The nuns were very dedicated to teaching. Our religion was the major reason they and all of us were there. The grotto was under the main stairs and confession was held downstairs at 4 pm on Saturday. The children's Mass was at 9 am on Sunday, a High Mass in Latin. The doors of the main church came from old St. Patrick's downtown in Little Italy. The sisters made sure that the majority of 8th grade students got into Catholic high school. A lot of the girls went to Cathedral H.S. and the boys went to Cardinal Hayes. The church was around the corner with a connection to the back of the school. The convent was right next door to the church and the rectory was across the street. Once in a while we were invited to go to the convent on a Saturday to see the nuns. The neighborhood was pretty good, all kind of stores that tolerated all of us kids. It was nice going there for eight years. Fond memories. O.L.L. Upper and lower churchYes, the upper church is still active with most Masses in Spanish. The lower church {the Grotto) is not used. However the statue of the Blessed Mother is still on view. The sisters left about 10 years ago. I visited the school and was told the Church no longer had any say in its operation. When did you attend? I was there from 1933 to 1940. J Woods Theatrical productions?Oh, how I wish I had your recall. However, I did attend O.L.L. from 1933 through 1940. Yes, the stage was used - but with limited equipment. I never saw or played on a rooftop playground. There was no gymnasium. The seats in the auditorium were moved to the side for military drilling by boys from grades 5 to 8 once a week. The girls exercised in a nearby room. The children in the lower grades had no physical training. I don't remember an assembly room for any parish organizations. Family members were not encouraged to come to the school except on Graduation Day or if the student had a serious problem that required a meeting with the principal and/or a parish priest. I must say we all received a very good education and were farther ahead in our studies than the Public School kids. Yours truly and in friendship, Jackie Woods OLL NeighborhoodI lived on Amsterdam Ave for 16 years. Where did you live? When did you attend OLL School? The few friends I had from the old days have passed on. I answered your other message; The Nuns left about 15 years ago. You need to have someone open the lower church to visit there. The Blessed Mother's Statue is still located in the Grotto but masses are no longer read there. Regards and in friendship. Jackie Woods Our Lady of Lourdes, 2008I had a chance to stop by West 143rd street and take a snapshot today. The cornerstone is dated 1912. As you can see, every building shown in the "1914" photograph is extant and all are in excellent condition. There is even a fire hydrant in the same location as the fire hydrant shown in the photo. As for changes — there are trees on the block now, and the cornice has been removed from Our Lady of Lourdes, as has the statue of the saint. And, of course, as with all modern photos taken in New York, it is full of automobiles. (Click to enlarge) The reddish sign on the left side of the street, behind the motorcycle, identifies this block as part of the Hamilton Heights Historical District (Hamilton Grange is only a few blocks away). Today was garbage day, so a distracting pile of trash sits in the foreground, sorry about that. Our Lady of LourdesCentral Harlem, did you attend Our Lady of Lourdes? If so what years? Thanks for the picture Jackie Woods Our Lady of LourdesI attended an Episcopalian school. I contributed that photo because of my joy in Harlem history, not any tie to this school in particular. Last weekend, I found a photograph of this block dating to 1908! All the buildings looked the same except for OLL, which was then an empty lot. Perhaps Team Shorpy can enlighten me -- would it be compliant with copyright law for me to scan and post it? [Is there a copyright notice on it? If it was copyrighted before 1923, the copyright has expired. - Dave] Our Lady of LourdesThank you for your latest information, Central Harlem. Where was your school located? Did you live nearby? I'm 80 years old going on 81 and all I have are my memories (mostly fond). And my memory is outstanding. I was hoping to hear from anyone who attended OLL with me. By the way, the folks on Amsterdam Avenue always envied the folks on Convent Avenue, always a beautiful clean street. (Today we would say "upscale.") Three of my children were born in The Lutheran Hospital of Manhattan on 144th off Convent. I had moved to upper Washington Heights by then but my doctor was still working out of there. Thank you and in friendship, Jackie Woods Our Lady of Lourdes, 1909I had a chance to scan the old photo I found of this block. It dates to 1909, not 1908 as I had first said. Every building seen in this photo remains, though some of the lots on the right-hand side of 143rd street were empty in 1909, including the lot that would house Our Lady of Lourdes three years later. Anticipating the interest of Shorpy's crew of automotive experts, I provide a closeup of that car on Amsterdam Avenue, below. Also, a note to Jackie Woods: we're of different generations. It is good to exchange notes here, but I'm sure we've never met. Our Lady of Lourdes SchoolWhat wonderful memories of days past. I attended OLL from 1943 and graduated in 1951. One of five brothers to do so. You may have known my older brothers, Larry, Dick or Bill. We lived in that apartment building at the end of the street on the OLL side. That was the location of Alexander Hamilton's house, Hamilton Grange. When it was built, it forced the move to its present location behind the church. It will be moved again to the SE corner of Convent and 141st Street. You also mentioned Lutheran Hospital. It wasn't so great for our family. My brother Dick was taken there after being hit by a car. While recovering, he contracted rheumatic fever in the hospital and later died at New York Hospital. We also lived at 310 Convent Avenue because my mother's family, the Healys, lived on 141st Street. If you have any other questions, ask away. I'm still in contact with several classmates and between us, we should be able to answer. "Thanks for the Memories" Bob Phillips OLL graduatesHi, Yes, I do remember a Phillips family. The boys or boy were in a higher grade with one of my brothers. As you can see, I had already left OLL when you started there. I am pleased you have good memories of your early years. Unfortunately, mine are mixed. An incident: a bunch of us, about 12 years old at the time, were fooling around and one of the boys fell out of a tree and broke his arm. We carried him to Lutheran Hospital They wouldn't let us in the front door. Told us to take him to Knickerbocker Hospital near 131st Street, and so we did. Today, I ask why no first aid was administered or an ambulance called. However, I have nothing but good words about the hospital in later years. I was sorry to hear about brother RIP Regards and in friendship, Jackie Woods PS My oldest sister, Ellen, class of 1936 Won scholorship to Holy Child Academy My older brother William (Billy), Class of 1937, won a scholarship to Regis High. MemoriesI graduated from OLL in 1973 and it is so wonderful to see a website with the School and the information that it offers. I too wondered about the Masses in the lower church. The grotto was always so beautiful and special. I have lived in Florida since 1986 and hope to make a trip to NYC just to visit the old school. Thanks again for bringing a smile to my face today. God bless. OLL MemoriesHi. I attended OLL from grades K to 5. I have the most beautiful memories of my childhood there. I loved the nuns. I can't believe how time has gone so fast. If anyone remembers me or remembers Sister Mary Owen or Ms. Valentine or the gym instructor George Izquierdo. I am talking about late 1960's, early 70's. Please contact me. Are the sisters still there? I went to visit Sister Mary Owen a couple of years ago. She wasn't wearing her habit any more. Those were good old days. I was so mischievous, always getting into trouble. Oh my God. I had the best early education there, never will I forget. I love history and I love these pictures that were posted up above, everything looks the same. Thanks! My family still lives up in Washington Heights. Our Lady of Lourdes School and ChurchAnd a HI to you, The good sisters left about ten years ago. You can reach the school online, it has a Web site. The school is no longer under the supervision of the Church. If you look over the rest of this page you will see that I have answered a number of postings that may be of interest to you. "Memories are made of this." In friendship, Jackie Woods OLL AlumniHello OLL'ers Head over to the OLL website www.ourladyoflourdesschool.net There's an alumni page where you can send your information and be put on the mailing list. OLLCould not connect with your e-mail: kbarkley@ourladyoflourdesschool.net Would you please check it. When did you attend OLL? I gave my information previously on bottom of page. Look forward to hearing from you. In friendship, Jackie woods To Jackie WoodsI knew Dennis before the war, and graduated OLL in 1937. My sister Marie graduated in 1936 and received a scholarship to Holy Name. Finding your web site after all these years is a small miracle. I'm sorry to say Marie, such a special person, passed away in 1977. Andrew, a 1943 or 44 graduate, died in 2000. I did not marry till 1985, had a daughter in 86. My wife Alice and I celebrated our daughter Colleen's wedding Nov. 24, 2007. I hope this proves I was not as bad as the sisters believed. They wanted so to see me go that they created the first coed class and skipped me from 6th to 8th grade. Yes we marched on the roof, auditorium, basement and in far away competition. I believe we had a West Point officer, but not certain. I just hope that life was as rewarding to all OLL graduates as I. God bless. John Orlando Wideawake80@verizon.net OLL, late 1950s and early 60sDon't know how I found this website, but so glad that I did. I graduated OLL in June 1961. The nuns are my most vivid memories of the school. The spring and Christmas plays that were held each year. Recess outside during lunchtime. Walking to school each day and spending the few pennies we had to buy candy at the store on Amsterdam Avenue, and the bicycle store there where we rented bikes on Saturday afternoons. Going to confession every Saturday down in the grotto. Checking the Legion of Decency list for movie listings. Learning to sing the Mass in Latin for every Sunday High Mass and, most important, the foundation the nuns gave us for our religion that is still strong to this day. A few years ago, we drove from Jersey up to the old place and convent still looked pretty good. Can someone please explain about not being under the archdiocese any longer. Thanks again. Lutheran HospitalI found this link when looking for the Lutheran Hospital. Very interesting information. I am researching my family history and found out this hospital is where my great grandfather passed away. Thinking that there may be additional information on the records, I searched for the hospital but have not been able to find any recent reference to it. Has the Hospital been closed? Can anybody give me some background information? I will certainly appreciate it, Anne [You might try the Archives search box on the New York Times Web site. Lutheran Hospital of Manhattan, at 343 Convent Avenue, merged with Norwegian Lutheran Deaconess Hospital in 1956 to form Our Saviour's Lutheran Hospital at the Norwegian Hospital facility on 46th Street and Fourth Avenue in Brooklyn. It's now called Lutheran Medical Center. - Dave] Lutheran HospitalHello Anne, Yes, I know Lutheran Hospital. My three oldest boys were born there: 1951: 1952: 1954. My brother-in-law's father died there c. 1937. When I last passed by the neighborhood, three years ago, I saw that the hospital had been converted to an assisted living facility. The neighborhood is looking great - real upscale. The brownstones that one could buy in the 1930s for a song are now selling for well over a million dollars. In the 1930s they were empty, thanks to the banks that foreclosed during the Depression. As kids we ran through them and at one time had a clubhouse inside one. In friendship, Jackie Woods Lutheran HospitalThanks you both, Dave and Jackie, for your responses. I will follow the advice and hope to be able to pass soon by the neighborhood. Anne OLL MemoriesHi Henry, I too remember Sister Mary Owen, my brother David Mora had her and she was really strict. We keep in touch with George Izquierdo and he is doing great. Sister Rosemarie passed away. I try to stay in touch with O.L.L. It was really a happy time in my childhood and the happy memories will always be a part of my life. Maxine Mora Lutheran Hospital of ManhattanLooking for pictures of the Hospital. I was born in 1940 in the facility and would like to see what it looked like in that era--anyone have a picture? Dad Was an AlumnusHello Jackie, I am curious to see if you know my father, Frank Corrigan, who was born in 1926, which would make him 82 this August. I think he was in the Class of 1941. I am also curious to see if you have any contact or info on Alfred Pereira or his sister Clara Pereira Mercado. Any help would be appreciated. Stephen Corrigan Please email me when you get a chance, stephenjcorrigan@aol.com. Frank CorriganYes, I knew Frank Corrigan, Class of 1940, not 1941, he was closer to my brother Dennis than me, I was a year younger. Didn't Frank have a younger very pretty sister? I last saw Frank c. 1968 in the upper Washington Heights area where many of the families from OLL had moved to from the 140th streets. I knew Pancho Pereira (the name Alfred does not ring a bell) and Clara, his younger sister. His little brother JoJo was killed in Korea. Pancho had a birthmark: strands of very white hair in the front of his head of very black hair. They were wonderful good people. Pancho was good friends with Jackie Koster, whose sister Barbara married Burl Ives in Hollywood and lived happily everafter. In friendship, Ed and Jackie Woods eandjwoods50@yahoo.com Vacant Houses in Hamilton HeightsI thought we were the only ones that got into those empty houses. Afternoons we'd go in through a back window to study and do our homework. We didn't break anything, and at our age we always wondered why the houses were vacant. The Depression angle we didn't figure out until later. Tom Calumet and Frank Howe went with me. I understand Frank has died and Tom Calumet left NYC around 1945 to go out west with his parents. I graduated from OLL in 1941, and now live in Hopkins, MN OLL MemoriesI graduated in 1960. There were about 10 of us cousins who graduated between 1955 and 1960. I remember Father Cline, Fr. Malloy, Monsignor Hart, Mother Bonaventure, Mother Dominica and others. Does anyone remember the day the frat boys across the street pushed the dummy out the window during our recess? I can almost taste the corn muffins and egg creams at the soda fountain around the corner on Amsterdam Avenue while "Barbara Ann" played on the jukebox. OLL PhotoI have a great a picture of my Confirmation Day. I'm in full OLL uniform dated c. May 1935. How can I send it to the OLL Shorpy site? Yours truly, Ed Woods [Click the links under "Become a member, contribute photos." - Dave] Frat boys 0, Mother Mary Edward 10I sure do remember that day. Mother Mary Edward marched over and blasted them. Also the candy store around the corner used to sell two-cent pumpkin seeds out of a little red box. Does anyone remember the rumor going around that the Grotto Chapel was haunted? I remember walking home with "Little Star" playing on the transistor radio. The OLL GrottoI remember serving at what was called the Workmen's Mass in the Grotto in the 1930s - 6 o'clock in the morning! I know the Grotto is not used any more (I visited there in December 2007). As to the candy store on the corner of 143rd and Amsterdam, it was a very busy place: candy, pen nibs (no fountain pens), book covers etc. One day the owner came to school and told Sister Casmere, the principal, that we were disorderly and she must tell the students to behave when shopping in his store. Her solution was to tell the entire student body that they were not allowed to shop there. In a day or so, the man was back begging forgiveness and asked to plaese allow the children to return to his store. The kids were his main business. HelloHi Maxine How are you? Thank you for responding to me. It was very nice to hear from you. Sorry to hear about Sister Rosemary, but I don't remember her was she the pricipal of the school. I do remember Mr. Izquierdo he was the gym instructor with another man don't recall his name I believe he became principal of the school later on. Oh! now I remember his name was Mr. White I believe. God trying to recall, it is getting a little difficult now a days but I like it. It brings me back in time. How time have changed it was so innocent back than not like now. Looking back in time, makes me feel like I grew up to fast. How is Mr. Izquierdo doing? How can I contact him? Please let me know. My e-mail address is Je_Ocejo@yahoo.com. I remember he got married back than to a girl name Rocio, I don't know if they are still together but that lady was my father's friend daughter. Who else do you remember. Please get back to me with pictures. I have pictures too. Let me know how can I e-mail them to you. Would you believe that we are talking about almost atleast 35 years ago but I don't forget. God Bless you. Henry OLLBob, Any recollections of my father, Frank Corrigan, Class of 1940? Maybe not yourself but some of your older brothers. Steve Corrigan More OLL MemoriesI graduated in 1937 and was probably a fellow graduate of a brother. I had skipped 7th grade and so did not get to know classmates well. It is possible that the Waters family lived across the alley on the second floor of the building on 142nd Street. We lived on the top floor of the next building on Hamilton Place. In the same building lived Buddy Sweeney and Sal Guizzardi, also a tall blond kid who graduated with me. I believe your mother and my mom, Agnes Orlando, were friends. I believe your mother visited mine in 1952-3 in our new home in Bergenfield, N.J. I remember a sister who must have graduated with me or my sister Marie Orlando in 1936. My brother Andrew graduated 1947. My mother, brother and sister have passed away. I remember Poncho, the Kosta family, the Madigans, Woodses, Rendeans, Glyforces, McCarvils, Walshes, Philipses, Flynns, Duggans, Hooks, Rodriquezes, Craigs, Hugheses, Conways etc. I am sure we had many things in common being OLL graduates at a very special interval of time. I wish you well in your very beautiful state which I have passed through on three occasions. Best wishes and fond memories. John and Alice Orlando OLLLot older than you. Attended OLL from late 1930s to early 40s. Baptized, first Holy Communion and Confirmation (Cardinal Spellman). Lived at 145 and the Drive. Remember principal when I was there, Mother Mary Margaret. First grade teacher was Mother Mary Andrews. Remember playing on roof and being shocked by Mother Mary Andrews jumping rope. Believe there was a Father Dolan around that that time. Only went to through the 3rd grade there and then moved to 75th St and the Blessed Sacrament -- a whole different world, and not as kind or caring. Memories of OldHi Henry. You may not remember me but I also taught gym with George and sometimes Ms. Ortiz. George is with the Department of Education on the East Side. I work for the Bloomberg Administration. Sister Mary Owen has moved to Rye and of course all the nuns are now gone. I left in 1996 but I still miss all of the good times shared during my years there. Memories Are GoodHello, You taught me gym and we also had alot of good times with the High School Club on Friday nights. I have most painful memories of O.L.L the day Msgr. Cahill passed away. I never knew how much a heart could have so much pain and yet go on. My dad died on 4-29-96, Max Mora and I felt the same pain all over again. Do you know where Mother John Fisher has gone ... her name had changed to Sister Maryanne. I would love to hear from you. Maxine Mora Hi HenryMy email address is mmorafredericks@aol.com. I have yours and I am so happy to be in contact with you I graduated in 1973. I went to Cathedral High School. Later moved to Florida. My brothers and sisters are still in NY and I miss so much of it. I look forward to catching up with you. I will write soon. God Bless. Maxine Fellow ClassmateHi Tony, It has been more than 48 years since I last saw you - at our graduation from OLL in 1960. Let me know what you have been up to in the past half century. My e-mail address is kmckenna@clarku.edu. Kevin LTNSMr. White! Not sure if you still come to this site, but on the off chance that you still visit i thought i would write. It's been so long since I've seen or heard from you, not since "Len Fong" closed. For all others that may still come by this site, I graduated in 1983 (possibly 82). Would love to hear from a blast from the past. Please email me at kellyw88@gmail.com John McKennaHi Kevin, Any chance you are related to the McKenna family? John McKenna, Class of 1941 Your name sure rings a bell, however there must be 20 years difference between us. Have a healthy and happy 2009 In friendship, Ed Woods John McKennaHi Ed, I'm afraid that I'm not related to John McKenna. My brothers, Donald and Desmond, graduated from Our Lady of Lourdes in the fifties. I wasn't aware of another McKenna family in the parish when I was at OLL. Happy and healthy 2009 to you as well, Ed. Cheers, Kevin McKenna FamilyThe John McKenna family I knew lived on the northeast corner of Hamilton Place and 141st street. I had other friends and schoolmates in that building. Thinking back, you probably had to be an Irish Catholic to live there. Whatever, I think you had to be an Irish Catholic to attend OLL. I never knew any others at that time, the 1930s. Most fathers worked for the subway and trolley systems or at the milk delivery companies along 125th Street near the river. Those were the days, my friend. Innocence prevailed! In friendship, Ed and Jackie Woods The Mc KennasJim McKenna and his younger brother Tommy lived in that house above Grizzardi's grocery. Tom hung around with Marty the Hanger Phipher and the Warriors. Billy Vahey and his brother Eddie who retired as a Lieutenant in the NYPD lived there also. Their mother was still there in the early 80s. You probably knew the Schadack family, who I believe owned Schrafft's or Donald York. I think the building was 644 West 145 St. It was the first apartment house in the city to have a self-service elevator. When we lived there the neighborhood was known as Washington Heights. For some reason it's now referred to as Hamilton Heights. A couple of great web sites -- Forgotten NY and Bridge and Tunnel Club. You can spend hours & hours on Rockaway Beach alone. Lots of good memories! How about the movie theaters -- the Delmar, the RKO Hamilton, the Dorset, the Loews Rio, the Loews 175 (now the Rev. Ikes Church) and all the theaters along 180th Street? Hamilton HeightsNorm, Many thanks for your fine memories of our old neighborhood but there are a few minor corrections I have to make. The first is the name Shadack family. I believe the correct spelling is Shattuck and his address was 676 Riverside Drive on the corner of 145th Street. We lived there and my brother Bill was classmates with Gene Shattuck. No relation to the Schrafft's empire. Secondly, Hamilton Heights was always known as such. Outsiders didn't know where that was so we usually said Washington Heights for simplicity. Washington Heights doesn't really start until 157th Street and is separated from Hamilton Heights by the Audubon plot. The Old NeighborhoodAlex Hamilton lived nearby. There was a very pleasant young man (OLL Class of 1941) named Eugene Shattuck who lived near 145th Street and Riverside Drive. His father was a professor at Manhattan College and his family owned the Schrafft's Restaurants. I fondly recall Eugene having the wonderful hourglass-shaped bottles of hard Schrafft's candy brought to school and distributing one bottle to each of his classmates at Christmas time. Needless to say, the poor Amsterdam Avenue kids were in awe of one who could afford to do such a good deed. You mention the Warriors, I knew the (Gang) but not any of the names mentioned here on Shorpy. In friendship, Ed and Jackie Woods P.S. My in-laws the Boyd family lived at 676 Riverside Drive. Les Sr. had a radio repair shop on 145th and Broadway. 676 Riverside DriveI lived at 676 as well. The family's name was Shattuck. In my day, many, many years ago, the elevator had an operator. A sweet man in full uniform. There was a doorman as well. Saw the building years later and was appalled at the change. Then went up to OLL and hardly recognized it. It was the best school I ever went to. Thank you for reminding me of the fun. And yes, of the education I got there. By the way, 676 on the Drive was called the Deerfield. OLL StudentsI am researching my family history and I came upon this great site. In 1930 my grandparents Michael and Marie Murphy were living at 1744 Amsterdam Avenue and later in the 1930s at 115 Hamilton Place. All of the Murphy children attended Our Lady of Lourdes School. They were: Maurice (born 1916) Rita (born 1917/ my Mother) John (born 1918) Theresa (born 1920) Vincent (born 1922) Veronica (born 1925) My mom had such fond memories of her time spent there. Rita Harmon Bianchetto Hi Neighbor!!Hi Rita, I'm a former resident of 676 Riverside. My family lived there from 1940 to 1960 in apartment 4A. Bobby Foy lived next door to us. I think you may have left just after we arrived since I remember the elevator operator. The change to automatic was somtime during or just after WWII. I remember they put up this 10 foot wall with a door to limit access to the building. Fat lot of good that did us as my mother was robbed in broad daylight in the service chamber of our apartment in 1960. That's when my Dad had us pack up and leave for a secure location in the Bronx. Anyway, the apartment was great. We had a balcony looking over 145th Street and the river. My brothers were Larry Jr., Bill and Nick. Bill was a good friend to Gene Shattuck and went to Xavier with him. Nick and I also went there. Larry had a scholarship to All Hallows. Judy, can you tell me your last name and if you knew me. Hope to hear from you. Bob Phillips at bobbyphilly@msn.com Your DadSorry Steve, I graduated in 1947 and my three brothers have died. But the name Corrigan does ring a bell. Probably from my brother Larry who knew just about everyone in OLL. Sorry I couldn't help out but it was great hearing from you. Bob Phillips Andrew.Yes, I remember your brother Andrew. We were in the same class and we used to kid him about his name - Andrew Orlando and how tall he was. What's he doing these days? Bob Phillips Those were the days, my friendsHello Rita, I remember the name Murphy but not the faces. We lived a block south of you at 1704 Amsterdam. My sister Ellen, Class of 1936, and brother Bill, Class of 1937, would have known your family. We had many friends on Hamilton Place, the Koster family for one: Anita, Class of 1936, her younger sister Barbara married Burl Ives, and her other sister Mary Lou married Eddie Byrne (1710 Amsterdam). Ed's sister married Chump Greeny -- killed at Anzio Beach. He must have lived near your family. My brother in law Les Boyd lived in the Deerfield and had an electric appliance store on the corner of 145th and B'way and a sporting goods store on the next block next to the Chinese restaurant. In friendship, Ed and Jackie Woods Hello RitaHello Rita, I attended St. Catherine's Academy on 151st between B'way and Amsterdam (It cost my dear old dad $10 a month for what was considered a private school.) I graduated in 1943 in a class of only four girls. I then went to the Sacred Heart of Mary Academy in Inwood (I had to climb the long steps up from B'way every day for four years -- Class of 1947. Most of my relatives went to OLL as did my husband of 59 years, Ed Woods. We are still alive, kicking and fighting and making up every day. In my Class of 1943, one of the girls was Ann Murphy -- any relation? Also a Virginia O'Malley and my best friend, June McAvoy, who keeps in touch with me. June's grandfather was Judge McAvoy, who had died by that time. I loved when my folks took me to McGuire's Bar and Restaurant on B'way and 155th. Oh that Roast Lamb (Irish style) on a Sunday or a holiday. The girls used to go to Nuestra Senora de Esperanza (Our Lady of Hope) next to the museum complex. We were told not to go there for confession, but the Spanish priests were limited in English. Thinking back we had but little to confess at that time. Eddie and I had an apartment on 150th near the Drive for a few years until 1956, then it was off to Long Island to raise our six children. In friendship and love hearing from you, Ed and Jackie Woods The MurphysHi Ed and Jackie, Thanks so very much for your reply. I wish my mom was still with us but she died in 1998, the last of the Murphy kids. My grandfather Mike Murphy worked for the Post Office (a mail carrier working out of the General P.O. at 33rd and 8th). My grandmother Marie Murphy died in 1939 while living at Hamilton Place. Uncle Maurice went to Regis H.S. for several years before leaving to attend All Hallows; John and Vincent then attended All Hallows; my mom, Rita, attended Cathedral; Veronica, I believe, attended St. Vincent, and Theresa died at age 25 in 1944 (not sure of her high school). Mom worked at Woolworth's on 145th Street and Broadway, and after high school at New York Telephone, retiring about 1980. She got married in 1943 and moved to 152nd Street, and we attended St. Catherine of Genoa on W. 153rd. I graduated in 1958. So I know the neighborhood. Peace, Rita Hi Ed and JackieSo Jackie you are a St. Kate's gal like me! My tuition was a dollar a month, so your education was really a private school. You have listed the Academy at 151st Street but I think that it was on 152nd between Broadway and Amsterdam Avenue. I took my high school entrance exam at SHM so I am sort of familiar with the school -- fireworks were going off during our exam. The end result was I did fine and attended Blessed Sacrament on West 70th, Class of 1962. I last saw the "girls" at a reunion in 2002. My Spanish teacher just celebrated her 70th anniversary as a nun with the Sisters of Charity. I am not familiar with any of the girls names that you mentioned,including Ann Murphy. I do know McQuire's, where I had my first Shirley Temple, Mass at Our Lady of Esperanza, Trinity Cemetery & loved visiting the museums. Do either of you recall Eugenio Pacelli, before he became Pope Pius XII visiting at OLL ? Please tell me about your days on 150th Street near the Drive since I may have been the little skinny blond kid you both passed on the street. Peace, Rita in Northern New Jersy West 150th NYCHello Rita, Yes, we lived at 615 W. 150th from 1950 to 1956. Four of my children were born there (three at Lutheran Hospital and one at Jewish Memorial). We had many friends from school and the neighborhood living nearby. However, by 1956 it was time to move on; many changes in the neighborhood. One of my nearby friends was Juanita Poitier; Sidney was just getting started with his acting career. A real nice couple. Was Father Tracy (Pastor) still there when you attended school? How about Father Brady? He was always telling stories during Mass about his sea time with the Navy. Eddie remembers going to the Woolworths lunch counter (145th and B'way) in the early 1940s just to have an excuse to talk with the girls. He knew many of them from school and the neighborhood. In friendship, Jackie West 152ndHi Jackie and Ed, I lived at 620 West 152nd Street, just a stone's throw from you folks. My sister was born at Jewish Memorial Hospital in March 1952 -- Dr. Sandler from Broadway 150/151st St. delivered. Those were the days of Dave's deli on the corner of 151st & Broadway famous for pastrami on rye and a cold beer for the dads, Rafferty's Bar and Grill on the other side of B'way, Harry's or Pierre's homemade candy and ice cream parlor, Cora's beauty salon where my Nana would get a cold wave and blue tint. And not to be forgotten, Snow & Youman's drug store on B'Way and 151st. I recall the name Fr. Brady but it was Pastor Kane and Fr. Tracy (and his Irish Setter, Rusty) that I recall. I just sent a photo of Fr. Tracy to my classmates. Rita Japanese BazaarWho remembers the Japanese-American bazaar in the brownstones across from the OLL lower grades school during the war? They had the blue star & the gold star pennants hanging in the windows. They also had a store on Amsterdam Avenue near 144th Street and when they sold coffee the lines would go all around the block. How about the punchball games out side the school, or stoop ball? Anyone remember playing basketball and using the bottom rung on the fire escape ladder as a basket? The nearest basketball court was at 148th Street by the river. If you wanted to "take out" a ball from the park, you would leave a shirt as a deposit. I remember shoveling snow off the court in order to play. Unfortunately those days were the last time the country was almost 100% together. Twenty years from now, these will be the "good old days." Your brother AndrewI palled around with Andy & another kid named Eddie McGlynn. As a matter of fact I have a picture of Andy, Buddy Ayres & me at Rye Beach. Buddy went to Bishop Dubois with us. He was from Vinegar Hill. You didn't mention the Wittlingers. They lived on the first floor in your building. Brendan lives in Virginia. I'm still in touch with him, Matty Waters and Les Scantleberry. Pancho Pereria made a career of the Navy. He died several years ago. JoeJoe, one of my closest friends, was killed in Korea. Dave's DeliI haven't had a good hot corned beef sandwich since I last had one at Dave's. His son Milton was running the store in the 1950s after Dave retired to Florida. Dave's used to have a window in the summer that sold potato knishes (5 cents, with mustard) and of course kosher hot dogs. I heard a Clement Moore fan club still meets every Christmas Eve next to Trinity Church Cemetery and recites "The Night Before Christmas." I was born in 1928 at 853 Riverside Drive. When 90 Riverside was built in 1941 and blocked the view of the Hudson, we moved there. Warm regards, Jackie and Ed The old neighborhoodThe Wittlingers (the twins were the same age as my two younger brothers, also twins), Matty Waters, Les Scantleberry, JoJo: All those names I remember, especially Pancho and his family. For the life of me, I cannot understand why your name doesn't ring a bell. You mentioned the Warriors. Did you know Tommy or Willie Taylor, the Conroys, Drago, Jackie Hughes, etc. What years did you attend OLL? I looked up some old friends on the Internet over the past few years -- said hello and then goodbye when their families called to give me the news: Vinny McCarville, Bruce Boyd, Phil Marshall, Eddie O'Brien -- all gone to their maker. They were spread out all over the country. It was satisfying, however, just to say hello. I met Vinny in New Orleans and we had a beer for the first time in many years. We had gone to sea together during WWII and had a lot of memories. You must forgive my spelling etc. My eyesight is on its way out (along with everything else). I will be 82 in a few months but active and still traveling. I have been to six of the seven continents and my wish is to have breakfast at the South Pole. In friendship, Ed and Jackie Woods ToppersWas Dave's on B'Way near 140th Street? I sold the Sunday News there for 25 cents during the news strike. It was normally a nickel. We had to go down to the News Building to buy them. Overhead! Who remembers the Sugar Bowl on the corner of 143rd and Broadway? A great hangout for different age groups. How about Toppers Ice Cream parlor on B'Way between 139 & 140th? In the 1940s and early '50s you could go to the Audubon Theater at 168th and B'Way on Sunday for 77 Cents and see three features, 23 cartoons, newsreels and an eight-act stage show with such luminaries as Billy Halop of the Dead End Kids or Lash LaRue or Ferdinand the Bull. Top shelf. They must get at lest a buck fifty for admission today! Tea and Nut StoreHi Norm, My mom (Rita Murphy) mentioned there was an Asian family owned Tea and Nut shop in OLL Parish when she was a child (born 1917). She said her brothers, Maurice and John Murphy, would sometimes play with the owners' son. I am wondering if this could be the same shop. Rita ToppersDave's was on the southwest corner of Broadway and 151st Street, a short trip from my home on 152nd near Riverside Drive. I do recall the Sugar Bowl and maybe was in it once or twice but never hung out there. Topper's is a name I never heard before, as far as ice cream parlors go. Thanks so much for mentioning the name and location. Perhaps before my time (1945 baby) or too far from my home. Many people have mentioned the Audubon Theater to me (165-166th Street) but I have no memory of it at all. I do recall the San Juan Theater that took over the space of the old Audubon. I love hearing about Mom's (Rita Murphy's) old neighborhood. Thanks for sharing. Rita Your Name?No, Dave's Deli was on 151st and Broadway. Yes, Toppers & the Sugar Bowl were popular hangouts, however the Piedmont, the Staghorn and the Chesterfield were more popular later on. I have pictures of the great snowfall of December 27, 1947 taken in front of the above mentioned restaurants with a bunch of the guys posing in the cold. The Audubon Theater became better known when Malcom X was murdered in its ballroom. I saw Milton Berle there in the early 1940s. Actually, the Bluebird and the Washington were also popular as they only cost 10 cents (no heat or air conditioning). Memories, memories, dreams of long ago. Ed and Jackie Woods The OLL ChoirI sang in the OLL choir for about 5 or 6 years and hated it.T he only advantage was that we skipped the last class for practice. The downside was that after attending 9 o'clock Mass we had to sing at the 11 o'clock High Mass, which interfered with our Sunday football game. I played with the Junior Cadets. We had a very good team coached by Joe Romo, who went on to be the trainer for the Oakland A's for many years. I saw him at Yankee Stadium whenever the team played the Yankees at home. Joe died several years ago. Mr. Skyler, the choirmaster, wore a wig that could easily be mistaken for road kill. I used to wonder if he was committing a sin by wearing something on his head in church. After all it was no different then wearing a hat during Mass. Mrs. Daly was a very lovely lady who played the organ and gave piano lessons. She lived down the street from us on 142nd between Broadway and Hamilton Place and had something like 10 kids. My sister Maureen was friends with Theresa and Billie. John was I believe the youngest son. Maureen graduated from Notre Dame de Lourdes on Convent Avenue. My sister Frances was close friends with Helen and Rita Nerney, who lived across the street. Fran died in 2002. ToppersI lived at 635 Riverside Drive. I recall Toppers being near the corner of 141st, next to a Jewish deli. In the summer my dad took my brother Tom and me for ice cream there every evening. Happy memories! Bishop DuboisI graduated 1953 from Bishop Dubois. I believe your brother Ernie was in my class at OLL. I hope he is doing well. Give him my regards. Bill Healy Names from the Old NeighborhoodBrendan & Bernie turned 76 on February 2. Don't ask how I remember things like this. I forgot what I had for breakfast this morning. I'll be 76 August 11, weather permitting. Everyone seems to forget Pinky (Michael) Pereria. You are closer to my late brother Jim's age. Jim hung out with Jimmy and John Bartlett, Donald LaGuardia, Tommy & Willie Taylor (born on the same day a year apart -- Irish twins). Again I don't know why I remember these things. Eddie O'Brien used to go by the name Drawde Neirbo, his name spelled backwards. He was a close friend of Big Jack Hughes. I recall a group of you guys joining the Merchant Marine during the war. The Dragos lived on 141st Street between Hamilton Place and Amsterdam Avenue. The youngest (Joseph?) was in my class. A couple of years ago I went down to the old neighborhood with my sons. Surprisingly, it looks great. Lots of renovations going on. My beautiful wife June is a BIC (Bronx Irish Catholic) from the South Bronx. It's not as great a neighborhood as it used to be, but lots of great people came out of there. I took her away from there, married her 50 plus years ago and got her a decent dental plan and raised five kids in New Jersey. I graduated in 1948. It should have been 1947 but Mother Mary Inez red-shirted me in the 6th grade. Will stay in touch. Norm Brown Norm Brown??Norm, I graduated in 1947 from OLL. I knew a kid (Norman Brown) who lived on 141st between Hamilton and Broadway. I think he had a younger brother. He went to OLL with me, but he did not graduate from OLL. Eddie McGlynn was in my class, and the Wittlingers. I lived at 510 W 140th. Are you that Norman? Bill H. The Summer of '66Hi Jackie and Ed, I never had one of Dave or Milton's corned beef sandwiches but I can say that the pastrami on rye was a thing that dreams are made of. I recall the knishes out the window in the summer and the hot dogs. Thanks so much for taking me back in time. Milton would take the pastrami out of that silver steamer box sharpening his knife, and the rest was heaven on rye. Milton was still behind the counter in the summer of 1966 but after that I can't say. I am sure that "The Night Before Christmas" is still recited next to Clement Moore's grave, in Trinity Cemetery. In my day the Girl Scout Troop that met at the Church of the Intercession would participate in the recitation of the Moore piece. I know that 853 Riverside Drive is on the Upper Drive, since I sat on "The Wall" on summer evenings as a teenager. You said you moved in 1941 to 90 RSD -- did you mean 90 or 890? I am not familiar with the numbering of the "lower" drive where the red house sits (so it was called). I am off in search of a good sandwich. Peace, Rita Stagershorn & ChesterfieldMalcom X was shot in the Audubon Ballroom at the back of the theater, which later became the Teatro San Juan. I saw Abbott and Costello there en Espanol. At 7 years old I was run over by a truck at 142 Street and Broadway, right outside the Staghorn, I managed to live! I would hang from the window outside the Chesterfield, watching football games on TV with Bobby Heller and Herby Gil and Buddy McCarthy. That was a hell of a snowstorm in '47. Remember digging tunnels through the snowbanks? You forgot to mention Larry's, just next to the Sugar Bowl. I would watch "Victory at Sea" there. A couple of years ago I took a walk through the OLL neighborhood and realized that when you are a kid everything you see is at eye level and taken for granted, but as you look up and around from a mature aspect it becomes a whole different world. It is really a beautiful area. 90 Riverside Drive WestHi Rita. I'm positive 853 was on the Lower Drive. When the new building went up next to it around 1941, the address was 90 Riverside Drive West. However, it caused so much confusion with 90 Riverside Drive (downtown) that the address was changed to 159-32 Riverside. The plot originally hosted a small golf course. I also went to the Church of the Intercession with the Girl Scouts. Small world. And the wall -- on a hot summer night, standing room only. Jackie West 140th NYCThe kids I hung around with were in the OLL classes of 1940 and 1941. I had a weekend job in 1941 with Ike's Bike Rental on 141st. He needed someone to identify the kids who rented there (bikes rented for 20 cents an hour -- and that's the truth). We started a Junior Air Raid Wardens group and had a store next to Ike's. Collected paper etc, for the war effort. And you are correct, within three years, when we turned 16, McCarvill, O'Brien, Drago and I joined the merchant marine. Did you know the Kieley family -- lived at 1628 Amsterdam before moving to the lower Bronx: Pauline, Rita, Josephine, Peggy and the two boys Nicky and Jimmy. I loved going to their upstairs apartment for tea, especially when Mrs Kiely made Irish Soda Bread. My wife (then girlfriend) Jackie sponsored Jim Kieley when he became a citizen around 1948. He was from County Waterford, the same as her family. We celebrated our 59th anniversary last week. Regards, Eddie Woods My Brother JimYou probably knew my brother Jim Brown. He too was born in 1928. He died three years ago today. He graduated from Cardinal Hayes, spent a couple of years in the Army and graduated from Fordham University. Jim lived in Wycoff, N.J. He was very successful in business. Amsterdam AvenueThe Denning family (10 kids) lived on Amsterdam Avenue between 141st and 142nd. Hughie had polio and wrote away to FDR for an autograph during the war. As it turned out he was the last person to get one. He was in an iron lung at the time. It was a big deal. Lots of press. One of the boys, Peter Schaefer Denning, was born on the back of a beer truck on the way to the hospital. Hence the name. The Connolly brothers, Eamon and Timmy, lived in the same building. Everyone in the family had red hair. Not unlike Bobby Foy's family. If I recall properly, the father looked like Arthur Godfrey, his mom like Lucille Ball, Bobby like Red Skelton, and they had a red cat plus an Irish setter. It took a lot of guts for a group of 16-year-old kids to join the merchant marine. A belated thanks for your service. My wife makes great Irish soda bread. Is there any other kind? You can give ten women the same ingredients for soda bread and you'll get ten different tasting breads. All great! Especially with a cup of Lynches Irish tea. The season is almost upon us once again. The only Kiely (different spelling) I knew was my NYPD partner Timmy, who was from the South Bronx, Hunts Point. Tim grew up with Colin Powell. Having worked in the South Bronx for 25 years and marrying June Margaret O'Brien, one of six girls from there, I pretty much connect with the people of SOBRO, as the area is now known. Sooner or later everything gets yuppified. How about this web site? Something else! Take care, Norm Mea CulpaHi Jackie, Of course you know 853 RSD is on the Lower Drive but Google Maps does not. "Looks like 800 Block of Upper Drive is even numbers and 800 Block on Lower Drive is odd numbers." I did not locate 159-32 but I did find a 159-34 and 159-00, seems to be the last structure (red brick) on the Lower Drive area that we are speaking of, now a co-op but the year of construction is not listed. I have very fond memories of the folks I spent time with on "our" wall. Peace, Rita Yes, it's Kiely I was in error. For whatever resaon, The Dublin House on 79th off the NE corner of Broadway became a meeting place for many of the kids from the OLL area up until the early 1970s: Eamon Connolly, Tommy Taylor etc. I worked with Tom for a short time before be went on the force and then as a T Man. I have not heard from him in too many years. One of great fellows from the old neighborhood. In friendship, Ed Woods My e-mail: eandjwoods50@Yahoo.com P.S. The Kiely family moved to Crimmons Ave in the Bronx West 159th Street NYCDear Rita, I do enjoy rehashing the old neighborhood and the wonderful memories we can recall. Yes, it is the last buillding on the street and I lived there until 1950, when I married Ed. My uncle George lived there until c. 1981 in a rent controlled apartment, and yes, it did become a co-op. When first opened, the building had four entrances. Later, in the 1980s, it was down to one main entrance on the via-dock for safety reasons. I loved our apartment there, which had a beautiful view of the Hudson and the George Washington Bridge. My friend June, nee McAvoy, lived at 3750 B'way. We were together in school for 12 years at St. Catherine's and Sacred Heart. June lives in Maryland. By the way, my e-mail is eandjwoods50@yahoo.com Jackie Woods The Red HouseDear Jackie & Ed, How lucky you were to have lived in the Red House, especially with the views of the bridge and the river. Growing up I never knew anyone who lived there, so never saw the interior, I'm sure it was lovely. I heard that David Dinkins lived there at some point before he became mayor. Many of my classmates lived in 790 Riverside Drive and I was always so impressed that their apartments had two doors. Our apartment was on the fourth floor of a walkup and across the street from a garage. Funny how I was not really impressed by a doorman but by the two doors. I seem to remember a gas station near your friend June's house...other side of Broadway from the museum, now college. One of my St. Catherine's classmates, last I heard, he was teaching at the college. Was Rexall Drug on the corner of 157th, with the newsstand outside the door, when you lived in the Red House? In my home we seemed to have all of the city newspapers -- morning, afternoon and evening, some selling for 4 cents. To this day I read two papers every day and still long to go out Saturday night to pick up the Sunday paper. Thanks for the email. Peace, Rita Class of 1959I attended O.L.L. from 5th to 8th grade. My 5th grade teacher was Mother Mary Edward, what a wonderful woman, 6th was Mother Mary St. Hugh, 7th Mother Mary Edward and 8th Mother Mary Bernadette. Graduated in 1959. Classes were mxed -- black, white and Latino. Memories are mostly good ones -- Father Kline, Father Malloy, Father Hart. The religious experience most memorable, especially during Lent, novenas on Wednesday afternoon and Stations on Friday after school. Liggets / RexallHello Rita, I loved the lunch/soda counter at Liggetts/Rexalls. for whatever reason, my family used the pharmacy across the street, on the east side of B'way, to have prescriptions filled. The family that owned and operated the newsstand helped us lease our first apartment at 600 W. 157th. Apartments were in short supply in 1950. We lived in the unit formerly rented by the Singer Midgets next to Peaches Browning of Daddy Browning fame. Of course they were long gone when we lived there. My father was very active in the Tioga Democratic Club with the Simonetti family. Do you remember Warner's Cafeteria between 157 & 158th? We visited St. Catherine's Church Christmas week 2007 with our niece who wanted to see where she was baptized in 1953. She is on Mayor Bloomberg's staff. Warm regards, Jackie Woods eandjwoods50@yahoo.com Oh, as the poet said, "To return to yesteryear and our salad days." My brother ErnieBilly, Ernie and I went to Bishop Dubois. Ernie for two years and I for three. We both were bounced in 1951 and transferred to Don Bosco Prep in Ramsey, N.J. We went there on a Schrafft's scholarship. Our mom waited on tables at Schrafft's in order to send us there. In those days it was pretty much a blue collar school. It wasn't that far removed from being a reform school. VERY STRICT. Today it's much more hoity toity. I'm still in close touch with my old classmates, most of whom have been successful in life. Ernie was a great basketball player, the first to score over 50 points in a game in Bergen County (three times), breaking Sherman White's record. White was an All American but messed up his career in the 1950-51 college season. Ernie went to Fordham on an athletic scholarship. Ernie died in 2002. He was a very special guy, extremely generous and giving. We miss him a lot. He lived a couple of blocks away from me as did most of my siblings. Sad to say, the circle grows smaller. 1959 OLL gradsAre you out there, does any one remember or know of any of the following graduates of O.L.L. -- Starr Martin, Carol Long or her sisters, Carlotta and Tony, Josephine Velez, Melvina (Kinky) Boyd, Chicky Aponte. I went of to Cathedral and the others to various Catholic high schools and lost touch. After finding this site, many memories have come back. Would like to know how old friends are doing. 600 W. 157thHi Jackie, You lived around the corner from the post office. I remember going there once to get a money order and losing Mom's gray umbrella. Your building was by the Grinnell, where a friend's father was the superintendent during the 60s. Liggett/Rexall -- we went to Snow & Youman's for drugs but to Rexall for film, flashbulbs and of course the soda fountain. The last time I was there was April 1965, just before my son was born. I do not recall a Warner's Cafeteria but do remember the famous, and oh so good, Imperial Deli, Lambos Flower Shop, Commander Bar & Grill, Full Moon & McGuire's. I visited St. Catherine's about 1994 and it was like being in a time warp, except for the piano near the altar. The church was just as I remembered when I got married in 1964, only smaller. The school is now public. I am in touch with some of my friends from the Class of 1958. It was nice that your niece was able to visit the church where she was baptized. I never heard of the Tioga Democratic Club or the Simonetti family (the only Simonettis I know are the family whose niece and son are engaged). Jackie, was the pharmacy on the east side of B'way United or perhaps that was a sign for United Cigar? So nice this walk down memory lane. Best to your Eddie. Peace, Rita Memories: dreams of long agoHi Rita, My close friend June's, nee McAvoy, family lived in the Grinnell for many years. Her grandfather was Judge McAvoy. Eddie claims to have an exceptionally good memory but he says he needs to yield to you. You do have a most wonderful recall. However, he is more familiar with the OLL school and church neighborhood. My brother-in-law (much older than Eddie and me) was in the vending machine business: Ace Distributing -- jukeboxes, cigarette machines etc. Eddie worked for him for a few years when we first married and the company had locations in almost every store in the neighborhood (including the Commander). That is a dead business today. How about Pigeon Park? You couldn't sit there. Warm regards, Jackie Woods GrinnellHi Jackie, Do you recall a Doctor James Farley living in the Grinnell? Doctor Farley must have taken care of half of Washington Heights over a period of many years (had an office on 178 St. between Broadway and Ft. Washington Ave.). Ah, Pigeon Park...I remember it well and always tried to circumvent it! All the best. Rita I remember it wellHi Rita, Our family physician was Dr. VanWorth, as an adult I visited Dr. Liebling, who had an office c. 156th. He later moved down to 72nd Street. A wonderful caring man (who made house calls). My son Ed Jr. was 58 years old this week, I have a picture of him when he was 1 sitting on a pony taken on the corner of 155th and B'way. John Orlando's brother married a St Catherine's girl. I don't know her age. Ain't we got fun? Jackie Woods Current resident of the neighborhood (Grinnell)I'd like to invite you to visit www.audubonparkny.com, which is a virtual walking tour of the neighorhood you're discussing. You can "take the walking tour" online or go to the Sitemap/ Index of Images to read about specific buildings and see pictures from many eras. I'm happy to post any pictures (and credit the owners) of the neighborhood that you'd like to share - focusing on the Audubon Park area (155th to 158th, Broadway to the river). www.audubonparkny.com Walking TourThanks so very much for posting the site for the Audubon Park area...I had a delightful walking tour. Down Memory Lane at OLLWhat happened, did we all run out of memories? Who remembers the stickball field comprised of Hamilton Place from 140 to 141st Street. A ball hit over the small roof on 141st was a double and over the roof at 95 Hamilton Place was a homer. After the war the street was so crowded with cars that the games were moved to Convent Avenue in front of CCNY. There was some heavy money bet on these games. Walking TourThanks, Rita, I'm glad you enjoyed the walk! Please come back and visit the site again. I post a Newsletter on the homepage (www.AudubonParkNY.com ) each month highlighting new pages, information, and research, as well as updates on the Historic District project. Matthew The Prairie StateDoes anyone have memories of the Prairie State? It was a WWI battleship moored in the Hudson River at about 135 Street and I believe used for Naval Reserve training. As kids we snuck on board and played basketball on it. The deck (court) had a bow on it which is partially responsible for the replacement parts in my ankle today. How about the "Dust Bowl" at 148 Street next to the river where we played football and baseball? Today it's state of the art, at least compared to what we played on. Now there is grass on the field. Progress! Under the Via DockFar from being a battleship, the Prairie State (also called the Illinois) was an old transport. However, as youngsters we would have been impressed by its size. Pancho and another neighborhood boy whose name I can't recall trained there before being sent to England as frogmen in preparation for the D-Day landing. It was decided that those boys with big chests (big lungs) could do the job best. I can recall Pancho telling me after the war that he had only a few days of Boot Camp. Sports -- we used the oval near City College. Stick ball -- 144th between Amsterdam and B'way. A ball hit to any roof was an out, never a homer. Spaldines was Spaldings were costly in the 1930s. One had to learn to hit as far up the street as possible, over the sewers. That is why the good hitters (one strike only) were called three-sewer hitters. The Prairie State was docked under the Via Dock c. 130th St. Like you, we visited it often. Nearby were the meatpacking/butcher plants. During the 1930s there were two "Hoovervilles" (hobo camps) under the dock. The overhead gave the men some some protection from the elements. I had an uncle who took me fishing off the piers. I felt sorry for the "lost souls." Then one day they were all gone. Hosed away! I used to wonder where they went. In friendship Ed Woods eandjwoods50@yahoo.com PanchoAs you recall, Pancho was short, about 5'8" and maybe 200 lbs. and a very good athlete -- basketball, baseball and could hold his own on a basketball court. I remember speaking to him about the UDT (Underwater Demolition Teams,the precursor to the Navy Seals) and asking him if they were relegated to swimming all the time. He told me they spent most of the time running, running, running to build endurance. As I remember, the Oval was near Convent Avenue. We never used the term two sewers in stickball. That was a Bronx expression. We bought our pink "Spaldeens" at Rutenbergs candy store on Amsterdam Avenue between 140 and 141 Streets for a nickel. He also sold kids twofers, two for a penny loosies, and Bugle Tobacco so you could roll your own or purchase a corncob pipe to puff away. Loosies were two cigarettes for a penny. I understand due to the cost of smokes they are doing that again. We played "swift pitching" in the park at Hamilton Place between 140 and 141 streets. It was comprised of drawing a box (a strike zone) on the the handball court wall and throwing balls and strikes as hard as you could. I'm a little younger then you but I remember the Swift Meat Plant down by the river and the time John Garfield filmed a scene from a movie, Force of Evil, running down the steps toward the river. Somehow he ended up at the red lighthouse under the GW Bridge and discovered his brother's body, played by Thomas Gomez, in the river. As kids during the war we would fish and crag off the docks right near the old Two Six Precinct. I'll never forget the time my younger brother came home with a catfish and an eel and damn near burned the house down trying to cook them. Boy, life was a lot simpler then. Even with a world war raging. Amsterdam AveRutenbergs, address 1628 Amsterdam, I lived in the upstairs bldg for five years. The Rutenbergs lived in an apt in the back of their store. Tommy Smith worked their paper route for many years. Tommy lived in 1626 next to McCarvill. The Conroys (Johnny the Bull) lived in 1630. Eddie O'Brien lived in 1634 over the Rothschild Deli where we could buy Old Dutch beer for 14 cents a quart plus a 5 cent deposit. "It's for my father." The playground around the corner was busy at night after it closed for the day. My recall of loosies is six for five cents in a small paper bag with six wooden matches. You refer to the station house as the "Two Six Precinct." Something tells me you were "on the job." A good family friend, Frank Lynch, became the Captain at 152nd and Amsterdam (The Three Two)? Your e-mail? In friendship, Ed Woods Three Oh PrecinctYes I worked in the South Bronx for 25 years which included 10 years at the Yankee Stadium,ten of the best years of my life. A ring side seat at the world. We played many games there-- Shae, West Point, etc. -- and traveled to Venezuela with the New York Press team. I worked out with players on the DL. Thurman Munson was a good friend as was Catfish Hunter. Lou Pinella and Graig Nettles. We guarded Pope Paul and Pope John Paul II. John Paul II gave off an aura that was indescribable. I was very close to him on three occasions and he made you weak in the knees and start to shake. Believe me it wasn't his celebrity status. Some of the people I knew were Cary Grant who used to look for me when he came to many games. Someday I'll tell you how he saved my marriage. A funny story! Jimmy Cagney came to a few games. Boy was that sad to see Rocky Sullivan, every Irish American kid's hero, all crippled up with arthritis. I finished up in the Bronx Detective Task Force and never looked back. It was a great career if you rolled with the punches. The six for five must have been filter tips.I forgot about the wooden matches. Do you remember the Hooten Bars they sold? One by two inch chocolate candy stuck on wax paper. Nobody seems to remember them. Rutenberg had the greatest malteds. They kept the milk frozen. God! Were they good! The Three Oh Precinct was at 152 Street & Amsterdam Avenue across from St. Catherines Grammar School where I went to kindergarten for a day. Later it became Bishop Dubois H.S., which I attended for three years before getting bounced along with my younger brother. There was a kid by the name of Neally Riorden who may have lived in your building and a kid by the name of Brian Neeson Hannon who died around 1945. I remember going to his wake on Vinegar Hill. Next we should take a trip down Vinegar Hill. My e mail is fuzz408@optonline.net God bless & HAPPY EASTER Rutenberg'sRutenberg's had the greatest milkshakes mainly because they kept the milk semi frozen. They also had Hooten bars, sheets of one by two inch chocolate that sold for a penny each. I've never met anyone from a different neighborhood who heard of them. Yes, I was on the job for 25 years in the South Bronx. Check your personal e mail. The Three Oh was at 152 Street and Amsterdam Avenue. It's now a landmark. The new precinct is on 151st Street of Amsterdam. How about Wings Cigarettes with the photos of WW II planes? The Shamrock Bar was on the corner of 140th Street and Amsterdam. On weekends guys would pick up containers of beer and carry them over to Convent Avenue for refreshments during the stickball games. Take care, Norm PanchoLooking for any info on Pancho Periera. He is my godfather and was best friends with my dad, Frank Corrigan. OLLumnaI went graduated from OLL in 1950. I came across this great site and I am wondering if anyone graduated the same year. I have been trying to get in contact with my fellow classmates and this looked like a great opportunity! The Old ShamrockI visted the 140th Street area a few years ago and took a few pictures. The Shamrock is gone with the wind -- history. I showed a picture of the building (1626 Amsterdam) to Vinnie McCarvill, who had lived there, when I met him for a beer in New Orleans a few years ago, and he almost wept. Some great memories of our Salad Days came to mind. "Oh the nights at the playground on Hamilton Place." It's the place where we came of age. In friendship, Eddie and Jackie ParishesOne thing folks from New Orleans and New York City have in common is that you identified your neighborhood by the parish in which you lived. Agnes GerrityMy mother, Agnes Gerrity, born 1916, and her brothers Thomas and Richard (born c. 1914 and 1920) attended Our Lady of Lourdes until high school. All three have passed away but I'd love to hear if anyone happens to remember them. Like your mother, my mom loved that school and spoke of it often. Anne Collins OLL Confirmation Day 1935I thought former students would enjoy seeing the uniform we wore in Our Lady of Lourdes School Primary Dept (1st to 4th Grade) during the 1930s. KnickersIt was humiliating having to wear knickers. Remember pulling them down to your ankles and thinking "maybe people will think they are pegged pants"? Boy did we ever fool the public! And how about the high starched collars -- I don't think they could have even gotten Freddie Barthomew to wear them. Didn't we replace them with waterboarding? However Ed, they look great on you. Do you still wear them? Old OLL picsDoes any one have some old OLL class photos or just some neighborhood pictures to post here in the comments? I'm sure a lot of Shorpy addicts would appreciate them. OLLi go to school at lourdes now im in the 8th grade and i think its really cool to see people talk about the memories they had about my school before i was even born and i would love to see some kind of picture of the inside of the school like a class picture so i can see what it used to look like [Just wait'll you get to Capitalization and Punctuation. - Dave] Class of 1964I too went to OLL from '57-'64. My parents and I moved to 3495 Broadway at 143rd St. in 1956. I started in the 4th grade with Mother Mary William. The school in those days was no longer a military academy. We wore navy blue uniforms, white shirts and the school tie and the girls wore navy blue jumpers with a white blouse and blue tie. It was very interesting reading about all the students who came before me and where they lived. I always was so curious to find out how this old neighborhood looked like years before we moved in. As you all know, the area changed at some point racially, although when I was at OLL the school was still predominantly white with a handful of Black children. I will always have wonderful memories of my time at OLL. My parents moved out of the area in 1969 and I since been back once to recapture some old memories of my childhood. NostalgiaThe picture that follows is the 1937 graduation class with the girls omitted. Monsignor McMahon built church and school(1901-1913); after 15 years as Curator at St Patrick's Cathedral, constructed 7 years earlier. See church of Our Lady of Lourdes for construction details. At the time of graduation, Fr's Mahoney, Dillon and Brennan resided across from the Church. The Poor Clares home was to right of the church, and secondary had Society of the Holy Name Jesus sisters. School and Church gave us faith and hope and discipline. Our world was the depression years followed by the wars. Our class of 1937 was just in time. The handsome lad below the sergeant stripes is the brother of contributor Ed Woods.Ed,and brothers Bill and Dennis served with distinction. Andy Saraga bottom right was a highly decorated Marines The others served as well. I hope Our Lady of Lourdes provides the inspiration our families sought for us. Nostalgia 1937The 1937 graduation photo is great. It's with both sadness and pride to think that most of these wonderful kids would be defending our country in a very short time in different uniforms.Believe it or not this military training was useful. How about more pictures like this and some candid neighborhood shots. OLL in the NYThttp://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/16/nyregion/16priest.htm So interesting: A more recent residentJust want to say that I've read every entry on this post. It is so interesting to read the memories shared by those that lived way before you in the same neighborhood. My mother and I live on 135th Street near Riverside between 66th and 77th, then moved to 138th between Hamilton and Amsterdam. I went to PS 161 and graduated from CCNY. I also have fond memories of my childhood. I used to play basketball in an after school center at Our Lady of Lourdes as a young kid, visited the area a couple of years ago and brought back great pics. Cheers to all Mauricio The Grinnell: Celebrating Its Centennial Those of you who remember The Grinnell (800 Riverside Drive) may be interested to know that the residents have just begun celebrating the building's centennial. We're having a year of events,so this is a great year to visit! Check the website: http://www.thegrinnellat100.com/ for photos, historical news articles, and residents' memories (and contribute your own). Click the calendar tab for a listing of the events between now and July 2011. Matthew Why Grinnel!The hundredth anniversary of a building? Forgotten is the fact that it's also the anniversary of the site building, and all the memories fast fading. I think Ed Woods of all the graduates, always hit the mark. Several others struggled to add something. If someone remembers the names of the sisters and preferably anecdotes please don't deny this information from this site. I personally remember sister Rose from 4th grade 1934. I believe Mother Michael provided my brother Andy's Confirmation name. Others with better memories speak up. Also it wasn't only our generation that owes recognition for all given freely. Christmas at Our Lady of LourdesAt Midnight Mass on Christmas Eve, the statues in the creche would be replaced by live students. The scene would be repeated the following day at the 9 o'clock Children's Mass and the 11 o'clock High Mass. A live baby would be borrowed to lie in the manger. The girl who posed as the Blessed Mother and the boy who posed as Joseph were the envy of the entire student body. "Oh to return to yesteryear." Happy New YearThank you SHORPY for bringing back to us so many wonderful memories. It has been said pictures are worth a thousand words. Shorpy's pictures, however, are worth so much more -- just can't put a number on them. Thank you and a Happy New Year to the Shorpy Staff. Ed and Jackie Woods [And thank you, Ed and Jackie, for inspiring the hundreds of interesting comments in this thread. - Dave] The OLL neighborhoodIt's nice reading and re-reading your stories about OLL, Hamiliton Place,and seeing the names listed. Many years ago, in my past, I visited the old neighborhood only to find it somewhat depressing, old and in poor shape. One time in particular I had parked my new "rental car" near West 144th street, and was showing my young children some of the places I lived on Amsterdam Ave, Hamilton Place ( 95 and 115 buildings) when two older African Americans came up to us, and said you'd be better not park here." It wasn't said as a threat, but more it's unsafe here, now that the area has changed. I had told them that I used to live here many years ago. I am glad to hear from Norm, that the area has rebounded, and in looking at the prices of the real estate I wish we had stayed here. Keep up the good work. Matt Waters mattminn@aol.com Hi Anon Tipster 1959. I used to date Carlotta Long & visited her lovely home many times. 147 off Convent as I recall. I often wonder in my old age (69) whatever happened to her & how her life turned out. I did graduate from Dubois in 1960, so I'm very familiar w/the sights & places referenced here. So glad I found this site. Tis That Time of YearThank you SHORPY for another year of nostalgic pictures and comments. Brought to us in Black and White and Living Color. Such fond memories of long ago, especially the itchy bathing suits. In the 1920s and up to the early 1940s, when on or near the beach and boardwalk, boys had to wear the coarse wooolen suits with the tops on at all times. Merry Christmas and a Happy and Healthy New York to Dave and staff. Ed and Jackie Woods Our Yearly PlaysI graduated in 1960 after 8 memorable years. I remember our yearly plays in the auditorium and all the hard work and practice we put into it. Father Hart was our pastor and I remember our farewell speech to him. My best friend was Lydia Marin and I remember Maria Santory, Joyce Brown, Maria Matos, Alma Mora, Maureen Quirk. If any of you from this class are around, give a shout. Jackie Erick Class of 1964Class of 1964 where are you guys? Write something here you remember. Do you remember me? OLL Class of 1957Here's the names of the boys' teachers from 1949 to 1957. I think I have then all correct. Grade 1, 1949-1950: Mother Mary Theodosia Grade 2, 1950-1951: Sister Mary Macrina Grade 3, 1951-1952: Mother Mary Eulalia Grade 4, 1952-1953: Mother Mary Declan Grade 5, 1953-1954: Mother Mary Edwards Grade 6, 1954-1955: Mother Maria Del Amor Grade 7, 1955-1956: Mother Mary Euphrates Grade 8, 1956-1957: Mother Mary Rosario Eighteen nuns lived in the convent adjacent to the church on 142nd Street: eight boys' teachers, eight girls' teachers, the school principal, known as the Reverend Mother, and the housekeeper. Six priests and the pastor lived in the rectory on the south side of 142nd Street. OLL was also known as Old Ladies' Laundry. I've written down the names of almost all the boys who, at one point or another, were part of the class of 1957. Only 27 graduated in 1957. Many were expelled in 1956 as part of a crackdown on gang membership. Mother Mary Rosario was brought in to preside over a difficult situation, but after the expulsions her job turned out to be not that complicated. I'll post the list of names another time. Our Lady of Lourdes Alumni ReunionHello out there. I am a current parent at Our Lady of Lourdes. As we enter a new decade, OLL would would like to start planning a few reunions. I am looking for some potential organizers to help us reach out and plan events in the new year. Please reach out if you are interested in planning or connect dots. There are many new happenings at the school. We will be launching a new website by the end of the month with an alumni portion. Thank you! Vanessa vdecarbo@ollnyc.org Class of 1971Hi! I graduated in 1971 and our teacher was Sister Patricia. I remember Marlene Taylor, Karen, Miriam, Dina, Elsie, Maria and Robin, Carla, Margaret and Giselle. Our class was an all girl class. I also remember Sister Rebecca, Sister Theresa, Sister Rosemarie (our history teacher). I continued to Cathedral High School but I miss all my dear classmates. Is there anyone out there who enters this site? My email is n.krelios@yahoo.com I would love to hear from someone. Marlene Taylor became a doctor (wonderful!!!). Shorpy Hall of FameIf there were a Shorpy Hall of Fame, this photo would definitely have to be in the inaugural class. I've enjoyed going through the many comments for this photo going back to 2007 even though I have absolutely no connection to the school other than being Catholic. What is equally as awesome is that a look at the location today via Google Maps indicates that, other than a few trees, fire hydrants, automobiles and removal of the statue, everything is basically the same today. Double DutchKllroy is correct about not much having changed, but it looks like even the foreground fire hydrant is in the same place (but a newer model). It looks like the circa 1914 photographer was set-up on the northeast corner of Amsterdam Avenue and 143rd Street. The Google Maps photo was taken travelling northbound on Amsterdam Avenue. So basically both photos are shot from almost the same location; it is interesting how the vintage image makes 143rd Street appear much shorter than in the Google image. I guess it's the result of different formats and lenses. By the way, the buildings at the far end of the T-intersection, on Convent Avenue (mostly blocked by the trees in the Google image), reflect NYC's Dutch heritage [ETA:] as does "Amsterdam" Avenue. (The Gallery, Education, Schools, G.G. Bain, Kids, NYC)
Eight Till Noon: 1865
... still stand? Interesting. Interesting. The trees lining the street might have served as convenient ties as well as shade ... favorite sites: a wonderful window into the past. The trees I'm used to urban trees being planted in gaps in the sidewalk. ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/31/2012 - 9:28pm -

