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Aquacabana: 1941
... Still There Still Standing, with a few more palm trees for privacy. The Most Beautiful Boot Camp In America From 1942 to ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 10/15/2013 - 9:44am -

March 5, 1941. "Raleigh Hotel, Collins Avenue, Miami Beach, Florida. Snack bar. L. Murray Dixon, architect." Gottscho-Schleisner photo. View full size.
Still ThereStill Standing, with a few more palm trees for privacy.
The Most Beautiful Boot Camp In AmericaFrom 1942 to 1945, The US Army Air Forces Training Command  requisitioned over 300 Miami Beach hotels, including the Raleigh. They were used both as residences and classrooms. During that period fully 25 percent of the USAAF officers and 20 percent of the Air Force's enlisted men had been trained there.
Check out this post card from the era.
There's Always Moneyin the banana stand.
Nautical ThemeThis tower is still in use at the Raleigh. How fun to stay there and enjoy the cool outdoor bar and nearby pool.
Real estate negotiationsAlistair Cooke, in his book The American Home Front, describes the rental deal between the Army and the hotel owners:
You hear afterwards that the crux of the negotiations was reached on a sunny afternoon when the Army acquainted the hotel operators with its normal basic rate. The hotel-keepers started to expound the woes of their business. They pointed out that most of the big hotels had been built at a cost of anything up to half a million dollars. Through the winter season they asked and got anything from $20.00 to $35.00 a room a day. The Army repeated the grievous news that its basic rate was $10.00 a man a month. It would be hard to imagine a more exquisite opportunity for use of the word 'compromise'. But the deadlock was resolved by a young Lieutenant who remarked that the Army does not theoretically engage rooms, it rents cubic feet. After a moment's silence, the perspiration rolled happily down the foreheads of the hotel men. The only problem now was how many men you could pack into a room, 16 x 20. A little hasty arithmetic was figured on scratch pads, and the conference was amicably ended. The only headache they had to wrestle with was how to store or dispose of the furniture and furnishings, for again the Army likes its cubic feet to be uninhibited by four-poster beds and Jacobean trestles.
(The Gallery, Florida, Gottscho-Schleisner, Miami, Swimming)

Hotel Winston: 1913
... no longer with us. Car Blankets From the leafless trees, it's Winter and cold: keeping the motors' oil warm would make ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 10/08/2014 - 1:23pm -

Washington, D.C., 1913. "Winston Hotel car." Parked, it would seem, in front of the Hotel Winston, First Street and Pennsylvania Avenue N.W. View full size.
Gilding a LilyIf you must put the fire escape smack dab in the front of your nice hotel, might as well try and make it look nice. I presume the, what was that name again, oh yes, The Winston Hotel is no longer with us.
Car BlanketsFrom the leafless trees, it's Winter and cold: keeping the motors' oil warm would make hand-cranking the engines a lot easier.
Ah, for the good old daysNothing quite so bracing as the wind in your face in an open car, especially when it's so cold the motor needs a blanket.  On second thought, I'd rather walk.
The Well Pampered Horse(less) CarriageYou always gave your horse a warm blanket on a cold winter day, so why not your horse(less) carriages?
In every photoWe look for a "painless dentist" or the person-in-window in the street scenes.  I like to think there's a Model T on every street. Because of the all-brass headlights and sidelamps I tend to think this is an early 1913 or a 1912 with the accessory front doors added.
Eternal ImponderablesSince neither car is parked directly opposite the hotel entrance, how is the poor viewer to apprehend which car belongs to the Winston?
Many and vexatious are the intellectual challenges faced by the dedicated Shorpy visitor!
Is this the Winston?Let's see, an etched W in every ground floor window, a brass plaque on the masonry, a painted sign on the left side wall, a large, lighted "HOTEL WINSTON" over the main entry, a smaller Hotel Winston in the archway and the two Hotel Winstons above each of the smaller front windows. How much 'ya wann'a bet that every day at least one joker doesn't walk up to the desk and ask: "Is this the Hotel Winston?"
(The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, D.C., Natl Photo)

On the Mend: 1917
... 1917 doesn't seem accurate. Not a leaf to be seen on the trees out the window. March or April, maybe. Contents of cart I can't ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 05/18/2014 - 12:05am -

New York, May 1917. "St. Luke's Hospital men's ward." One of the Actors Fair partygoers, perhaps. Bain News Service glass negative. View full size.
Leave Me NotMay 1917 doesn't seem accurate. Not a leaf to be seen on the trees out the window. March or April, maybe.
Contents of cartI can't recognize much of what is on that cart, but I'd sure like to know! I'm sure someone here has an idea about some of it. 
More:
Sterile procedures were finally becoming routine by this time, but were recognized much earlier. Dr. Ignaz Semmelweiss, 1818-1865, had understood how infection was spread and was advising physicians to wash their instruments and hands between patients. He had to deal with resistance and even ridicule. His methods, when followed, were effective at sharply decreasing mortality in new mothers, from infection, by the middle of the 19th century. However, puerperal fever was a common cause of death in women until well into the 20th century. Pasteur built on Semmelweiss's work and Lister took it further. It is an interesting commentary on the medical profession that there was so much resistance to it for so long.
He still has one good handso he can work the Remote.
War victims   From the flags these men may be under care for wounds suffered in the First World War. This fellow may have a shattered elbow. The jars on the cart could be alcohol for keeping catheters clean and sterile. The metal box is most likely a instrument box that could be sterilized as a whole. By the early part of the 20th century medicine was becoming aware of germs and sanitary proceedures, in part to Dr Lister.
Re: War VictimsAn Alcohol soaked Catheter, just kill me now please!
Too Early For War WoundsOr at least for battlefield injuries. The US entered World War I in early April 1917, and the first small contingents of American troops didn't arrive in France much before June 1917. The other option for American Army patients is training accidents. 
Naval operations aren't that promising for injuries either. The German navy didn't operate in US waters until April 1918, and while American destroyers did operate in the Atlantic against U-Boats they were based out of Queenstown (now Cobh) in Ireland where the Royual Navy had its own base facilities.
So my best guess is that if these people really are in the military their injuries are most likely from training.
(The Gallery, G.G. Bain, Medicine, NYC)

Carbery Mansion: 1901
... were covered with an almost impenetrable growth of somber trees shrouded in tangled vines. Hoarse croaking of frogs and the screams of ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/12/2011 - 5:02pm -

Washington, D.C., circa 1901. "Carberry [Carbery] Mansion." Built for Thomas Carbery in 1818 at 17th and C Streets N.W. National Photo Co. View full size.
Fixer-UpperThis is what used to be called a handyman's special, needs a little work.  I'm not a snob, but calling this a mansion is a bit of a stretch.
Double-dare SpookyNothing in a neighborhood could fire a young boy's imagination quite like a huge run down and empty old house.  I wish that I, along with my boyhood friends, could jump into this picture today.
On the EdgeThe mansion was razed in 1903; Carbery was Mayor of Washington from 1822 to 1824 and I'm sure the mansion was in better shape back then!
"Miracle House"I suppose I don't have the eye for spookiness which other commenters readily pick up on: before finding the following article I viewed this house as a typical run-down dwelling.  Also, it seems to me (a non-Catholic) that Prince Hohenlohe received an inordinate degree of credit for Ms. Mattingly's "cure."


Miracle House
by Marie Lomas
Washington's Miracle House has again come to light.  A water color painting discovered a few days ago by the curator at a local museum brings up a story stranger by far than many of the bizarre tales of fiction. Although separated from its identification marks, the picture has been established as a rear view of the Miracle House, or Ghost House, as it was sometimes called, down in the neighborhood of "Foggy Bottom."
...
Even as the residence of Capt. Thomas Carbery in 1824, it was familiarly known as the the Miracle House, for it was here that the famous Mattingly miracle occurred. 
The legend, which will accompany the picture now carefully guarded behind locked doors of a display case in the D.A.R. museum, states: "This house, in 1824, was the residence of the Mayor, Capt. Thomas Carbery, and living with him was his widowed sister, Mrs. Ann Mattingly, a great sufferer and confirmed invalid. Marvelous cures were being made by Prince Alexander Hohenlohe, a Catholic Priest of Bomberg, Germany, throughout Europe.  His Highness stated to the Diocese of Baltimore that he would offer up a prayer the tenth of every month at 9 a.m. for those living out of Europe.
"Mrs. Mattingly performed a novena, or nine days' devotion, commencing March 1, 1824, assisted by the pastor of St. Patrick's Church, and on March 10 she was relieved of all pain and, although bedridden, rose from her bed and opened the door to callers."
This miracle was sworn to before John Marshall, Chief Justice of the United States, and immediately aroused great excitement throughout Washington.
No doubt the setting was partially responsible for many of the later stories in connection with Miracle House, which soon became and enigma to the residents of lower Washington.  Situated near the canal and lock houses, which still stand on Constitution avenue and Seventeenth street, it was at the edge of what was considered a dense and dangerous jungle.  The nearby shores were covered with an almost impenetrable growth of somber trees shrouded in tangled vines.  Hoarse croaking of frogs and the screams of swamp fowl pierced the abysmal darkness of the nights.
Even Scott, the major-domo of the great marble edifice built by the D.A.R. on the site of the "Ghost House," vouches for the mystery of its unknown inhabitants.  He recalls today his frog-catching expeditions into the swamps near the house, "We could see people in there and sometimes a light," he said, "but nobody ever came out."
In its later days it was deserted, but the latest happenings at the "haunted house," as it was called by the little Negro boys of Foggy Bottom, continued to be the news of the day.
The house was demolished in 1903 to make way for Memorial Continental Hall.  Perhaps when shadows lengthen and the massive doors are locked for the night the spirit of the haunted house still lingers in the familiar surroundings of aristocratic Hepplewhites,  Chippendales, Duncan Phyfes and shining Steigle glass. After all, it was in the basement of this museum, on the site of the Miracle House that the picture came to light.

Washington Post, Nov 3, 1937 


LOTS of wires on that pole...So.. are the wires telephone/telegraph wires or "newfangled" electric wires?  In 1901 electricity was relatively new, while telephone/telegraph had been around for 25+ years by that time.
What is interesting is that there was no such thing as a big trunk cable.  Looks like everything was run individually.   I can remember seeing other old photos here on Shorpy of city scenes that showed poles literally ready to fall over with the weight of so many wires on them. 
Imagine what our cities, and towns for that matter, would look like today if poles were huge with tons of individual wires running on them!
(The Gallery, D.C., Natl Photo)

Dork Dynasty: 1910
... walls, and Gaiety Camp sign, quoits game in front, pine trees behind. Sumner, Christchurch." Glass negative by Adam Maclay. View full ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 12/27/2013 - 7:19am -

No slapdash campsite for these circa 1910 New Zealand outdoorsmen: "Unidentified men sitting between two open tents with beds, tables, pictures, flags and posters on the walls, and Gaiety Camp sign, quoits game in front, pine trees behind. Sumner, Christchurch." Glass negative by Adam Maclay. View full size.
Harp Poster ?The poster in the middle of the sleeping tent on the left depicts a winged figurehead harp which has me wanting to know more - Can anyone enlighten me as to its origin and what it represented ?
One also wonders how far out of town these campsites actually were,
did they have a matching fancy outhouse or did they just go across the road to the church hall - and was it the butler or the maid that took the photos ?
Camping Merit BadgeI don't know when the Boy Scouts came to New Zealnad, but earning the "Camping" merit badge must have been a chore.
The Gaiety CampAs evidenced by their cheerful demeanor of its residents. Nary a smile present, in spite of all the apparent creature comforts of rural Edwardian NZ.
Shocking! I tell you. Shocking!!All of those girlie pictures and tobacco ads on those walls!
Harp posterIt looks like a version of the Harp of Erin so maybe one of the gents had an Irish connection.
Bob's your uncleThe British flag is a Second Boer War commemorative featuring Lord Roberts, whose nickname—Bobs—is a contender for the origin of the title phrase.

(The Gallery, Adam Maclay, Camping, New Zealand)

Mom, Me, and my Tinkertoys
... a log cabin. I use it at Christmas with large pine cone trees. I loved my colorless Tinker Toys as a child. I think I had about three ... 
 
Posted by Mvsman - 04/19/2014 - 11:45pm -

I haven't posted here for a few years. I don't have too many pictures left, but I thought I would try a few. My mother is still going, well, kinda strong; she will be 87 next month. Such memories. View full size.
Knees of the youngCan you still sit like that with your knees doubled outward?  I only see this position  done by the very young and flexible, including my grandkids, but I don't recall any adults sitting this way.   As for the Tinker toys, the ones I had always seemed to have dowels that were cut too large to fit in the holes of the other pieces so that if I did manage to forcefully get two pieces attached, they would stay that way forever since they would be permanently imbedded.  I always found the ones I got to be 'misfits' which turned me against them and thus I never had fun with Tinker toys and usually avoided them.  That may have been an omen of my coming destiny of usually ending up with the lemons or the  defective  merchandise.  On the bright side though, I have always been surrounded by caring, loving people (which is much more important).  As for your red two-piece, metallic-threaded couch, we had the same one in brown in the early 1950's but I like the red better.  
Tinker toys and Mini-bricksWhen I was your age in this shot, we had Minibricks (about 1/2"x1/2"x1"), made of pure rubber coloured deep red, with which we made little houses, forts, etc. They came from Britain, and in the 1950s, Canada had preferred trading status with Britain, so we had these, Mechano sets and Dinky Toys.
The thing about Minibricks was that you had to lick the two studs on the bottom of one brick to push it into the holes on the top of two adjoining bricks to create an overlapping pattern. Great for hygiene (!), but maybe it actually helped our immune systems...
Monochrome & structural integrityUsing your mother's age as a reference, my Tinker Toys were somewhat older than yours, probably by 10 to 15 years. They were all the plain wood color. No colored dowels for me.
For OTY's comment below about tight fitting pieces...
My set had a mixture. Some were too tight as you described and others were too loose. My projects always seemed to have critical support pieces that were located at the "too loose" points in the project.
Favorite expressionI remember playing with the plain Tinkertoys--no color to them at all--but enjoying the Lincoln Logs and Erector sets much more. However, my dad liked to say "I'm not going to let you play with my Tinkertoys," at any opportunity throughout his life. The way he said it was always funny to me and my brother.
Little Yellow BoxIs the yellow box on the couch an empty box of Kodachrome? It's open, so maybe the film this picture was taken with came from that box only minutes before the shutter was snapped.
@Vintagetvs: I think the shiny circular object you are referring to at the boy's knee is the cover-lid for the Tinker Toy set. Besides, that object's "form factor" would be appropriate for movie film, not still film (afaik).
Re: Little Yellow BoxThe film can is directly in front of the boy's right knee!
Re: KneesI am 71 years old and I still sit like the little boy. All my chair seats have a dip on one side- my heavier side! 
A friend recently made me some wooden "Lincoln Logs" that become a log cabin. I use it at Christmas with large pine cone trees. I loved my colorless Tinker Toys as a child. I think I had about three cans full.
I remember the Dinky Toys!In response to Islander800. When I was full on in my car obsession, I had Dinky, Matchbox and Corgi. Strange, I think all three of these firms were U.K. based, but fortunately for me, sold in the States. I loved them all. Thanks for responding. 
I had that setThe thing I remember about that Tinker Toy set was the not unpleasant and distinctive smell of the pieces and the green plastic windmill pieces that I liked to chew on.
I haven't seen one of those or even thought about them for decades.
(ShorpyBlog, Member Gallery)