1865. "Charleston, South Carolina. Meeting Street, near Broad; St. Michael's Church in middle distance. Photograph of the Federal Navy, and seaborne expeditions against the Atlantic Coast of the Confederacy." View full size. Left half of a wet-collodion glass-plate stereograph. Juniper Gallery fine-art print. Tower in the distanceThe next tower down the street (with scaffolding): is that another church bell tower? Do any of these beautiful buildings still stand? Interesting.Interesting. The trees lining the street might have served as convenient ties as well as shade for the horses. Shorpy is one of my favorite sites: a wonderful window into the past. The treesI'm used to urban trees being planted in gaps in the sidewalk. Interesting that in this shot the sidewalk is paved but the road isn't, and the trees are in the road. Still Standing?Yes indeed, St. Michael's Episcopal still stands. Unlike Atlanta and Columbia and hundreds of other towns and villages along the way of Sherman's march to the sea, Charleston was largely bypassed by the general's hordes. The battery area of Charleston dates to well before the War between the States -- quite a bit is pre-Revolutionary. Well worth a visit if you enjoy old architecture, great food and friendly, welcoming people. CharlestonThis looks like it the opposite end of the street of "After the Bombardment." Blurred man on sidewalkNotice the guy walking along the sidewalk on the left. He is blurred from his movement. He takes about four steps. There's also someone exiting the dark space between the columns on the right -- also blurred. And of course there's the people seen off in the distance. [On the right, I think that's a lady with a hat going into the building. - Dave] Street TreesThat's interesting that trees are planted right in the street, not enclosed like trees would be today. Re: Tower in the distanceI think the tower in the distance is the Circular Church, which was restored. It and the bigger church in this picture are still standing today. Charleston still looks quite like this picture... just with cars on the streets, and no trees planted in the road. [Yes, the tower with the scaffold is the Circular Congregational Church, which was being rebuilt after a fire in 1861. - Dave] +145The view is looking north from just below Broad. The beautiful house on the right remains as does one on the left. Below is the same view from May of 2010. (The Gallery, Charleston, Civil War)
Christmas in Columbus: 1955
... Schomburg! 10:54:24 Can't see the Kress for the trees Jimmy's Jewelers, at 1121 Broadway is where ?mburg Jeweler was in ... assessable from Front Ave, the next street over. Lots of trees line Broadway between 11th and 12th Streets now and there is still a good ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 05/10/2022 - 10:45am -