Arlington: 1922
... perspective, taken in June, 2013. It appears that the two trees just right of the Maine Memorial in the original photo have grown up, and ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 05/27/2013 - 1:41pm -

"Arlington National Cemetery, 1922." With the USS Maine Memorial rising at left. Harris & Ewing Collection glass negative. View full size.
Lest We ForgetNever
God Bless Those Who Serve (Past & Present)I placed flags on Memorial Day on the graves of my Dad (Hawaiian Islands, Philippine Islands), and my father-in-law (Burma, China, India).
THANKS DAD (BOTH OF YOU) - because of your sacrifices, I am free to write this today.
To those who have passed - let us never forget them!
To those who serve now - Thank You for your service!
And here's Maine's foremastAt the US Naval Academy.
Thank YouTo all members of our armed forces current and to our vets, thank you for your service.
Location of the GraveArlington's precision layout and a bit of sleuthing indicates that this is almost certainly the grave of Harry Brooks. Who is Harry, how and when did he die, and who is the woman is not as easy to uncover. He is surrounded mostly by graves of Rough Riders, whose bodies were disinterred from Cuba and returned for burial in the US in April of 1899 (less than a year after the battles). But unlike the others he is not listed in the rolls of the fallen, nor is there a date of death on the Arlington online database.
The photo above lines up on a diagonal (1 grave across, 1 grave up, ...) which points to the right of the Maine memorial. From another photo in the collection, we know the west facade of the Memorial Amphitheater is just out of frame to the right. Using the photo's other grave alignments to the right and left, one can draw lines on a present day view of the cemetery and hone in on the location. That alone would get you close, but the clincher is the shadow along the row of graves in the foreground. It is definitely the shadow from the memorial to Claude Christman, who died in the Philippines in 1899.
More left to discover. This is why I love Shorpy.
Details on the GraveThe woman is kneeling at the gravestone of Harry Brooks, D Company, 10th US Cavalry, in Section 22 of Arlington National Cemetery. Brooks died of acute gastritis on October 21st, 1900, in Holguin, Cuba. The 10th US Cavalry at the time was a segregated, African-American regiment, an original "Buffalo Soldier" unit that also fought alongside the Rough Riders in the Spanish-American war.
The backs of the gravestones to the right of Brooks' and just beyond the woman match in markings to those pictured on the Arlington website. The shadow across the graves in the foreground is from the large memorial to Claude Christman. This was a big help in pinpointing the specific headstone the woman is kneeling on, after getting a close read from the alignments of the gravestone rows with the background.
91 years laterThe photo below is from the same perspective, taken in June, 2013. It appears that the two trees just right of the Maine Memorial in the original photo have grown up, and now hide all but part of the pedestal from this perspective. The Memorial Amphitheater is partially visible in today's photo, just barely out of frame in the 1922 shot. The distinctive markings on the graves are easily seen in both photos, though the gravestones are sitting higher out of the ground in 2013 versus 1922 (not sure why). Harry Brooks and the woman visiting his grave remain a mystery.
(The Gallery, Harris + Ewing)

Free-Range Kids: 1895
... to climb on the roof rather than her dress for climbing trees. Awesome photographs. Like Mom said "If you fall off that roof and ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 06/17/2015 - 4:34pm -

Continuing our visit to Takoma Park, Maryland, circa 1895, we find Helen and Willard Douglas taking their ease Snoopy-style at the family compound, which seems to be equipped with accommodations for poultry as well as laundry. 5x7 glass negative by Edward M. Douglas. View full size.
The Golden HourThe period just after sunrise or before sunset when the lighting angle is low is generally the best time to take evocative photos. These Tacoma Park pictures are excellent examples.
Recreational AttireI guess since she stayed on the property she could wear her brother's pants to climb on the roof rather than her dress for climbing trees. Awesome photographs.
Like Mom said"If you fall off that roof and break your legs, don't come running to me!"
Full Equipped for Gracious Suburban LivingNote the dovecote on the right.
But that ladder seems to lack a single safety advisory sticker, which may explain why it was not placed perfectly perpendicular to the eave.
Still a Popular Pastime We live in a rural-ish area and keep chickens.  We also have six children.  Lately it seems that whenever I check on what the kids are doing, one or two of them are on top of the hen house.  They're just sitting or lying there much like the children in this photo.  Because of the way our hen house is constructed they don't need a ladder to get up there and I don't think there's much chance of them falling off but I usually call them down anyway out of a vague feeing that one shouldn't let one's children hang out on a roof.  Personally, I don't see the attraction.  It can't be very comfortable and this time of year it's hot.  But if kids were doing this 120 years ago I guess I'll just accept it as innate behavior.
(E.M. Douglas, Kids)

It's Delovely! It's Dynamic!
... good ol' SB. Gotta love the red roof and the palm trees. Jukebox Drive I remember Chrysler experimenting with ways to ... 
 
Posted by tterrace - 06/24/2009 - 5:10pm -

...it's DeSoto! Specifically, a 1957 DeSoto. "This baby can flick its tail at anything on the road!" In this case, the Mar Monte Hotel in Santa Barbara in 1958. Detail from my brother-in-law's Anscochrome slide. Not his car, though. Full size.
The Most Exciting Car TodayIs now delighting the far highway ...
Nearly the same angleToday, from the hotel's website. Looks like they've done some remodeling and additions, but they've done a good job keeping it to the original style.
[Where are the tailfins? - Dave]

You Bet Your Life"Tell 'em Groucho sent ya!"
Looks familiarI thought, before reading the caption, that the hotel looked like it could be from around my home area. Sure enough... good ol' SB. Gotta love the red roof and the palm trees.
Jukebox DriveI remember Chrysler experimenting with ways to control its nifty, newfangled "Torqueflite" transmissions.  The stick on the steering column and the floor shift were just so 1940's. I believe this baby had a short stick coming right out of the dash to select the gear.  Our 1958 had a pod of lighted buttons on the dash labeled "P-R-N-D-2-L" hence the term "Jukebox" Drive.  That "Firedome" V-8 could smoke the back wheels before you could push from "L" to "2".  Ask me how I know.  Mmmm, I forgot how much I loved that car.
[The transmission buttons on the '57 DeSoto were the same as on the 1958 models. The lever coming out of the dashboard was on the 1955 cars. - Dave]
(ShorpyBlog, Member Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, tterrapix)

Growing Boys: 1917
... and shrubbery when the boys attacked it. They cut down trees, cleared the brush, pulled the stumps and roots, prepared the soil, ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 01/17/2009 - 12:07pm -

"Boy Scout farm, 1917." Harris & Ewing Collection glass negative. View full size.
Children of the CornSeems during the war, Scouts helped out producing food for the war effort:
In 1917 Boy Scouts operated a Government-owned tract of 175 acres and raised a corn and market vegetable crop worth some $10,000. The land was in a wild state — a tangle of wood and shrubbery when the boys attacked it. They cut down trees, cleared the brush, pulled the stumps and roots, prepared the soil, planted, cared for, and harvested the crop themselves and all the work done was purely voluntary, devoted to soldier feeding, not to gain.
-- "Educational Work of the Boy Scouts"
Food BulletsThe Boy Scout Farm was located at the site of today's  East Potomac Park.