December 1955. Columbus, Georgia. "Christmas decorations on Broadway." 4x5 inch acetate negative from the Shorpy News Photo Archive. View full size. TimingNice hand alignment, Mr. Schomburg! 10:54:24 Can't see the Kress for the treesJimmy's Jewelers, at 1121 Broadway is where ?mburg Jeweler was in December 1955. The S.H. Kress & Co. storefront is still there; but the building is gone and all that's left is a parking lot assessable from Front Ave, the next street over. Lots of trees line Broadway between 11th and 12th Streets now and there is still a good amount of retail, especially restaurants. It looked nice in 1955 and looks nice now. [As noted below, the jeweler's name is on the clock. - Dave] Yes it is - Schomburg. Thanks. Good buy, ColumbusKress was - of course (?) - known for its Art Deco buildings erected during the Depression; but Columbus seems to have had to make do with an older yellow brick storefront. Can't see the city for the trees nowMy first job out of college was as a reporter at The Columbus Ledger on 12th Street. I must have walked past that Kress's 500 times on the way to the Government Center as the paper's government reporter and for lunch at Spano's. But there was not a tree in sight in the early '70s, so it looked about like it did in the mid-'50s. I've seen Shorpy photos of Augusta, Ga., my home town, and it is a carbon copy of Columbus, only flipped, with the river walk on the east in Augusta and on the west in Columbus. And Augusta's downtown, too, has been taken over by trees in the past 50 years. I guess that was the trend in urban planning then. Blue ChristmasIs that Elvis with an electric guitar under the Kress awning performing Blue Christmas? [Or an acoustic mandolin. - Dave] Forward in TimeThe great clock moved with the store to the north side of town. Lincoln CapriVery nice 1954 Lincoln Capri parked at the curb. White, with a dark (black probably?) top, wide white sidewall tires, and a very slick rear-mounted spare tire. The 1950's were a little schizophrenic about car design. Mid-50's were pretty good, but by the time 1959 rolled around, it was all about wildly oversized fins, trunks and hoods you could land a small plane on, and wheelbase that was out of control. But this 1954 model is an example of some of the best mid-decade design there was. That Lincoln... is stunning. Angling for Details I was immediately drawn into this wonderful shot because of the photo angle & amount of detail provided - including by other commenters. Love everything vintage, so I appreciate the car, building & location information shared. The personal stories & memories are the icing on the cake. (The Gallery, Christmas, Columbus, Ga., News Photo Archive, Stores & Markets)
The Dennis: 1901
... used to convey guests along the Boardwalk. - Dave] Trees on the beach Why are all the trees stacked up on the beach in front of the fence? Some kind of erosion ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 06/08/2016 - 7:21pm -

"The Dennis, Atlantic City, 1901." Decades before The Donald came to town. 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. Lady on leftEdith, I swear if it get any hotter I'm going swimming clothes and all! Second Boy from the right"Hey Elmer, check out the ankles on that chick" No towelsMust have been an extra sandy experience, back then. The Dennis"You'll love our pine-scented beaches.' Not wheelchair compliantIt appears the hotel is not ADA compliant. There is a wheelchair at the bottom of the stairs on the left. Looks like the user is hobbling up the stairs to her room. I hope they didn't put her on the top floor. No light colored parasols here, just dark rain bumbershoots to hide under. I really enjoy looking at these pictures on my tablet. The spreading of the fingers zoom feature allows one to check the fine detail. Keep up the good work! [The vehicle at the foot of the stairs is a "rolling chair," used to convey guests along the Boardwalk. - Dave] Trees on the beachWhy are all the trees stacked up on the beach in front of the fence? Some kind of erosion control? Strange effect The kid in front of the two ladies looks like he fell out of a Winslow Homer painting and landed on the beach. Trees on the beach, a Jersey Shore traditionAlthough those don't look like Scotch Pines and Doug Firs, they may be there for the same reason hundreds of New Jersey towns, at least throughout my youth, used to collect used Christmas trees at curbside and send them on a seaside excursion. Yes, it was for erosion control, they claimed... possibly to keep the sands from swirling and shifting during the rough winter-spring transition. Earlier generationWhile the Dennis Hotel is still used by Bally, this picture is of an earlier incarnation of the hotel: "The latest version of the Dennis, pre-casinos, was constructed between 1919 and 1925, Kutschera said. It was built in the French regency style, with a distinctive mansard roof." [Other Shorpy photos show mansard roofs present as early as 1905 and 1908. -tterrace] Where?Anyone have any idea of where in AC this hotel was. I will be going to AC in 3 weeks and would like to see what's there now. [It's still there, now incorporated into the Bally's complex. -tterrace] (The Gallery, Atlantic City, DPC, Swimming)
Delaware Avenue: 1901
... [Just like it says in the caption! - Dave] Little trees I couldn’t help noticing the little trees lining both sides of this block. So I streetviewed what I believe to be ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 01/29/2021 - 3:17pm -