Start Boy Scout Farm
More Than 500 District Lads
Open National Food Campaign.

Spurred on by the admonition of Assistant Secretary of Agriculture Carl Vrooman that "the boys in the furrow will be winning the war before the boys get in the trenches."  More than 500 Boys Scouts of Washington yesterday started the cultivation of a 300-acre farm along the Potomac.
Uniformed in khaki and marching like soldiers, but armed with the rake, hoe and other gardening implements, Washington's first army of volunteer farmers went to the bat for the allies yesterday by going into the furrows.
This marked the opening event of the national campaign to be waged by the national emergency food garden commission.  The first "battle" in Potomac park was marked by intense patriotism.
The army mobilized at Fourteenth street and Pennsylvania avenue shortly before 10:30.  Escorted by mounted police and headed by bicycle troop, with a Boys Scout band, the boys marched to New York avenue, west to Pennsylvania avenue.  They passed the white house where they were greeted by President Wilson, returning in an automobile from a golf game.  Secretary Tumulty came out of the executive offices to watch the army pass.  Passing down Seventeenth street, the procession was witnessed by Secretary of War Baker and other officials, who watched from the porches.
At the Department of Agriculture the scouts broke rank to hear an address by the Assistant Secretary of Agriculture.
He told the boys that for many months the only bullets can shoot are "bread bullets and food bullets."  While we are preparing our army, the English, French and Russian soldiers are offering their lives in our defense, he said, and the only way we can return this now is with food.  The boy's work, he continued, is a valuable, significant, and as indispensable as that of any soldier of the United States.  The work they are starting, Mr. Vrooman said, "Is only a part of the national plan to have one company working the furrows, for every company in the trenches.  He said we would not be surprised to see the boys in the furrow win the fight before the others fired a gun.
...
The gardeners received 100 pounds of seed from F.W. Bolgiano.  They carried rations, and after noon, pitched tents and proceeded to eat their lunches.  The campaign thus started will continue throughout the summer.

Washington Post, April 22, 1917 


So...That's how they grow them!
So that's what people mean... when they say "my boys are grown." Especially Scouts, who are so fresh and wholesome. And maybe a little green -- wet behind the ears.
Unfortunately......all the scouts made little Anthony mad and got wished into the cornfield.
(The Gallery, Boy Scouts, Harris + Ewing)

Up a Tree: 1942
... all of us have lost that instinctive urge to live in the trees. As a child of the age of these, my summers were spent atop our ... the persimmon once--yuck! I all but gave up climbing trees at age 50 when while sitting on a branch about 20 feet from the ground, ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 03/18/2016 - 9:21pm -

July 1942. Klamath Falls, Oregon. "Boys in city park on a Sunday afternoon." Photo by Russell Lee for the Office of War Information. View full size.
Our Arboreal Genetic Heritage on DisplayNot all of us have lost that instinctive urge to live in the trees.  As a child of the age of these, my summers were spent atop our crabapples, plums, cherries, and pecans, happily eating my way from branch to branch.  I only ever climbed the persimmon once--yuck!
I all but gave up climbing trees at age 50 when while sitting on a branch about 20 feet from the ground, sawing the branch above, the sawn and falling branch's weight, and my own, were enough to bring my comfortable perch and myself to the ground, left shoulder first.  So for the last ten years, I've slept on my right shoulder.
So being older now and not necessarily wiser, but surely not stupider, when my neighbor stepped out to kiss her departing husband goodbye, parrot on shoulder, and the parrot said, "I go bye-bye!" and flew to the top of my 100-foot pecan, I did not offer to climb to retrieve him for the much distressed young woman.  
I did, however, set up spotlights and provide additional ropes for the professional tree man she hired, younger and more daring than I, and ultimately, one of my king-sized pillow cases for bagging the bird around 4 a.m.
Surprisingly, the daring climber is the son of a world-famous attorney who prefers following in the footsteps of his ancient primate ancestors to his father's footsteps (not that there's much difference).
Possible face plantThe boy on the right better learn to tie his shoes before he trips and falls on his face. Been there done that.
(The Gallery, Kids, Russell Lee, Small Towns)

Above It All: 1908
... the structure just left of center peeking up through the trees is the Block House. From Morningside Park to Central Park After ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/15/2012 - 4:15pm -

New York circa 1908. "Morningside Park and elevated line." Another view of the "L" seen here a few days ago. 8x10 inch glass negative. View full size.
The Block HouseThat's Central Park in the background there and the structure just left of center peeking up through the trees is the Block House. 
From Morningside Park to Central ParkAfter consulting the vast riches of the Shorpy archive, I have determined that this view was taken from the grounds of St. John the Divine, looking southeast across Morningside Park toward Cathedral Parkway (110th Street) and the north end of Central Park. The apartment buildings along Manhattan Avenue (at the left) are still there, except for the one closest to the L tracks. Of the three buildings on the other side of the tracks (south side of 110th St.), only the middle one has been replaced. Thanks, Dave, this has been loads of fun!
"722 Miles" -- recommendedIf anyone has access to a copy of the book "722 Miles: The Building of the Subways and How They Transformed New York." I think there is a picture of this curve when it was built out in farmers' fields.  The book is very good at explaining how the subways, elevated railways, and street cars made possible the development of a much larger city.
A more-recent (1896) view:
A different NYCOur history books would have us believe that New York City of this time, was a seething cauldron of oppressed masses from Eastern and Southern Europe.
Yet these photos show another, more gentile atmosphere of this urban giant.
I wonder if school teachers are aware of, and make use of this website?
[This being the Upper West Side, the atmosphere was probably only medium-Gentile. - Dave]
(The Gallery, DPC, NYC, Railroads)

The Sink at the Top of the Stairs: 1937
... Wales. I spent another summer when in college pruning trees. These kids probably did their share of picking. By the sixties, white ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/06/2016 - 9:37pm -

January 1937. "Children of migrant citrus worker who lives in a rundown apartment house. The sink at the head of the stairs is the only running water in the house. Winter Haven, Florida." Photo by Arthur Rothstein. View full size.
Citrus work is hard workWorking in the groves was a right of passage in Winter Haven in the sixties.  I fired groves during a freeze, and picked tangerines after another freeze.  People that year got tangerine juice mixed in with their OJ from the Donald Duck plant in Lake Wales.  I spent another summer when in college pruning trees. These kids probably did their share of picking. By the sixties, white migrant citrus workers usually lived in Eloise or Wahneta, just south of Winter Haven. The shacks there were only one story though.  The smell of orange candy would fill the air when the orange juice plants were in full swing, the Minute Maid plant to the north and the Snively plant in Eloise.
WonderQuite strange that the girls are fairly well dressed but the boy has tattered clothes and is barefoot. Must be a boy thing !.
Worn outEven the dog looks worn out. 
Poor as dirt...but still had a pet to cherish and love, some bonds need no explanation!
Attention to detailI'm amazed at the attention to detail (or lack of) in this photo. The stairs are trimmed out nicely with a skirt board and quarter-round molding, while the walls barely get some paper over the unplastered lath boards. The contrast between the two is jarring.
(The Gallery, Arthur Rothstein, Dogs, Kids)