Washington, D.C., circa 1901. "An elevated view of Delaware Avenue S.W. between H & G streets from the Randall School." Large structure on the horizon is the Pension Office, now the National Building Museum. 8x10 glass negative, D.C. Street Survey Collection. View full size. National Building Museum nowThe Pension Office is now the National Building Museum. The interior is even more impressive than the exterior. For a photo see: https://www.nbm.org/about/ [Also here. - Dave] I Spy National Building MuseumThe large building in the distance is the National Building Museum. [Just like it says in the caption! - Dave] Little treesI couldn’t help noticing the little trees lining both sides of this block. So I streetviewed what I believe to be the current stretch of this block (Delaware Avenue SW does weird things between H and G streets – some adjacent streets are mysteriously unlabeled and unstreetviewable, so I may be wrong) and I’m happy to report that there are now grand mature trees in evidence. TreesWhy are all the trees protected, were they newly planted? [Horses tend to nibble. - Dave] (The Gallery, D.C., D.C. Street Survey)
Rainbow Gas: 1939
... Administration. View full size. Re: Xmas Trees If DKM is referring to those plants on the right, against the dark ... decide between the Orange Kist or the Root beer. Xmas Trees Christmas trees in August. I wonder if they were way overstocked from ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 06/04/2015 - 10:15am -

August 1939. "Crossroads grocery store and filling station, typical of many such small enterprises in new community. Yakima, Washington, Sumac Park." Photo by Dorothea Lange for the Resettlement Administration. View full size. Re: Xmas TreesIf DKM is referring to those plants on the right, against the dark building, I believe they’re runner beans. You can see the vertical strings. [Referring to this. -tterrace] Oops. Thanks, tterrace. Sorry, DKM. (Welcome to the Shorpy comments!) Soda PopI can't decide between the Orange Kist or the Root beer. Xmas TreesChristmas trees in August. I wonder if they were way overstocked from the year before or really early. (The Gallery, Dorothea Lange, Gas Stations, Stores & Markets)
Chicago: 1920s
... about his collection here . Still there, bigger trees View Larger Map A bit older Looking at the cars ... house, one way, new street lights and (probably) newer trees. Nice to see that, for the most part, the character of this quiet street ... 
 
Posted by globalpillage - 09/14/2011 - 6:23pm -

Taken from the old elevated Union Pacific/North Line track looking due east up West Arthur Avenue toward North Clark in the Rogers Park neighborhood of northeast Chicago (Thanks TD for figuring that out). View full size. Gasoline AlleyAlthough he lived in an apartment on the Southside and then later in the country, this is the type of Chicago neighborhood that inspired Frank O. King when he created the long-running (1918 to date) "Gasoline Alley" comic strip. The homes he depicted were built before the automobile was prevalent and so did not have garages. If you owned your own home you could have added a garage with an alley entrance at the back of the property just as Noelani suggested. If you rented rather than owned, you could rent a garage from entrepreneurs who built them in the alleys behind their commercial property. These rows of garages were called Gasoline Alleys. Sometimes these rented garages were blocks away from where the car owner lived. Often, if you took public transportation to work, you would visit your car in its rented garage only on the weekends. Since there were many others renting in your alley that were not from your neighborhood, the garage communities were like a second home neighborhood for the weekend and days off, creating another whole set of friends. The still running Gasoline Alley strip had the distinction of being the first comic in which the characters aged in real time, with babies being born and growing up and old folks dying. The panel below, which shows the main character Walt coming home to a house much like those in the picture above, is from the May 25, 1921 comic strip. About the AuthorThis is our first post from Pete Mauney, proprietor of Global Pillage. More about his collection here. Still there, bigger treesView Larger Map A bit olderLooking at the cars and the ad for Schaeffer beer, I would say this is the 1910's. Just my 2 cents. [Schaeffer is a storage warehouse, not a beer. Also consider the format. This was imaged from a film negative, not a glass plate. - Dave] My Old HoodLived near here while going to graduate school at NU. I loved Rogers Park. Less expensive than most neighborhoods, but still pretty nice overall. Most diverse hood in the city for many years, may still be. After 91 YearsSame house, one way, new street lights and (probably) newer trees. Nice to see that, for the most part, the character of this quiet street has remained the same. Rogers ParkThe steeple in the distance of the upper left (visible if the photo is enlarged) is that of St. Ignatius Catholic Church. Welcome... to suburbia? At least they put in decent sidewalks. In spite of the 1927 15 millionth Model T, carmania was still in check, or so it seems. LOVE THIS SITEFeels like the best kind of time travel. Siebold and Schaeffer StorageThe 1923 City Directory gives the location, 6542 N Clark St. The building is now the home of Burrows Moving and Storage. View Larger Map Union Pacific (ex- Chicago & North Western)For true-blue Chicagoans, the three Union Pacific commuter rail lines will always belong to the Chicago & North Western Railway, which was "absorbed" by the UPRR on October 1, 1995. Just as the elevated lines of the Chicago Transit Authority will always be known by their old route names, and not by their newer "color" names (Red Line, Blue Line, etc.) ... Frozen in timeSeeing that little girl running enthusiastically toward the man sitting casually on the fence rail in the lower right of the photo highlights for me that it is truly like a frozen moment in time. Is that her mother walking fifty paces behind her with groceries? NowadaysNot only have the trees gotten bigger, the Model Ts have morphed into Hondas and SUVs! So few carsIs it a weekday and most of the cars are someone else, or did most people not yet have cars? Or, maybe there are alleys in the back of the houses where more of the cars are parked. The treesUndoubtedly the best part for me is seeing how young the trees were. You were alble to see the entire block without much difficulty. Now, the old trees block much of the view. William Wallen addition to Rogers ParkI live in Rogers Park, and have always loved this section of Arthur Avenue, as it's the closest thing Chicago has to a "bungalow court". The land these houses were built on (as well as that on which my own house was built) is called the William Wallen addition. The Chicago & Northwestern Railway purchased this land, which runs parallel to the tracks (now Metra), to build housing for railway employees. The first owner of my house was a CNW rail conductor! Wallen was an early settler of what later became Rogers Park, and he's honored by the naming of Wallen Avenue. It Looks Like 1921I magnified the picture to 400% and looked at the car facing the camera. The logo on the radiator looks like the Chevy bowtie. From there I pulled out my Sixty Years of Chevrolet book and narrowed the car down to 1920 - 1922 based on fenders, radiator, body style, lights and other characteristics. Illinois used a dash or dot separator between the digits (like 22-222 or 111-111) on a five or six digit plate between 1922 and 1937. Since this plate does not have a separator the license plate must be from before 1922. Illinois license plates had black lettering on an orange background in 1920 and white lettering on a black background in 1921. This plate has white lettering. Therefore, this appears to be a photograph from 1921. I Grew Up HereI grew up on this street, in the house at 1773 Arthur. It's rightmost house that's shown in full, the one with three vertical windows on the second floor. My father's family moved into the house shortly after this photo was taken - my dad was 11 at the time - and my grandfather added dormers on the second floor, to make a separate apartment in the house. Just south of this street were the barns for the city street cars. One of my earliest memories is of watching the streetcars rattle down Ravenwood Avenue and pull into the barns. After the streetcars were replaced with buses in the late 1950s, the city parked garbage trucks and snowplows on the site; now, it's a large police station. The street is largely unchanged from when this photo was taken. The houses were built around the time of WWI, and all at the same time: if you walk up the street, you'll see the same three designs repeated in sequence. The houses also had the usual flourishes of homes built back then, including stained glass windows and oak floors. The houses were unusual for Chicago, though, in that they were built of firebrick covered with stucco, instead of being faced with brick or limestone. The saplings in the picture were elms. Over the years, they grew into lovely shade trees, forming a cathedral arch over the street. However, the Dutch elm disease killed them all, and they were cut down in the late 1960s. The trees now on the street are maples and locusts that were planted in the 1970s. The area just west of where the photo was taken was all truck farms in the 1920s. Later, it was developed and became a flourishing Jewish neighborhood. Nowadays, the Jewish people have moved on and their place has been taken by Indian and Pakistani immigrants. If you like Indian food, the intersection of Devon and Western, a short walk from where this photo was taken, is *the* place to go in Chicago - it also has the only halal KFC I've seen anywhere. Many thanks to the poster, for bringing back so many memories. The Old NeighborhoodMy grandparents purchased a building two blocks east of the position of this photo back in the late 1930s at the intersection of Wallen Ave and Clark. Our entire family resided in a bungalow home much like those in the pic in the adjacent neighborhood a mile to the west (West Rogers Park/ Westridge)from the early 50s through the late 70s. This community was an extremely prosperous area during that time period anchored by the Devon Ave business corridor. Great picture, great comments.I enjoyed taking long looks at this picture, and the great comments too. I grew up, in the seventies, on Sheridan and Glenlake. I was always jealous of kids who grew up in houses like these. I grew up in a highrise. (ShorpyBlog, Member Gallery, GlobalPillage)
Tidily Trimmed: 1901
... like a neatly trimmed bush! How can they have palm trees in the East? Hmmm? [Back then, Mississippi was in the South. ... raggedy around the crotch. Re: How can they have palm trees in the East? Ever wonder how some people make it through the day ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 02/05/2010 - 4:01am -

Mississippi circa 1901. "Gate to the Hamilton residence, Bay St. Louis." Mrs. Hamilton, perhaps, showing off her neatly sculpted entryway. View full size. ShelledNote the oyster shells in the lower right corner. They served as cheap aggregate to "pave" dirt streets along the coast. When I Googled that it wasn't the picture that came back. Nice 'Fro(someone had to be first) Barbed WireThat is an interesting fence arrangement. It looks like they might have kept grazing animals in the enclosure to keep the grass trimmed. As a lifelong hater of power lawn mowers, I think it's a pretty cool set up. I'm GuessingThat her other hat is really, really, big. Obviously......Mr Hamilton was eleven feet tall. New do?Looks like Mrs. Hamilton is showing off a giant afro! Shrubbery TrimThis trim job was in anticipation of a resurgence of the stovepipe hat craze. EntrywayShe must have had some VERY tall gentleman callers. HideousI see that bad taste is not a new phenomenon. Maybesomeone knew big screen tv was coming. What's in her hand?Is it possible to see what she's got in her hand. It looks like a candy bar. [Exactly. Probably one of those old-fashioned Butterfingers that unfold into a fan. - Dave] Barbed wireThat was to keep horses away from the picket fence. D'ohPerhaps Mrs. Hamilton was expecting a visit by Marge Simpson? Like Mama always saidNothing increases curb appeal like a neatly trimmed bush! How can they have palm trees in the East?Hmmm? [Back then, Mississippi was in the South. Hmmm? - Dave] [P.S. That's a cycad. Hmmm? - Dave] "Her neatly sculpted entryway"Man, I am not even touching that one. So to speak. Bush distractionSo much distraction with the bush I hardly noticed the dark circles under her eyes, hope it is only a 5 o'clock bush shadow. Now onto that porch with the fantastic curtains. Wow. What a kid magnet that would have been for me. On the GulfGiven the waterfront location, her big bush was no doubt crawling with crabs at night. Neatly manicured in front... that bush is, but a little raggedy around the crotch. Re: How can they have palm trees in the East?Ever wonder how some people make it through the day without their heads imploding? No treadmill for me todayWith all the good cardio I'm getting today reading Dave's answers to some of the comments today. Can't tell you how hard I'm laughing. My wife thought I was watching Seinfeld reruns. I think the hedge looks like the hairdo of Nancy of the old comic strips. Porch curtainsLove the curtains - the latest craze in "outdoor rooms." And here we thought it was a new trend. (The Gallery, DPC)
From All of Us: 1921
... the National Photo Co. View full size. Different trees Wow. It never ceases to amaze me how different Christmas trees looked back in the day. I don't mean the decorations, I mean the actual ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 04/29/2014 - 1:44pm -