The Capitol: 1921
... died December 31st of this year. No leaves on the trees and lack of visible foot traffic may support this theory. 28th president? The trees look like they could be late winter. If circa 1921 could possibly mean ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 05/03/2017 - 9:25am -

Washington, D.C., circa 1921. "U.S. Capitol, West Front." Senate chamber on the left; House of Representatives on the right. 8x10 glass negative. View full size.
FlagsWhy are the flags at half mast?
Senator Penrose?Boies Penrose, U.S. Senator from Pennsylvania died December 31st of this year. No leaves on the trees and lack of visible foot traffic may support this theory.
28th president?The trees look like they could be late winter.  If circa 1921 could possibly mean 1924, Woodrow Wilson died February 3rd of that year.
The Flagsare being raised and lowered to satisfy constituents who contact the Government to request a flag that has been flown over the Capitol.
I didn't realize that the practice was being done as far back as 1921.
The Flag is raised to the top and left for a few seconds, then lowered and boxed.
It has to be a real boring job but, hey, it pays the bills.
The tip off is the Flag on the right, which is a little farther up then "half mast".
(The Gallery, D.C., Natl Photo, Politics)

The Continental: 1902
... divots. From FloridaMemory.com, "Golf links and palm trees, Continental Hotel - Atlantic Beach, Florida". Postcard postmarked July 1 ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 05/17/2014 - 11:35pm -

1902. "Hotel Continental -- Atlantic Beach, Florida." Henry Flagler's massive wood-frame hostelry opened in 1901 and burned in 1919. 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative by William Henry Jackson, Detroit Publishing Co. View full size.
You never come out aheadI think the most risky business during that period must have been insuring Hotels against fire. Wood, ocean breeze,and enclosed groups of people were apparently not a good idea.
Replace all divots.From FloridaMemory.com, "Golf links and palm trees, Continental Hotel - Atlantic Beach, Florida". Postcard postmarked July 1 1906. The beach is definitely the place to be in July in north Florida.
Show Me The MoneySweet! I love Henry Flagler! Thanks for posting one of his masterpieces. He had many. Feel free to post more!
(The Gallery, DPC, Florida, W.H. Jackson)

Hasell Street: 1902
... of 2010. Root 66 It's just strange really to see trees in the street. Charleston "Single Houses" These are ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/21/2012 - 6:59pm -

Charleston, South Carolina, circa 1902. "Residences on Hasell Street." WHJ's Street View cam, a few yards upstream from this earlier view. 8x10 inch glass negative by William Henry Jackson, Detroit Publishing Co. View full size.
+108Below is the same view from July of 2010.
Root 66It's just strange really to see trees in the street.
Charleston "Single Houses"These are pretty unique buildings, native to Charleston.  They are called "Single Houses" because they are only one room wide.  One goes from room to room via the balcony. 
http://www.buildinghomegarden.com/charleston-house.html
We enjoyed seeing these during our tour of Charleston this past Autumn. 
(The Gallery, Charleston, DPC, W.H. Jackson)

Palenville Hotel: 1902
... hard to tell with thick forest in the photo and just a few trees now. The roofline and window patterns seem like a close match. ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/14/2016 - 5:33pm -

Greene County, N.Y., circa 1902. "Palenville Hotel, Catskill Mountains." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size.
& Sons AleCan anyone make out the rest?
Rock StarThat dry fit stone wall is a work of art. It reminds me of a favorite children's book, "Matthew Wheelock's Wall," that chronicles the building and graceful endurance of a northeastern farmer's stone fencerow.  It is a beautiful allegory about craftsmanship and mutual support. I think some remaining stone fencerows in the U.S. are preserved as historical and cultural  sites, as many are in Great Britain.
Relax !Looks like a great place to practice your summertime porch sitting ! 
The  Rock WallAlso known in western Pennsylvania as a 'Frost Wall,' will shift and move with the freeze thaw cycles of winter. That's a beauty of stone fence there. 
Is this it?The photo might be from the other side with the creek in the foreground -- the stone wall might be on the edge of the rocks in the crek. The ground pattern doesn't exactly match but it's hard to tell with thick forest in the photo and just a few trees now. The roofline and window patterns seem like a close match.

(The Gallery, DPC)

A Church in Charleston: 1900
... right foreground of the photo taken 110 years later. Both trees have the same sharp bend in their trunks! It appears to be the very same ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/20/2017 - 6:13pm -

Charleston, South Carolina, circa 1900. "Meeting Street and St. Michael's Church." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size.
Everything Is Still ThereJust visited Charleston for the first time and I am in love with this city! So many of the old buildings are still there, including this church. I think any fan of Shorpy will love it too.
Photo Taken On Meeting StreetGoogle maps shows this view to be on the Meeting St. side of the church.  Broad is the cross street just past the pillared entrance.
+110Below is the same view from July of 2010.
"Hey boss, what do we do with these blocks?"This is funny. I looked up the modern view of this scene. It looks like at some point in the past, the road crew lifted those cement blocks for crossing the gutter and "temporarily" placed them on the sidewalk.
[The Historic American Buildings Survey explains what they are. -tterrace]
The Same Tree ?!Look at the tree in the right foreground of the original photo and then look at the tree in the right foreground of the photo taken 110 years later.  Both trees have the same sharp bend in their trunks! It appears to be the very same tree !
Ripley’s Review and the Olden ArchesRobert L. Ripley, who penned the syndicated, whimsical “Ripley’s Believe it or Not!” column, noted while visiting the city in the 1930’s that the intersection in the background of this photo represents the Four Corners of Law.
The southeastern corner, occupied by St. Michael’s Episcopal, represents God’s law; the southwestern corner, directly in front of the church, represents federal law as the US Post Office and Federal Courthouse; while diagonally to the right of the church on the northwestern corner is the Charleston County Courthouse; and finally, the northeastern corner, to the church’s immediate right, hosts the Charleston City Hall.
Thus the Four Corners of Law exists by their purposes of ecclesiastical, federal, state, and local authority, making an unplanned, yet poignant statement. 
As noted by tterrace, while not seen in the more recent photo, the blocks mentioned previously were to help passengers enter and exit from carriages. They are arched to allow water to flow along the gutter. Many still exist around town, typically made of either granite or marble. Those in the photo are the only ones I’ve ever seen arched. 
(The Gallery, Charleston, DPC)

Angel of the Waters: 1901
... every day, and still go to as often as possible. The trees and the foliage have certainly grown over the years, and the number of ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 06/15/2019 - 1:57pm -

New York, 1901. "Central Park -- Bethesda Terrace and Fountain." Starring "Angel of the Waters," a winged bronze by Emma Stebbins dedicated in 1873. Panorama made from two 8x10 inch glass negatives. Detroit Photographic Company. View full size.
The case of the missing stairs?The view to-day:

A fountain of knowledgeHard to believe that just past the treeline in the background lies Fifth Avenue and the mansions of the rich and famous.  In 1901, some construction along the Avenue would have reached north of the 70s, but there would still be vacant lots to be filled in.
1935 I was there!It was a common walk on Sunday.  In the 1930s, there were many more people in the park.
Bethesda Fountain - 2002I was in NYC in 2002 in October. The fountain was drained for the winter (and the Rockefeller Center skating rink was open) but it was 70F on a Sunday so people thronged the park to enjoy the day.
Angels In AmericaI believe this was the centerpiece of Tony Kushner's play and the HBO miniseries.
Still a beautyThis is a place I used to ride past on my bicycle every day, and still go to as often as possible.  The trees and the foliage have certainly grown over the years, and the number of people on the plaza is usually significantly more than seen here, but the place itself remains essentially unchanged.  It is still a place of repose, rest, and enjoyment in the middle of NYC, and remains one of the most dramatically beautiful pieces of urban park design anywhere.
(Panoramas, Dogs, DPC, Landscapes, NYC)

Pillsbury Panorama: 1905
... Lots of the structures in the area remain, just hidden by trees now. https://goo.gl/maps/5ZcgudRwQFyTL8Jo7 Pillsbury's "A" ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 04/22/2019 - 6:51pm -

The Mississippi River circa 1905. "St. Anthony's Falls and flour mills at Minneapolis." Panorama made from three 8x10 glass negatives. View full size.
LogjamThe St. Anthony Falls historic milling district, using the power of falling water at St. Anthony Falls, first gained prominence with the construction of large-scale lumber milling from logs floated down the Mississippi from central and northern Minnesota pine forests. Flour milling boomed later and numerous mills along this stretch of river changed the way food was produced, marketed, and distributed and changed the way we think about food.
https://www.nps.gov/miss/planyourvisit/uppestan.htm
Cirkut Camera?I would challenge the 3 negative panorama claim.  This looks like a Kodak Cirkut camera image.
[I personally stitched this image together yesterday from the LOC's three glass negatives, which can be viewed here. Using Photoshop, it took a little over an hour. - Dave]

The Doughboy AbidesMany of the buildings seen in this photo are still standing - notably the Pillsbury "A" Mill, now converted into residential lofts.  Crown Iron Works -- "the world leader in oilseed extraction" -- is still in business, with locations around the world; the building in this picture is long gone; Crown's Twin Cities location is now in the suburb of Roseville. My Uncle Ray of sainted memory (d. 1955) worked at Crown. Of course the Pillsbury brand is still going strong, although archrival General Mills acquired Pillsbury in 2001, and then sold its baking products division to International Multifoods, who in turn sold it to Smucker's. But the Pillsbury brand name lives on, thanks no doubt to the popularity of the Doughboy. 
One Surviving Old-TimerBut all else is pretty much gone.

VestigesLots of the structures in the area remain, just hidden by trees now.
https://goo.gl/maps/5ZcgudRwQFyTL8Jo7
Pillsbury's "A" Mill, now lofts:
https://goo.gl/maps/qfUFt36UseW2f11W6
Head of navigationThere is a lot of history in this photo. The Falls of St. Anthony were the only major waterfall on the upper Mississippi, originating in the time of the glacial Lake Warren and steadily cutting upstream in the thousands of years since then.
The falls was also the head of navigation -- the highest point reachable by boats moving upstream -- so not only could timber be brought down from the North and grain be brought in from the immense agricultural areas of the upper Midwest and the waterpower be used for processing, but also shipping was possible down the river by steamboat.
Locks bypassing the falls were not built until decades after this photo.
(Panoramas, DPC, Factories, Minneapolis-St. Paul, Railroads)

Compleat Angler: 1901
... then, the worst you did to your enemy was maybe TP the trees in their front yard. That always showed 'em! Regarding the fishing, ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 04/12/2015 - 8:48am -

Circa 1901. "Bridge over the Susquehanna at Pittston, Pennsylvania." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size.
The view today courtesy of GoogleView Larger Map
Why is the bridge on one side of the supports?I am wondering why the bridge is on only one side of the supports. Would another track have been put beside it eventually? Or was this how they were constructed-- I notice that the side holding up the track seem reinforced with stone coming down at an angle.
Fishing For?Bullhead catfish or sunfish I'm guessing, since he's still-fishing.  Bullheads on bottom, sunnies if he's using a float.  The smallmouth bass so sought after on the Susquehanna these days had probably not been imported yet--they're not native.  Carp were only beginning to become unwanted guests in America's rivers.
CamelbackThe locomotive on the bridge is a type called a Camelback.  The engineer and brakeman sat in a cab that straddled the boiler in the middle of the locomotive.  The fireman had his own shelter at the rear to transfer coal from the tender to the boiler firebox.
The reason for this design was that they burned local Anthracite coal which is very high in fixed carbon.  It burns hot but slowly, like charcoal.  To get enough heat to power the locomotive the firebox had to be almost as wide as the locomotive, making it impossible for the engineer to see ahead from a rear mounted cab.  The solution was to put the cab ahead of the firebox.
I've fished exactly where he is, probably 80 years later.Technically this fellow is sitting in West Pittston, not Pittston itself, which is what you're looking at across the river.  West Pittston and Pittston are two separate towns, with different school districts.  So we Wyoming Area Warriors considered the Pittston Patriots our sworn enemies.  Of course back then, the worst you did to your enemy was maybe TP the trees in their front yard.  That always showed 'em!
Regarding the fishing, he's probably fishing for his dinner. Many years later, we caught a lot, but never ate them, since the river these days is pretty, but not necessarily something you want to eat out of.
And one final thing for jaylgordon-the bridge abutments are slanted like that on the upriver side, to allow debris flowing downstream to more easily roll off and not get stuck on them.
Bridge SupportsThe Pennsylvania Railroad and her subsidiaries would typically build bridges in this manner, with a piling wide enough to accommodate two tracks; but only place one track over the bridge.  The reasoning, at least for the railroad, was that if traffic or demand ever became such that a second track needed added; it was simply easier to plunk a new bridge down on the extra width. This also meant that the existing line would not need to be closed during the construction.
The locomotive in question looks to be one of the PRR's 4-4-0 camelback types, though it's possibly a 4-6-0. (Can not tell from the angle.) Here is an image of the possible locomotive type.
(The Gallery, Boats & Bridges, DPC, Railroads)

Home Alone: 1937
... if it has any insulation at all. And there aren't a lot of trees out there for firewood. Brrrrr. Well if that just isn't the ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 03/02/2018 - 12:30pm -

November 1937. "Abandoned house near Ambrose, Divide County, North Dakota." Photo by Russell Lee for the Farm Security Administration. View full size.
TILTAll together now: "There was a crooked man ... "
I can't even imagineWhat must a North Dakota winter have been like in that little clapboard house. I wonder if it has any insulation at all. And there aren't a lot of trees out there for firewood. Brrrrr.
Well if that just isn't the tiniest little dot on the map!Your man from Lowe's won't be delivering any new appliances here anytime soon.  
Real EstateI believe the description is "ready for renovation."
One man's dumpThis is a palace compared to some of the (literal) Tar Paper shacks we've seen here on Shorpy. 
Getting crowdedYou can see the neighbors' place from here. Maybe that's why they moved away.
(The Gallery, Dust Bowl, Russell Lee)