Washington, D.C. "Dickey Christmas tree, 1921." Our annual holiday card featuring the family of lawyer Raymond Dickey, who has a decade's worth of Christmases preserved in the archives of the National Photo Co. View full size. Different treesWow. It never ceases to amaze me how different Christmas trees looked back in the day. I don't mean the decorations, I mean the actual shape of the tree. Is it because they were just chopped from somewhere by the homeowners? Or maybe there is a species that has been developed for mass consumption today? I don't mean any disparagement on Mr. Dickey's tree because it looks like it was lovingly decorated, which is the whole idea. It's just that the shape is so strange to me and I've seen it in other pictures of that era that have been posted here that I'm curious. Conical ChristmasThis photo makes me wonder - When did the current "pointy triangle" Christmas tree become popular? Did a bill collector just enter the room?Again, a scrawny tree with no lights. Doesn't look like a happy family, and what could they be staring at? [Look again. There are lights all over this tree. - Dave] Perfection is relativeI've observed that in old photos of plain and poorly shaped women as well as poorly shaped Christmas trees, many viewers raise the subject of appearance. We had trees like this when I was young, usually because Dad always got one that was way too tall and we had to cut off to fit it in the room. We had one as recently as about 20 years ago that looked like a giant tumbleweed, rather shapeless and sparse. However, in defense of such trees, my son pointed out that such spareness of greenery made the ornaments much more important, visible and spotlighted the outstanding beauty of decorations such as these, while the lush, bushy trees often obscure the ornaments. I notice that this year there is a "Charlie Brown Tree" for sale which is basically a very sparse branch on a thin, wispy trunk with only one ornament on the single branch, as in the cartoon. As kids, we loved our skimpy, roundish, scanty Christmas tree (just as God made it) and found it magically beautiful. Perhaps growing up and becoming "sophisticated" makes us see faults instead of beauty? Just look at these magnificent ornaments. May your best ever Christmas holiday be exceeded this year. May Shorpy continue to gain fans and prosper. TriangularIt's spruces that are conical. This looks like pine. The smell of ChristmasAh, what wonderful holiday memories; the aroma of evergreen needles and Daddy's cigar smoke in my face. Reflections on an OrnamentDo you have a bigger version of the bauble above the girl's head? I'd love to see the rest of this room (and maybe the photographer?). Ornaments of days gone byChristmas tree shots like this always throw me into a temporal disconnect; these are the exact kind of ornaments I grew up with in the 1950s. And I'll bet this tree looked fantastic in color and in normal, rather than exploding flash powder light. Christmas VacationThis is definitely a Clark Griswold tree. I only wonder where cousin Eddie is. Modern Tree TastesThat tree is fabulous. I think back in the day, especially if you didn't live somewhere fairly close to a supply of ideal, cone-shaped firs or cedars, you pretty much settled for whatever healthy-looking pine or cedar-like tree you could find. Also, keep in mind that today's Christmas tree farms prune the trees every year to make sure they maintain the ideal cone shape. Let 'em run wild and they wouldn't be so perfect, and probably more sparsely limbed. When I was a kid ('70's), before there were any tree farms around, we would just go out in some of our or a relative's woods & find a young juniper & pull it out of the woods. Love this treeThis is more than a Christmas tree. This is Christmas tree as art installation. I love the fact that it nearly takes over the room and that there is room to breathe between the branches that allows the ornaments and ropes of glass balls to be draped and displayed in all their glory. This is the kind of tree my grandparents always had--very big and wide and decorated with the exact same ornaments. The only thing missing is Angel Hair (was it actually fiber glass?). My grandmother went through a big angel hair period before she moved on to tinsel. Too bad all the trees nowadays look exactly the same-perfectly shaped and boring, and too thick to truly decorate and dress to the nines. Alice Dickey ThompsonIts a bit hard to believe from this photo, but the teenager on the right, young Miss Alice Dickey, is destined to be the Editor and Publisher of Seventeen Magazine and Executive Editor of Glamour Magazine. I'm still hunting for a later photo of her. Some Links from the web: Time Magazine, 1949 Time Magazine, 1950 Women's periodicals in the United States: consumer magazines Washington Post, Apr 2, 1940 Rites for Raymond B. Dickey, Lawyer, to Be Held Tomorrow Funeral rites for Raymond B. Dickey, 62, dean of faculty of the Washington Chapter of the American Institute of Banking and a prominent attorney, will be at 2 p.m. tomorrow at Deal funeral home, 4812 Georgia avenue northwest. Burial will be in Cedar Hill Cemetery ... A native of Harpers Ferry, W. Va., Mr. Dickey was educated at Georgetown University where he was awarded an LL.D. degree in 1899 and his LL.M. the following year. At the time of his death he was general counsel for the Civilian Conservation Corps. For many years he taught the bills and notes course at the banking institute. With his son, J. Maxwell Dickey, he maintained offices in the National Press Building. He made his home at 1702 Kilbourne street northwest. ... Besides his son, J. Maxwell Dickey, he leaves his wife, Mrs. Rose M. Dickey; two other sons, Granville E., chief statistician of the Civilian Conservation Corps, and Raymond D. Dickey, of Arlington County, a public relations counsel; and a daughter Mrs. Alice D. Thompson, of California and New York City, the editor of Glamour Magazine. According to the 1920 Census, those pictured here are: Raymond B., 43 Rose M., 40 Alice E., 13 John M., 9 Raymond R., 3 The census also lists an older son, Granville E., 18. [Note: ages are based on those listed in 1920 census plus one.] Boat Ornaments!I love the viking boat ornaments! I feel inspired to make some for my own tree. Charlie Brown Christmas treeI still get flack over this straggly tree, but it remains my favorite, because I took my three-year-old son into the woods and he helped me select cut, haul, erect and decorate it. Beautiful photo!I love this picture. The Christmas tree looks as though it's been lovingly decorated by everybody in the family without notions of "the perfect tree." As someone who is (not by choice) alone on Christmas, I wish I could join them! OrnamentalismI recognize quite a few of these glass ornaments from our own trees of my childhood. We had some of the Santa ones and quite a number of the various balls. As well as birds with the spun glass tails. My favorite was always the crane with the long neck and beak. They clipped onto the branch on a spring. Over the years we lost many of them and the last went when a friend, well known for his clumsiness) was helping put up the tree and sat on the box of ornaments. Who is that man in the ornament?Look at the silver ball over Alice's head. Looks like a man seated with a dog. Clouded PupilsWhy are the pupils of the two bottom kids clouded? Maybe the shutter speed was just slow enough to get a blink in there? [The "clouded" or "zombie" look is a characteristic of flash powder photography, where there was usually no mechanism for synchronizing the exposure and flash. The photo catches the subjects' eyes both open and closed because the exposure is slightly longer than it needs to be. With the advent of flashbulbs and electrical synchronization of shutter and flash, the exposure generally ends before the flash triggers the blink reflex. In the early days of "flashlight" photography, shutter speed wasn't a factor because there was no shutter, or the shutter wasn't used. The lens cap was removed from the camera, the flash was ignited, then the lens cap was replaced. - Dave] Beginning to See the LightsI think the "Viking boat ornament" may have been a balloon with a sail, as in a Jules Verne illustration. Thanks, Dave, I now see the lights—how could I have missed them? Buety is In the eye of the beholderI don't think there is such a thing as a bad looking Christmas tree. I am often amazed by comments made to the contrary. Nowadays so many times the word "tradition" leaves little to the imagination. Some of the most memorable Christmas trees of my past looked a lot less ornate than this tree by far but they were perfect on our eyes. Back in the early 60's we used to string cranberries and popcorn to put on our tree. [Something tells me you haven't seen Buety lately. - Dave] Good Luck!I think I've spotted the Christmas Pickle! "Village of the Damned," anyone?Even with an explanation, those kids are pretty creepy. Tree Full of HeirloomsLet's hope the kids of these kids are still putting the same beautiful ornamants on their trees this Christmas. Connections, connections...Alice probably edited the Glamour magazine seen hanging in the newsstand in last week's "Zines": https://www.shorpy.com/node/7233 It's amazing how things here are connected. I'll be darned. After reading the tip about Alice growing up to be an editor, I pulled out my trusty copy of Seventeen Magazine from November 1946 from my desk drawer (doesn't everyone have one stored there?)...and sure enough, there she was! What a cool connection. Tree FarmingI'm not sure how long Christmas tree farming has been a business, but I suspect it wasn't during this family's lifetime. These days it can be profitable business, but while it isn't exactly regulated, with rules as to the sort of trees that can be grown, there are preferred types. According to the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, the preferred types are White Pine, White Spruce, Scots Pine, Balsam Fir, Blue Spruce and Fraser Fir. The trees are pruned for shape and to increase foliage density. I suspect that none of this happened to this tree. Someone probably just went out into the woods and cut down the scraggly runt trees that didn't look like they'd ever amount to anything went it came to lumbering. Then they shipped them off to the city where they'd cost a pretty penny to the buyers and supplement the lumber company's bottom line. I'm guessing these folks got the best of what was available and were damned pleased to get it. Not only does he smoke in the house,but he can't put it down for the Christmas photo. I am assuming that the Dickey family had these made but didn't send them out in Christmas cards ...after all the invention of the refrigerator magnet was decades in the future. Old Clothes?This is one of those photos you can look at in hi-def and notice more and more. This family is obviously prosperous -- it's a huge tree and elaborately decorated, if not in the current shape fashion,also note the train set-so WTH- Mom's in her oldest skirt with stuff crammed in her pocket,junior has holes in his stockings and something safety-pinned to the front of his shirt and the future glamour editor looks decidedly unglamorous. Even given the limitations of flash photography at the time, these people don't look happy,and even in 1921 people had plenty of experience with Kodaks and snapshots and knew how to smile for a picture. Here Mom looks deranged, Dad looks like he's threatening the terrified looking child on his knee, and the two older kids look like they can't wait to get out of there. Merry Christmas! Shorpy on TVI did a double-take during last night's Daily Show with Jon Stewart. An altered version of this photo appeared during a segment entitled Obama's Socialist Christmas Ornament Program. Either it's a remarkable coincidence or someone at the Daily Show is reading Shorpy. (The Gallery, Christmas, D.C., Kids, Natl Photo, The Dickeys)
Green Detroit: 1942
... Detroit Public Library. It's strange to see all the trees in the photo. Those are sadly not there anymore. My Old Neighborhood ... downtown sky scrapers and was surprised at seeing so many trees in the city. [Happy birthday, Seattle Kid! - Dave] Parade ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/30/2012 - 10:52am -

Detroit, July 1942. "Looking north on Woodward Avenue from the Maccabees Building with the Fisher Building at the distant left, and the Wardell Hotel at the right." 4x5 Kodachrome transparency by Arthur Siegel. View full size. Detroit Institute of ArtsIn the foreground, the building to the right (cut off) is now the home of the Detroit Institute of Arts. The building on the left is the Detroit Public Library. It's strange to see all the trees in the photo. Those are sadly not there anymore. My Old NeighborhoodI went to college and lived in this neighborhood about a block out of frame to the right. Most of the major buildings in the picture are still there today and look much the same. The Detroit Institute of Art has just finished up a Michael Graves redesign of the 1960s and 70s additions that wrap around the back of the original central building seen here. The DIA atrium contains Diego Rivera's famous Detroit industry murals. The main branch of the DPL on the left is by Cass Gilbert with a later rear addition by his son. The streetcars are gone of course, but there are groups working to bring them back to this part of Woodward Avenue. Charles Lang Freer's Mansion is hidden behind the three-winged Wardell (now Park Shelton) Hotel. The Freer Mansion, one of the most important Shingle Style residences in the country, once contained the famous Peacock Room designed by Whistler, later relocated to the Freer Gallery in Washington. The smokestacks next to Woodward just at the horizon were at the now demolished powerhouse of Ford's Highland Park factory. Old Detroit87 years ago today I was born in Detroit, Michigan. Detroit was a tree city. I remember going to the top of the downtown sky scrapers and was surprised at seeing so many trees in the city. [Happy birthday, Seattle Kid! - Dave] Parade routeDitto anonymous tipster, I worked at that library, attended Wayne State University which is (will be) off to the left, and this side of the photographer. Site of the Hudson's Thanksgiving Day Parade. Still a Jungle Out ThereSeattlekid, you still can see the treetops from many buildings. I went up in the abandoned Michigan Central Station and after looking at the pictures, you'd think Detroit was all trees. On another note, look at how nice Woodward Avenue actually looks. Nowadays, if you try riding your bike on it you're certainly taking your life into your hands. Home Sweet HomeJust across Woodward from the Wardell/Park Shelton, in that grove of trees, you can see a roof with several chimneys. 14 years after this picture was taken, I was born in that building, Called the Art Centre Hospital. It later became part of the Detroit Historical Museum, and is now, I believe, part of Wayne State University. DetroitI was one of the artsy folk over at the College for Creative Studies, but several of my cousins went to Wayne State. The Public Library is really something. My film-major roommate used the grand stairway and second-floor hall as sets for as a fairy tale style palace in a short film he was making. Clang Clang ClangI lived about a half mile south of there on Woodward a few years back - walked to the library all the time, but it's the trolleys that get me - how cool that must have been. The Pontiac SignMakes me think of all the GTO's that will help turn this avenue into a street racing legend 20 odd years later. Or was it Woodward Boulevard? Well, what does a hick from Georgia know about Michigan? Foy Las Vegas Woodward AvenueAerial view. Although MS Live Maps doesn't allow me to view at the same angle, it's still interesting to look at the layout of the area ~66 years later. Detroit trees and streetcarsSadly, most of Detroit has lost the beautiful American elm trees over the last few decades due to Dutch Elm Disease. I remember the early a.m. spraying helicopter flights over our northwest Detroit neighborhood in the early sixties as the city tried to control the blight. I wonder how many later sicknesses and chronic conditions were caused by all of us breathing the aerial sprays. In 1970 while working for the DSR (Detroit's bus company), many old time executives told me detailed stories about the streetcars' demise in the 50's. Most of the tales had to do with the auto executives refusing to allow room for tracks within the newly planned expressways (freeways) to the Willow Run auto plant during WWII. One was quoted as saying that he'd be damned if his employees would be taking a streetcar to work instead of buying and driving one of the cars that they made. I think they were sold to Mexico City where they still faithfully ply the rails. The City BeautifulA few months ago, I was on a road trip from Toronto to Ann Arbor. We went south instead of north (can't remember the road) and ended up driving into Detroit. I was thrilled. The architecture is amazing. I plan a trip soon to visit and photograph these incredible buildings. I'm putting the DIA, the DPL and the Freer Mansion on the top of the list. I'm rooting for those tracks to be brought back too. Streetcars and treesA lovely pic of Detroit; if you want to actually be in a city with hard-working streetcars and a blanket of trees go to Toronto, just a few hours east of this view. With a few glass skyscrapers now added one gets the impression of a prosperous, pre-1940 American city, with a dose of peace, order and good government -- sort of a motto there. Woodward Dreaming CruiseWe used to ride the streetcar down from the 8-Mile Palmer Park area by the State Fairgrounds to go shopping at the big J.L.Hudson department store in downtown, farther south from this photo. The last day of service of the streetcars they put on several extra cars for a "one last ride" experience. My father took me along and we rode that last trip into the sunset. I got to see Canada across the river and was tremendously impressed at being able to actually see a whole different country. Still don't know how we got home, if that was the last trip! About those GTOs on Woodward Avenue. That all happened way farther north from here off into the distance at the top of the photo, starting at 11 Mile Road in Royal Oak (where I lived later on) and racing from stoplight to stoplight (about every half mile) up to about 15 Mile Road in Birmingham. I learned to drive a half mile at a time -- but very quickly. Detroit, my hometownWayne State University was (and still is) located to the left of what this photograph shows. When this photograph was taken, however, the university was known as Wayne University and was actually operated by the Board of Education of the city's public school district. The word "State" was added to the university's name in the 1950s when it joined Michigan's other main state-supported schools--the University of Michigan and Michigan State University. In the upper left-hand corner of the photograph two of legendary architect Albert Kahn's edifices can be seen. The tall building is the Fisher Building, so named for the Fisher brothers (of Fisher Body fame) who commissioned it. Immediately in front of, and to the right of, the Fisher Building is what was then known as the General Motors Building. This edifice, which was the world's largest office building when built in the late 1920s, housed the carmaker's main offices until the late 1990s when the automaker moved to its present home in downtown Detroit. Today, the former GM Building is known as Cadillac Place and houses various State of Michigan government offices and courts. (The Gallery, Kodachromes, Arthur Siegel, Detroit, Streetcars)
The Asphalt Jungle Gym: 1941
... Side. Gottscho-Schleisner photo. View full size. Trees and windows The trees are taller now, and at some point more modern double-hung windows were ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 04/28/2014 - 12:40pm -