Calumet and Hecla: 1905
... they produce a lot of acid smoke. I'm surprised there are trees in the background. This photo was taken on that day called "summer" ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 06/17/2013 - 1:09pm -

Circa 1905. "Calumet and Hecla smelters, Lake Linden, Michigan." Starting point for the web of copper telephone and streetcar wires seen in so many of the other Detroit Publishing images. Panorama of two 8x10 glass plates. View full size.
Tramways, etc.It looks like the horse is standing on Standard Gauge track, while the track just to the right and most of the rest of this is narrow gauge (3' or maybe 42")  The line that runs from front to back on the right side of the photo also looks standard gauge, with the narrow gauge crossing it.  
I -think- the carts dead center of the photo capture the smelted copper, and it's one of those smelted pieces that's being loaded into the horse-drawn car.  A pile of them appear to the left.  The narrow gauge man-powered car is probably dumping clinker into the piles at the very right of the photo.  I don't know what the framework is on that side of the photo, perhaps to support a means to load clinkers from the bins off-photo to the right onto cars on that standard gauge track beneath the wood framing in the picture.
The stone buildings may in part be a result of the need for structures that can survive extreme cold and high snow loadings.  The roofing is probably corrugated iron. Smelters are nasty, they produce a lot of acid smoke.  I'm surprised there are trees in the background.
This photo was taken on that day called "summer" in the Upper Peninsula.
Chimney toppersAny idea what the poles, probably wood or metal, that are found on the top of virtually all chimneys on the right side? Would these be some kind of dampers or screens to catch hot embers?
Puddling furnace damperAfter some Googling, it appears the levers operate a damper at the top of the chimneys for two reasons:
1. As a way to regulate the temperature of the furnace.
2. When powdery materials are added to the furnace, the damper is closed to prevent the powder from being drawn out the chimney and lost.
Lake Linden is SO FAR north!!The upper peninsula (UP) is SO FAR north!!
I spend a lot of time in the UP, but this always surprises me:
565 miles = distance Detroit MI to Lake Linden MI
525 miles = distance Detroit MI to Washington DC
(Panoramas, DPC, Mining)

Street View: 1910
... only thing I found close. One lonely old house and three Trees old enough to fit the bill. [There's another one across the street. ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/10/2012 - 12:13am -

"West 2nd Street residences." Little Rock, Arkansas, circa 1910. Our second 2nd Street view, this being the first. The era of mounting blocks and hitching posts is drawing to a close. 8x10 glass negative, Detroit Publishing Co. View full size.
Izard & ChesterPossibly this area is between South Izard and South Chester? I went the whole length and this is the only thing I found close. One lonely old house and three Trees old enough to fit the bill.
[There's another one across the street. - Dave]
View Larger Map
View Larger Map
There are a few more further down on the right also, unfortunately things have changed so much it's impossible to identify them as being the houses in the old photo.
It's too bad we can't click on the old photos and "Drive" around like we can now. 
The folks 100 years from now will be in for a treat if the Google archive still exists!
Elementary"Horses come by here.  Not long ago, Kemosabe."
"Tonto, you're amazing!  How do you do it?"
All Gone?I traveled all of West 2nd and some of East 2nd and didn't find those grand homes. I suppose it's not just the old steppingstones and hitching posts that are just a memory.
[The shadows indicate we're looking west. Perhaps toward South Gaines Street, which is at the crest of a hill. - Dave]
(The Gallery, DPC, Kids, Little Rock)

Idyllic Avenue: 1905
... the lots get smaller as you head toward the river. The trees here are mature, maybe 30 or 40 years old, so unlikely to be a brand new, ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 05/27/2020 - 11:23am -

Hartford, Connecticut, circa 1905. "Farmington Avenue." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Photographic Company. View full size.
East of Prospect AvenueAlthough I can't pinpoint this location, the Sanborn fire insurance maps give some clues.  The 1900 map shows Farmington developed out to about Prospect Avenue.  It's residential much of the way back to the intersection with Asylum Avenue, although the lots get smaller as you head toward the river.  The trees here are mature, maybe 30 or 40 years old, so unlikely to be a brand new, unmapped area, either.  Somewhere between Prospect and Asylum, then.   
If there were more details of the buildings, it might be possible to match the house shape and construction (plus the small cross street) with an existing building, but there's really not enough to go on here.  If anyone wants to poke around, Yale University has made it easy.  They have a tool that matches Sanborn maps to Google Earth.  From Google Earth, you can click through to an image of each page of the corresponding Sanborn map.  Here's the link for all of Yale's Connecticut maps. Scroll down for Hartford.
http://www.library.yale.edu/MapColl/print_sanborn.html
[Possible clues: Trolley pole No. 4074 at right, and the mailbox street sign. - Dave]
Give Them ClemencyMark Twain lived on this street. While it would be nice if this scene wasn't plowed-under today and replaced with CVS's and strip malls, you can't blame anybody for progress.    
Too much changeFarmington Avenue has always been a major thoroughfare in Hartford. It is home to Mark Twain and Harriet Beecher Stowe's homes in the late nineteenth century- both modestly-sized but ornate residences in a neighborhood of literati. So  much of the street was redeveloped, first in the 1920s, when many fine houses, mansions, and churches were torn down to make room for apartment buildings (still standing), and then again in the 1950s/60s to make way for a limited amount of strip development. I lived on Farmington Avenue for four years, and can't find a clue in this photo as to where it was taken along the street.
A few years ago the asphalt wore away in the road, revealing the buried trolley lines as well as original cobblestones. Very cool.
Cars Stop HereIn other words, that's where you catch the trolley, or get off of one.
It's true in almost every US cityToday, almost no one would want to build their impressive house on a street that becomes a main downtown thoroughfare. But 120+ years ago that is exactly where prosperous homeowners wanted to build. Fifth Avenue in New York and Euclid in Cleveland are two excellent examples. And today both of those streets also have almost no surviving private residences. Much beautiful residential architecture has been lost because commerce almost always triumphs and the well-to-do have the means to move on.
(The Gallery, Bicycles, DPC, Streetcars)

Summer Idyll: 1899
... Light Judging by the moss (and leaves) on the trees, and position of sun, we are looking south. Our subjects are in ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/10/2017 - 11:33pm -

Waseca, Minnesota, circa 1899. "Chautauqua grounds -- cottages at Maplewood." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size.
Somebody should check on MaudeShe's been sitting in that chair so long the vines are growing over her.
Maude's VinesMorning Glories, Perennials - that's what we need, we said! A decade later, they've spread hundreds of feet, covered outdoor furniture, and invaded buildings. Still attractive, but a constant battle to control them.
Southwestern LightJudging by the moss (and leaves) on the trees, and position of sun, we are looking south. Our subjects are in late-post-lunch afternoon stupor. Thoughts have not yet turned to the evening meal. A bucolic time was had by all as they engage in "activities" of the then-popular Chautauqua movement.
NettingMosquito netting brings back memories of living in logging camps and such when living in the tropics 40+ years ago.
Bentwood willow rockerI find the bentwood rocker in the center of the photo quite interesting. I have a photo of the exact same rocker at an old resort in California. The photo is not dated but probably early 1900's. The rocker was in the ladies parlor of the Gilroy Hot Springs Hotel, Gilroy, CA. There are other pieces of furniture from the same company scattered around the parlor room. Web searches have not turned up any manufacturer for this style of furniture. Anybody familiar with this furniture?
Still going on!I attended the festival in 2012--the buildings from this time are mostly gone, but the grounds are still on the SE corner of Clear Lake just north of the public boat docks right across from Kiesler's campground.  It still has a lot of the old flavor--here's a link.
http://discoverwaseca.com/visitors/events/chautauqua/
Waseca is also the home of the descendants of the E.F. Johnson company, which made things like CB radios and a very early cell phone.  Now it's Itron (remote meter reading) and Cinch Connectivity.  Edgar's home still stands on the SW corner of Clear Lake, and is a private residence.
(The Gallery, DPC)