July 14, 1941. "Vladeck Houses, Madison Street, New York City. W.F.R. Ballard; Sylvan Bien; Shreve, Lamb & Harmon, architects." The Baruch Charney Vladeck Houses on the Lower East Side. Gottscho-Schleisner photo. View full size. Trees and windowsThe trees are taller now, and at some point more modern double-hung windows were installed, but otherwise the 1500-unit Vladeck Houses haven't changed too much physically in 73 years. The tenant mix has changed quite a bit, however. Originally, most of the tenants were Jewish, in fact the project takes its name from a prominent Jewish newspaper editor, but by the 1960's the project was largely Hispanic. In recent years more and more Asians have moved in. While the Lower East Side has become a hipster destination of choice, strict income limits have kept the fedora-and-Pabst Blue Ribbon brigade out of the Vladeck Houses. So far. Monkey BarsUntil I scrolled over this image, I had all but forgotten about these types of "monkey bars" that used to populate every playground. I spent a majority of my childhood on these things, but can't recall having seen one for the past 40 years. I suppose they are deemed unsafe with to many hard edges for today's children. Modern youth have to be content with brightly colored plastic playground equipment erected on foam padding ground cover. Monkey Bars IISame here. We had some big ones like this at our school back in the 60's. We had a blast. Of course we got hurt once in a while, but so what? Back then, it wasn't that big of a deal. About the time I started high school a girl finally took a header and broke her fall with her face on the concrete around one of the poles. She pretty much busted every bone in her face. It wasn't long before our beloved old monkey bars went to the knackers yard. The problem with the way they put them things up was they dug post holes, set the pipes and poured concrete around them. After a few years, the dirt around the poles eroded and left the jagged edges exposed. Plus we didn't have mulch or foam padding, just dirt and gravel. We were a lot tougher back then and you didn't have lawsuits like you do now. Re: Trees and windowsAs it looks today, from approximately the same angle: View Larger Map Fasten-ating FactThe good monkey bars were welded. These are clamped and bolted, offering more places to catch clothes and skin. NYC jungle gymsI believe that there is one, and only one, of these square jungle gyms left. It's in Fort Tryon Park, near Dyckman Street (not in the playground that's all up in the northeast corner of the park, but a little further south). It's there because Park Commissioner Henry Stern grew up nearby and insisted that it remain. See this article. Brings Back MemoriesI grew up on Madison Street in the 50's, not far from here, in the Smith Houses. What resonates with me are all the open windows, not an air conditioner in sight. I can still see all the mothers at the windows yelling for their kids to come home for lunch or dinner. We would hang upside down on those monkey bars by our knees and I'm amazed I survived to adulthood. When Kids Were Allowed To Be KidsNone of that pamby bamy rubberized or sandy landing area just good old hard asphalt or slightly harder cement at the bottom to cushion your missteps. It prepared us for real life with the chance to climb to the top to be King Of The Hill but with the danger of a misstep that could result in some harm to either our bodies or clothes. If we had our druthers we would go for the body injury since a little Iodine (ouch) or better yet Mercurochrome aka Monkey Blood (ahh painless) could heal our scrapes but if you ripped a new pair of jeans or shirt there would be the heck to pay. For better or worse concrete and asphalt playgrounds made my generation tough and able to survive and thrive the 60's. (The Gallery, Gottscho-Schleisner, Kids, NYC)
Christmas Tree Market: 1903
... Merry Christmas. Those are some tall Christmas trees Not much has changed in 108 years - except for the horse-drawn delivery vehicles. Bet the trees cost less back then. That is a worried looking pile of trees I don't see one that I would be interested in! East Side, West ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 12/02/2011 - 5:30am -

New York circa 1903. "A Christmas tree market, Barclay Street Station." With wagons for the Mammoth Furniture House and Herman Kornahren's Wooden Ware. Previously seen here. Detroit Publishing glass negative. View full size. Barclay Street StationGoogling around for "Barclay Street Station," I encountered Berenice Abbott, who made a picture of the railway side of Barclay Street Station. Shorpy lovers might be interested in the Gallery of her pictures. Pier 17Here we are again at Pier 17, now home to a major tourist destination, The South Street Seaport. The area once home to the Fulton Fish Market and now TGIF'd by nascent Financial District Bankers and Brokers just partying away. Way up there.Photographic evidence that ceilings were much higher back in the day. Christmas Tree Hunts at the Star NurseryGrowing up in Detroit, Michigan in the 1950's always meant going to the Star Nursery for our Christmas tree. The nursery had a big green five pointed star with the name STAR outlined in lights as its sign. The outdoor garden area was packed with a maze of pines. Strings of overhead lights added to the excitement of prowling the shadowy isles with my younger sister as my parents hunted for the perfect tree. It being Michigan, there was usually snow on the ground which added to the experience. During the rest of year driving by the nursery always brought thoughts of past Christmas tree hunts or the next one coming up. Any tree you want, 25 cents!Seven-footers? No problem. How many? Put one in every room. One stop shoppingFurniture for our mammoth and a tree that fits our 16 foot ceilings, Merry Christmas. Those are some tall Christmas treesNot much has changed in 108 years - except for the horse-drawn delivery vehicles. Bet the trees cost less back then. That is a worried looking pile of treesI don't see one that I would be interested in! East Side, West SideSorry Mr Mel, but I think the photo is of Pier 17 on the Hudson River, not East River. The nice painting you posted is Pier 17 on the East River. The photo is of a NY Central & Hudson RR terminal. Besides, I don't think Barclay Street ever ran to the East River. It did run to the Hudson River, pre-landfill. Pier 17 on the Hudson RiverThe picture is of Pier 17 on the Hudson River, not on the East River where the South Street Seaport now resides. The historical photo is taken from West Street at the foot of Barclay Street, which at that time was on the waterfront. The Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad (among others) had a passenger ferry terminal here as well which lasted until 1967, and was demolished shortly thereafter to make way for the World Trade Center complex. During that construction, fill was added to the river side of West Street, creating new land which would eventually become Battery Park City and the World Financial Center. A new Goldman Sachs glass-and-steel office building now sits where the ferry terminal once resided. (The Gallery, Christmas, DPC, NYC, Railroads)
Philadelphia: 1909
... photo again in 2009 when visiting this beautiful city. The trees seem to have grown a little bit! +104 Below is the same view from ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/12/2024 - 3:06pm -

Philadelphia circa 1909. "Broad Street north from Walnut." With City Hall, William Penn and two young friends center stage. 8x10 inch glass negative, Detroit Publishing Co. View full size. Architectural BeautyI am always amazed at these turn of the century photos. Unlike most of our buildings constructed today, these were done with lovely details and much architectural interest. I become very sad to learn that most of these are gone or on their way to the scrapheap. It must have been wonderful to walk the streets back then to take in the beauty of these grand buildings. Seems as we progress, the further away we stray from the details that were pretty commonplace then. Just an old soul here wanting to go back to that era for a visit. And thanks timeandagainphoto for your pic. Its so nice to see most of the buildings still stand! +97Below is (almost) the same view from July of 2006. Tallest buildingFrom 1901 to 1908, Philadelphia's City Hall was the tallest inhabitable building in the world and until the 1980's it was still the tallest building in the city. Thanks for the photo Dave! TrafficThis brings to mind a recent viewing of the 3rd episode of "Downton Abbey": "Why would you want to go there? - the traffic is terrible - when I last was there there were 5 cars parked and two or three drove past in the same day" -- 100 years laterI unwittingly took this photo again in 2009 when visiting this beautiful city. The trees seem to have grown a little bit! +104Below is the same view from October of 2013 (from the proper perspective unlike my initial comment, +97, further down). (The Gallery, DPC, Philadelphia)
Night Train: 1943
... the light tower seen at the upper right of 14960, and the trees at the upper left in this photo seem to match the ones on the east side ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/29/2024 - 3:02pm -

March 1943. Argentine, Kansas. "Night view of part of the departure yard on the route of the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway." 4x5 inch Kodachrome transparency by Jack Delano for the Office of War Information. View full size. Wow, gorgeous.That's one for the desktop background. Talk about atmospherics. Love it!Perfect exposure. I wonder how many takes it took him to get it right. [This one took some Shadows & Highlights tweaking in Photoshop. - Dave] A theory about the lightingThe exposure was fifteen minutes or so, but the railhouse lights were turned on for only a small portion of that. I can't figure out any other way you would see both the lantern-trail on the right and distinct figures in the house. If so, I wonder if this was arranged with the yard workers. Did Jack Delano tell them to leave the lights off until he called down to them? [Close up, we can see the figures in the railhouse (below) are a blur -- with a light trail from someone's cigarette. I don't think anyone was turning lights off or on. We know that some of Delano's nighttime exposures were around five to seven minutes. - Dave] Very long exposureLook at the meandering light streak on the right, clearly a lantern or flashlight being swung in the hand of somebody walking through the frame. The shutter had to be open for several minutes at least for him to walk so far. The more I look at this picture, the more I love it. [Plus, a cigarette! See above. - Dave] Night Train: 1943This looks like a painting. Look at the rail house the figures in it look painted not real Railhouse Is...In case you are wondering just what the "railhouse" is, its a scale track that weighs freight cars when they are diverted on the track that runs just in front of the windows. Time travel.You realize these old Kodachromes are time travel machines, don't you? Old B/W photos are like looking into a history book. Many washed out old color photos are the same. These old Kodachromes take you back to the instant they were made. You're standing right there, peeking in on others and half expecting them to look right back. Night Train 1943Re: Kodachrome. I took a night photo in Rome in 1958 with ASA 10 Kodachrome. The camera was on a tripod, exposure was on the button at 30 sec. @ f 2.8. If this 4x5 was shot, say, at f8, it would have been, as Dave says, 5 to 7 minutes, plenty of time to record the lanterns of the walkers and the cigarettes of the men in the railhouse. Shooting with slow films was a challenge, but not as daunting as you might think. You could hand-hold in daylight, 5.6 at 1/60th, or even 1/100th in bright sun. My 50+ year-old Kodachromes are as good as new, but not so with Ektachromes, which are all red now, and Anscochromes, which have just faded away. Probably east of 42nd StreetBased on the recently-posted photo at https://www.shorpy.com/node/14960 , I think this is on the east side of 42nd Street (the bridge in the background), looking west. The blur of white in the top center of this photo is from the light tower seen at the upper right of 14960, and the trees at the upper left in this photo seem to match the ones on the east side of 42nd Street (by the big warehouse) in 14960. Today, there is a small shack, and a larger BNSF building, in the general area. http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=39.081542,-94.675506&spn=0.002361,0.00324... (The Gallery, Kodachromes, Jack Delano, Railroads, WW2)
A Dickey Christmas: 1923
... Dickey, whose off-kilter portraits (and non-triangular trees) are a beloved yuletide tradition here at Shorpy. National Photo ... don't look much different from what we might have on our trees today. I notice the lack of lights, though. It's in the ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 12/20/2023 - 3:34pm -

One Hundred Years of Yuletude: "Dickey Christmas tree, 1923." The family of Washington, D.C., lawyer Raymond Dickey, whose off-kilter portraits (and non-triangular trees) are a beloved yuletide tradition here at Shorpy. National Photo Company glass negative. View full size. Times and tastes changeAt first glance, it made me think of a huge spider web. Strangely, most of the ornaments don't look much different from what we might have on our trees today. I notice the lack of lights, though. It's in the details...I find in very interesting that people who live in older homes today panic about even the smallest scratch in their hardwood floors when its very obvious that this middle-class Washington family clearly had no such worry. Also, is anyone able to identify the toy train track in the background? It looks like wind-up track, perhaps O-scale? ExpressionsEvery member of this family wears the exact same expression. From my own middle class perspective it seems to be a pleasant tolerance of all things beneath them . . . which are many and include the photographer and all of us some 85 years later. HaggardThe mother looks so different from the previous photo. Poor gal. So much to take in.When viewed full size, there was just so much to take in...the crazy tree, the intricate sleeves on Sister's dress, the odd pose of poor Mother--practically stuck into the boughs (not to mention her too-tight shoes!), a hint of model railroad track, the wallpaper & border--just SO much! But the number one thing I could not stop thinking...why are everyone's eyes so sad? Don't they know it's Christmas? (Maybe this the custom of the day, to look somber in a holiday photo? Whatever the reason, their melancholy expressions are in contrast to the joyful occasion.) Jingle BellsPoor Mom. It sure looks like the photog positioned her just a little too up close and snuggly with that tree. Her expression does not reflect a comfort zone with it. More like fending it off. TracksJust noticed what appears to be a model train track on the floor to the right. Wonder if a wee little Christmas choo-choo was part of the decorations, or a gift done opened and set up. Remember a very simple Lionel train set my brother and I got for one Christmas. No idea where it ended up. OrnamentsMy family owns ornaments exactly identical to about a third of the ones on the tree. My mother always said they were old, but I didn't think they could be that old! Hmm...Has anyone noticed that the middle child (oldest son) is not the same kid in both pictures? Rather odd, I thought. [The oldest boy is standing on the right in this photo. Still confused? - Dave] The DickeysThe fellow with his arm around the young woman is obviously her husband.. Note wedding ring. Also she appears to be with child. [Nope. He's her brother. - Dave] 1915, 1923If nothing else it shows those two boys are definitely brothers. The younger boy in 1923 looks just like his brother did in 1915! That Tree!Why do I feel like I'm looking at the same one in all these pictures? ETA: I wrote this comment in 2014 and it's still true in 2021. It's a Well Known FactSmiles were not invented until 1933. Charlie Browncarries on the Dickey Christmas tree tradition today. Christmas traditionsHaving been born a Chanukah person, but linked to a Christmas person, I have celebrated Christmas for two thirds of my 60 years. My wife's family is Central European, so they gather for the main event on Christmas Eve. Over the years, their trees have run the gamut from huge misshapen Dickey trees to scraggly Charlie Brown Ion Dept. trees to the current style of "perfect" suburban mall-lot trees. My idea of a gentle Christmas is good company and family, a glass of eggnog and rum, fading afternoon light, with Bing Crosby or Burl Ives playing softly in the background. I wish the very best of the holiday season to my fellow Shorpsters, with special thanks to Dave and tterrace for creating and maintaining this marvellous photographic treasure house and community. WallpaperDon't think I've ever seen a wallpapered ceiling before. Christmas just isn't Christmas......without once again witnessing Rose Dickey's slow descent into madness. Merry Christmas ???I don’t see much merriment here. This conclusion is encouraged by the “noir” lighting for the photography. Sad, very sad. It's complicatedI am struck -- make that dumbstruck -- once again by Mrs. Dickey's "hairstyle", by the size, shape, and ornamentation of that tree, and by the sleeves on that velvet dress. You can't make this stuff up, folks. Merry Christmas anyway. And if you'll forgive me the segue from Dickey to Dickens ... God bless us every one. Alice Smiles!So I went back and looked at all the Dickey Christmas photos on Shorpy, and was reminded of grown-up Alice's job as publisher of Seventeen Magazine. A quick Google search produced this: https://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/1953-press-photo-alice-thompson-3... Nice to see a smile after all those gloomy Christmas photos. Names and AgesJust to put some names and ages to our annual Dickey Christmas family, they are: Raymond B Dickey, 45 Rose M Dickey, 43 Granville E Dickey, 20 Alice E Dickey, 17 John M Dickey, 11 Raymond R Dickey, 5 The ages may or may not be precisely exact, but accurate within a few months. DO NOT MOVE !DO NOT SMILE ! RE: TracksI'm a Lionel collector, and can say that those tracks are for a non-electric train set, probably wind-up. It's All In the Composition As a semi professional (meaning I've sold a handful) photographer, who doesn't always get it right himself, I must say this is just about the the most poorly composed family portrait I've ever seen ... and I love it! I do have some concern for Mrs. Dickey as well, but I'm 98 years too late. Pursed lipshide many secrets: https://www.newspapers.com/image/79911246/ (And for those w/o access: it's the 19Mar13 front page coverage of the escapades of the eldest son [then ten year old] Granville, who had run away from home...to another state !) The old girlThe old girl kinda reminds me of Grandmama of the Addams Family. Maybe --it'll be different next year. Better than BeautyWe have noted that daughter Alice Dickey (later Alice Thompson, then Alice Beaton) became a power in the women's magazine world, as editor of Glamour and of Seventeen. She also co-authored 'Better than Beauty: A Guide to Charm', which was reprinted as recently as 2007 and is available as an ebook today. Did Alice's conception of charm derive from her family? The flip side of a Dickey ChristmasThirty years after this Dickey family Christmas photo was taken, my mother's family celebrated Christmas in New Mexico, where she was from, and her family still ranches. I wouldn't be born for another two years. Still, this photograph is a sweet reminder of the Christmas chaos of my childhood. If only the Dickey children had been given a chance at it. Redecorating!I just went through all of the pictures (Yuletide Tradition) and it looks as though the Dickeys redecorated with new wallpaper every 2 - 3 years. This confirms why house renovators often find layers upon layers of wallpaper! My WishAs always, my hope is that every Shorpy-ite has a merrier Christmas than the Dickeys. Thanks to all who contribute to the community here. Dickey-ish treeThis is Christmas in Brooklyn circa 1954, a few years after I came along. Left to right are my Dad in his chunkier days, my Uncle Gerard (currently a spry and gregarious 97 years young), and my Grandfather Manuel. I don't have any specific memories of the Christmas trees my grandparents put up but from the few pics I've come across it appears they, like the Dickeys, favored the 'wide as it is tall' variety. OuchPoor Mrs. Dickey has some swelling in her right foot/leg ... as evidenced by the flesh pushing doughily through the cutouts at the top of her shoes, which appear a tad bit too small to begin with. And then there's the fact that she had to hold that branch down with two fingers lest it thwack her in the face. Who knows for sure?I see many negative comments about the Dickeys looking miserable and having a "not so Merry Christmas" but this family posed EVERY year for MANY years together. Even when the children were older so Christmas, and the fact that they got together, shows a love for the season and the day itself. And look, we're still looking at them 100 years later. The Meaning of ChristmasSigh.. I love Christmas time.. when Shorpyites from all walks of life put aside their differences and unite to ... critique the Dickeys. LOL. I myself relish hunting for clues to their social/economic means. On one hand you have the annual very very large Christmas bush which seems very lavishly decorated. Rose and Alice's dresses look like they might be silk and velvet. But previously, Shorpyite "Doug Floor Plan" revealed that the Dickeys took 4 boarders into their 5 bedroom home around this time (1920). This would seem an economic drop from 8 years previous ( 1915 ) when there were 4 of them living in a 4 bedroom house with 2 servants. Maybe that would account for Rose's "slow descent into madness"?? Merry Christmas and Happy New Year Shorpy! KA-POOF!Are the Dickeys' portraits taken with the aid of flash powder or flash bulbs? It could partly explain the looks of trepidation on their faces. They'd have to don their Sunday clothes on a random weekday and pose patiently while awaiting a brief but enormous explosion of powder and blinding light. The bright blue spots that people used to see for a minute or two after a flash photo may account for Mrs. Dickey looking away from the camera in several portraits. She may have walked into the tree the year before in a state of temporary blindness. (The Gallery, Christmas, D.C., Kids, Natl Photo, The Dickeys)
Shelby County Courthouse: 1910
... Cart The two guys with the Harpo Marx hats sitting on trees (?) in the cart seem to be the only ones aware of the photographer. Who ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/10/2024 - 8:51pm -

Memphis, Tennessee, circa 1910. "Shelby County Courthouse, Adams Avenue and Second Street." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. Tree CartThe two guys with the Harpo Marx hats sitting on trees (?) in the cart seem to be the only ones aware of the photographer. Who is probably somewhere on the building casting the foreground shadow. Always amazed at the details in these photos. Where are the togas?The classical architecture makes me think Shelby is the most distinguished, important county in the nation, and you darn well better be impressed. It's a multiuse buildingThis impressive building was designed by James Gamble Rogers, best known for his academic commissions at Yale University, Columbia University, and Northwestern University. And if you click on Google Earth, you will read that this 1909 courthouse with Ionic columns was featured in the movie 'Silence of the Lambs.' Authority, Justice, Liberty, Peace, Prosperity, & Wisdom.The statues pictured on July 6, 2024. (The Gallery, DPC, Memphis)
Saratoga Springs: 1904
... suppose it wasn't too unusual. About those trees Greg B., I'm attaching a Google Street view so everyone can better ... Your comment raises a question -- in 1904, are those elm trees? If so, they probably survived about 30 more years before Dutch Elm ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/21/2022 - 3:52pm -

Saratoga Springs, New York, 1904. "United States Hotel, Broadway at Division Street." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Photographic Company. View full size. Saratoga TrunkThis elegant resort gave its name to elegant luggage. Well-preserved 19th-century Saratoga trunks are for sale today, likely to become home furnishings because no contemporary traveler wants to wrestle with that kind of bulk. The luggage gave its name to a 1941 best-seller by Edna Ferber, which became a 1945 film and a 1959 stage musical. Ironically, in these works Saratoga Trunk is a branch railroad line. Still ExistsNot only did it not burn down, it still exists and still open. Not only that, but it's still a hotel (albeit under a different name). [Um, no. The United States Hotel was demolished in 1946. - Dave] •••Oops!••• Mea culpa. I let my guard down on my vetting process. :-) It is not still thereI was stationed in Saratoga for six months in the 1970s and I do not remember ever seeing this place. [As noted below, it was torn down in 1946. - Dave] The place to be when it's racing seasonThis incarnation of the United States Hotel was completed in June 1874; the previous one burned down. In 1875 'The Visitor's Guide to Saratoga Springs' gushed with praise. Happily, the review includes basic information such as layout, dimensions, number of rooms, even a paragraph regarding fire protection. I'm booking a small suite high and away from the street to avoid noise and smells. Dave, thank you for adjusting my comment. I didn't realize I could link to my own photo until I went into edit and saw how you did it. Armed with new knowledge, I've corrected previous posts. I know only a few things well; but I take instruction easily. TransformativeI could not figure out what the can-shaped object was on the side of the building, above the veranda -- on closer examination it looks like an electrical transformer. Odd location, I've never seen one strapped directly to a building before, and in such a prominent position, but this being 1904 I suppose it wasn't too unusual. About those treesGreg B., I'm attaching a Google Street view so everyone can better appreciate your comment. It's not a bad looking corner; but yes, not much there for 'The Visitor's Guide to Saratoga Springs' to gush about now. Your comment raises a question -- in 1904, are those elm trees? If so, they probably survived about 30 more years before Dutch Elm disease killed them. Remarkable TreesThe impressive display of mature trees curbside suggests that they must have been planted around the time the original incarnation was constructed several decades earlier. Looking at the corner today, there is nothing close to impressive, unfortunately. (The Gallery, DPC, Saratoga Springs)
Three Trees: 1942
... than newly constructed homes of today. These three trees were left to grow on their own for years and years as evidenced by the ... for old growth ponderosa pine like this. Plenty of trees, but nothing larger than about 2 feet in diameter. It will take a couple ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/27/2022 - 12:56pm -

July 1942. "Grant County, Oregon. Malheur National Forest. Lumberjack on truckload of logs." Acetate negative by Russell Lee for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. KindlingGood for medieval battering rams. Three logsIs it possible they’re all parts of the same tree? The length of each one on the truck is nowhere near the height of the tree. Quality Old WoodOld wood = denser wood and the reason older homes have longer lifespans than newly constructed homes of today. These three trees were left to grow on their own for years and years as evidenced by the tightly packed rings. Modern, planted sustained forest are harvested once the trunk reaches a certain diameter after just a few years and thus have much denser rings. No longerBy coincidence, we spent several hours driving through Malheur N.F. yesterday on vacation. I was watching for old growth ponderosa pine like this. Plenty of trees, but nothing larger than about 2 feet in diameter. It will take a couple of hundred years or longer to get back what those logs represent. [These logs are Douglas fir. - Dave] By the way ... in response to another comment, I'm sure those are all butt logs from different trees. By contrast, look at the load in the background. One suspects that they were all put on the same trailer for purposes of the photograph. Posed, as it were. [They were not. - Dave] You are correct that they are Douglas-fir logsI should have looked at the bark more closely. But how do you know the load was not posed? Each of those logs had one or more smaller mates from the same tree, so it's a fair assumption that a three-log load didn't need to be that heavy. Hauling those babies down curvy mountain roads was not for the faint of heart. [This is just one of hundreds of photos Russell Lee took while on assignment in Malheur -- almost 200 the day he spent with these loggers. The FSA did documentary photography. Multi-ton logs were not being "posed" for the sake of an interesting picture. - Dave] (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Russell Lee)
A Walk in the Park: 1900
... Macaulay Culkin's scary-but-nice neighbor. No missing trees Fastening the trees to the park benches is clearly an effort to keep people from walking away ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/20/2012 - 3:37pm -

Chicago circa 1900. "A walk in Lincoln Park." We spy a hazard for any tots inclined to run behind park benches. 8x10 glass negative. View full size. Busy Knitter She's knitting! The younger woman in the foreground at left -- those hands are busy working on a sock or a baby bonnet. Something small. After enlarging the photo and poking around a bit, I almost forgot about her. Then I returned to Our Fair Knitter, looking for the yarn. There it is, trailing down to the ground. Hmm. Getting a bit soiled? From her relaxed and yet focused posture, she's an experienced knitter and unconcerned about Grandma's stern demeanor. Kids those daysBack then, you looked where you were running. Benches and branchesDoes the bench hold up the tree or does the tree keep the bench from being moved? Neither one sounds plausible. WhoaA hazard indeed. I wonder if that was considered simpler then putting bolts through the legs into the pathway. A set of circa 1900 wire cutters and you own a new bench. I Spy TooOkay, I see the hazard for tots lurking behind each bench. What I don't see is the point of tethering each bench to a tree. Was there a clandestine market for stolen park benches in 1900? Dive! Dive!Aoooogah ... Ahooogha. Battleaxe sighted on port side! Bench tethersClearly an attempt to thwart the evil bench thieves. Home AloneLooks like the only one enjoying that mister is Macaulay Culkin's scary-but-nice neighbor. No missing treesFastening the trees to the park benches is clearly an effort to keep people from walking away with the shade trees. And it appears to have worked. Good thing there's a policeman nearbySo, do you think the cables are there to prevent bench theft or to ensure that there is only one bench every 20 feet and everything stays neat and orderly? Local rule -Women sat on one side of the path and men on the other and the policeman to keep them all in order or is he watching for the pesky bench thieves? Only a hazard the first timeOnce you've been clotheslined, you never forget it. I Spywith my little eye (between the closest ladies & tree on the left, in the distance) either a stroller or cart half-hidden by a tree; and beyond that, a hammock? ObservationsI love those makeshift planters in between each tree. Wish I could see it in color. Yes, the elder woman on the left does bear a strong resemblance to Large Marge from Pee Wee's Big Adventure! There is a slight optical illusion, at least to my feeble mind. Look at the 3rd bench down on the left. At first glance, I thought the little girl was standing on it. But I see now she's way back behind the 4th. Guys didn't have a chanceWhat an amazing photograph -- so much here. Interesting that each young girl has a chaperone (mom perhaps) sitting beside her, and a policeman as well (what an amazing uniform). Love the previously mentioned wires running to the trees. And the sprinkler, obviously buried pipes. The art of subtletyGee, do you thinl anyone noticed the guy taking pictures? Is there a law against it? More importantly, who will attack first, the officer or the lady? Nobody looks happy to be posing. A Bridge Too FarLooks like this bridge at the far end of concourse. Pre WiFiClearly what we have here is Lincoln Park before wifi. The cables are obviously tapping in to the local network and allowing for connection via the benches. You can see by the blur that the young lady on the left must be updating her Facebook account - you can even see her data cable, which must plug in to the bench, by her leg. Keep Off the GrassPerhaps the cables were intended to prevent people from walking on the grass if the path was crowded? Tethering Clearly It appears that the benches are tethered to prevent moving them. Four men might easily move a bench to visit or whatever, then the City workers would be stuck moving them back in the morning. Bench SecurityPerhaps, to keep the benches there, and allow freedom of movement to where the shade resides. I would love to step right into this scene. Park DangersHazard? If I were a tot, the risk of decapitation from obstacles might well seem less of a hazard than the lantern-jawed matriarch guarding the left and the cop with tickets already in hand guarding the right of the path. It is pretty clear than romping and frolicking are not on the approved activities list in that park! That Policeman... will give you a conk on your noggin with his billy club if you even think of disrespecting his attire with a chuckle. PlantersWhat first appears to be smaller trees or bushes actually seems to be some sort of planter. I'd love to see that in color! Looks almost like the main part of the planter is a piece of tree trunk? odd. The sprinkler does not appear to be bothering the officer or man on the right. The hat on the leftI think it's growing! Windy citySince Chicago is the windy city, is it possible that the cables are there to keep the benches from blowing away from a strong gust. With the cable it was easy maybe to remove the benches in the wintertime during heavy snows. Joe from LI, NY Bench ties. I doubt people back then even thought about stealing these benches. First, they are heavy, and second, you just didn't do those kind of things back then. You were actually shamed and ridiculed for being thief. It wasn't just a career choice like today. My guess is the wires are there to keep the benches in order. Lastly, something tells me the photographer isn't much appreciated by the crowd at hand, And it looks like officer O'Brian is about to see what's going on here. [A check of most any big-city newspaper circa 1900 will confirm that there was plenty of thievery around the turn of the century. - Dave] Windy CityChicago being called the windy city had nothing to do with the weather but rather the blow hard politicians and their bragging about how great the city was. Funny how little that has changed. To Protect and ServeI think the cop is protecting the bearded old guy from further assaults (physical or verbal) from the battleaxe across the walkway. Re: Kids those daysI could see myself running through that park; getting myself caught on one of those wires, and falling down. Here's the learning process I would have gone through, after my experience: 1. Fall down and start crying. 2. Mother picks me up and dusts me off. 3. Mother then promptly slaps the back of my head, and also my butt, and says "Next time, watch where you're going." And thus we would have reached the conclusion of the learning process. Identified!That's obviously Alfred Nobel on the bench. And the cop is keeping an eye on him to make sure he doesn't blow something up. A Walk in the Park: 2011The spot was easy to find, because, as lesle points points out here in comments, the South Pond bridge is visible at the vanishing point. Chicago, August 28, 2011 Pickpockets and Purse SnatchersIn Chicago and everywhere at this time, pickpockets were rampant at any public gathering. Jane Addams, a famous and wealthy woman who worked with the poor at the time, had her purse snatched at the opening ceremonies for the World's Columbian Exposition in 1893! The cop is there to see that they aren't working the park on a fine day when many people are out and about. (The Gallery, Chicago, DPC)
A Quiet Night: 1977
... timeless moment. View full size. Those Big Trees are long gone now. Great work. Enjoyed that take. Pinto ... Fantastic shot The tone of the leaves in the trees almost make it look as if they were photographed with B&W Infrared ... 
 
Posted by rizzman1953 - 05/04/2012 - 10:17pm -

Medford, Mass., circa 1977. Marion Street about 2 a.m. around the corner from my house. It was fall and the leaves were just turning over a Pinto wagon with fake wood paneling. I took this for a class at the New England School of Photography. The exposure was about a minute with a 4x5 view camera. The wind hardly moved. It was a truly beautiful timeless moment. View full size. Those Big Treesare long gone now. Great work.Enjoyed that take. Pinto wagon being turned overI bet the police were not amused. Another Great ContributionThanks rizzman1953 for another great photo. ThanksGreat shot! Oh yesI love this. If I could climb into that photo, I would. Mighty good work, indeed.The street looks so peaceful. Pinto SquireRizzman, this photo, and the previous We're the Nuts: 1970s, are fantastic both for their technical expertise as well as for genuinely capturing the feeling of an era and place. Before even reading the caption, I sensed this photo was New England - In my experience, multifamily houses with two-story screened porches are a Northeast phenomena. This architecture could be from Boston, Providence or New Haven and I am hardly surprised to read it is Medford. My grandparents owned a similar house and the second-story front screened porch was my favorite place to play, as well as my grandfather's favorite place to smoke a stogie. A Pinto Squire wagon with faux wood-grain siding - what could be more emblematic of the 70s? Love this shotReally nice! This makes me want to dig out some of my 4x5 negs that I shot back in the early 70's. Still have the camera too. Sometimes I hear it calling to me from the closet saying, "take me out tonight," but just as I reach for the case it adds, "and get me a digital back while you're at it." My neighborhood?No, not really--I am in Oregon. However, our neighbors have that exact same model Pinto, down to the "genuine faux wood" on the sides! Great Lighting and MoodWithout the automobiles, this image could just as well have been taken months ago in any older northeastern neighborhood. Which speaks of the image quality of the photo. But the cars help to date this photo precisely. This was a time that in retrospect was much simpler, though it didn't seem so at the time. Good-Eye!Wow, interesting photos, Rizzman. You've got a good-eye...please keep them coming. Hope you're documenting this Century for the 'Shorpy-Type' viewers of the future. Disco InfernoMy friend had a Pinto back in the late 1970s. She had a bumper-sticker on it that said "INFLAMMABLE". Fantastic shotThe tone of the leaves in the trees almost make it look as if they were photographed with B&W Infrared film. I was bummedwhen looking at this photo, and your previous one, not to see the link for "Buy Fine-Art Print"! DoppelgängerI grew up in a section of Queens, NYC named Woodhaven - and it was. Your shot perfectly captures the tone of curfew-dodging walks home from Forest Park, hand in hand, the utter stillness of those nights on which we didn't even speak loudly out of respect for those in bed. Her name was Christine. Feel the peace and quietIt goes without saying that this magnificent photo depicts the cool serenity of a New England autumn night with everyone asleep except for perhaps a lone dog barking at the sound of the photographer. Tomorrow must be trash day as most residents remembered to put their garbage on the curb for early pickup. I wonder if the mattress and box spring left for disposal came from the Texas Mattress Co. we saw just last week (Nah! It would be 38 years old, not to mention the long commute). I can't stop looking.This photograph is Literature. Not To Be Corny -- But I Got WeepyLike another poster, I was raised in Queens -- Middle Village, New York. I grew up in the 1970s and, like many teenagers in quiet towns, loved to take long walks at night. That photo could have been taken during one of my wanderings. Something about the quiet, and the quality of light, the sense of awareness in a sleeping town. It's a very evocative photo, not just because of my deeply personal reasons for loving it. I'm also deeply appreciative of your previous, gas station photo. For some reason, there has not been a nostalgia for the 70s as evinced for that of the 30s through the 60s -- even the 80s! However, there was a quality to the 70s, perhaps a sense of the nation collectively catching its breath after the turbulent 60s, that was quite special. A perfect compositionI lived in a neighborhood like this in New Haven in the 70s. Like so many others, I find this photo releases a flood of memories. Beautiful work. Right out of an early Spielberg movieThe 1970s was a good time to be a kid. (ShorpyBlog, Member Gallery)
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