Hyattsville: 1940
... for Hyattsville station, visible behind that clump of trees. The station here was a beautiful brick structure designed by E. Francis ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 03/26/2019 - 7:34pm -

June 1940. "Railroad tracks along U.S. Route 1 at Hyattsville, Maryland." Acetate negative by Jack Delano for the Farm Security Administration. View full size.
Old stomping groundsI piloted more than a few trains through here, both freight and commuter.
Right to left we have U.S. Route 1 (Rhode Island Avenue), the main drag here, even today. The first two tracks to the right are the double track streetcar from Washington. They just came off of Rhode Island Avenue and are now on private right of way to Beltsville and Branchville. At one time they ran to Laurel. The line was cut back to Beltsville, but lasted to the end of DC trolley service (1961, I think).
The next two tracks to the left are the Baltimore & Ohio Washington Branch, opened in the 1830s. Note the fence between the tracks in the distance and the passenger platform for Hyattsville station, visible behind that clump of trees. The station here was a beautiful brick structure designed by E. Francis Baldwin; I don't know what happened to it, but in my time it had been replaced by an ugly utilitarian structure.
Hyattsville is passed by numerous commuter trains each day, but none have stopped here in many years. I suspect the total lack of parking has something to do with it.
Another main track, not visible here, swung behind the depot and turned south, connecting with a track from Baltimore to lead to the Alexandria Branch to Virginia. That branch today is a vital part of CSX's operations to the south.
The fifth track from the right is a station track. There are two more tracks to the left that appear to be freight sidings that were gone in my day.
I should mention that we are looking south (RR west) toward D.C.
5100 Block of Baltimore AvenueThe view is looking south down Baltimore Avenue / Route 1 - the intersection on the right is Gallatin Street.  The building on the corner still stands.

US 1 and Farragut StreetAgree that we are looking south down Route 1, but believe that this is showing the intersection with Farragut Street, a block south of Gallatin Street. It would appear that many of these buildings have been demolished, leaving park space behind, but note the cupola and roof line of the current County Services Building in the background.  Note also the stepped roof line of the building on the NW corner of the Farragut intersection, as that building still stands.

I Stand Correctedeugenegant - it appears you are correct.  In my haste to ID the location, I failed to note the comparison of windows in the building I noted - they are different.  The location of the road bend appears to correspond with your location as well.
Custard’s Past StandI lived no more three miles from Hyattsville in the 1940s and 1950s. It was famous for the Polar Bear frozen custard stand, which was a small chain in the DC area. It was the coolest looking stucco building with a statue of a polar bear out front. You can find it on Google Images. 
(The Gallery, Jack Delano, Railroads)

The Squeaky Wheel: 1918
... when I grew up in 1940's Florida. Both citrus and regular trees were painted but I never knew why (citrus bark is very thin when young ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 06/28/2016 - 11:16am -

Oakland, Calif., circa 1918. "Orchard tractor demonstration -- Fageol Motors Co. 'Walking Tractor'." Latest entry in the Shorpy Catalog of Agricultural Anachron­isms. 8x10 inch glass negative by Cheney Photo Advertising Co. View full size.
Not for lack of lubrication.I notice all the pictures of Fageol tractors you've posted show leaky seals on front hubs, it seems to have been a design feature.  Tiller steering was an anachronism long before 1918 and must have been brutally hard work with those front wheels. Perhaps not surprising they disappeared only a few years later.
[According to the Research Department, there are no seals or bearings. Just a Flintstones-era spindle and disc, to which grease is liberally applied. - Dave]
OuchI have seen surviving steel wheels of this nature in person (sometimes one row, sometimes two, diagonal treads, or straight ones) but never anything like the rear wheel on this Fageol.
Looks like some kind of medieval torture device. Yikes. 
Why I come back to ShorpyThis photo is a prime example of my love for Shorpy. I Google the interesting items and increase my knowledge.
1. Painting tree trunks was common when I grew up in 1940's Florida. Both citrus and regular trees were painted but I never knew why (citrus bark is very thin when young and susceptible to sun scald).
2, The teeth on the drive wheels are removable. Most likely to aid in manufacturing as I cannot see a way to break one off in actual use.
3, That sulky seat allows for a second worker to raise and lower the disk harrow blades. If it does not swivel, then the controls do not, as they say, "fall readily to hand."
Driving one of these contraptions... must have been a harrowing experience!
Insert Obligatory Hoyt Clagwell Comment hereWell someone had to say it.
(The Gallery, Agriculture, Cars, Trucks, Buses)

Pup-Napped: 1910
... perfect depth of field, the wonder of the sun through the trees and the three dimensionality of the image. Beautiful. Li'l ... 
 
Posted by Fredric Falcon - 03/01/2019 - 1:42pm -

The "Li'l Cornhusker" seen here earlier seems finally ready to sleep, in the company of the family dog. A 4x5 glass negative from Pawnee City, Nebraska, circa 1910 or earlier. View full size.
Dog's expression is pricelessI've got my eye on you, so don't do anything foolish.
Peek a ... boo!There's that large left eye again. Not for nothing but this time it looks to be of normal size ... and perfectly placed in the face of an unusually beautiful child. So this is me breathing a sigh of relief.
Another beauty . . .. . . of a photograph. I wonder if the talented photographer ever left Pawnee City for the bright lights of the big city. 
The photographic eyeConsider not the eye of the child but the eye of photographer.  In an era of large heavy cameras note the low placement of the apparatus, the perfect depth of field, the wonder of the sun through the trees and the three dimensionality of the image.   Beautiful. 
Li'l Cornhusker's left eyeAs JennyPenn has confirmed, the kid is normal, and massively cute.  Plus, one of the best kid-and-dog shots ever.  But it still doesn't explain his crazy left eye in the previous post.  I am left with two possibilities: something photographic and technical which I’m surprised tterrace hasn’t already explained, or, the first picture was otherworldly and possessed, and that eye was truly demonic.  Sweet dreams, all.
[The third possibility is an injured eye. - Dave]
Neither subject had a clueOf what was happening then, or now. Carefree AF. 
(ShorpyBlog, Member Gallery)

All You Can Eat: 1894
... whose bank accounts are more flourishing than their family trees, literally seem to stagger under the weight of their jewels. … ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 05/02/2015 - 6:02pm -

Palm Beach, 1894. "Dining room, Hotel Royal Poinciana." At the time, Henry Flagler's giant hotel was the largest building in Florida. 8x10 inch glass negative by William Henry Jackson, Detroit Publishing Co. View full size.
Very nice.Imagine going there for a great meal, then smoking a Havana cigar after the repast. 
What a beautiful sightThose rooms must have been in the evening with those gas chandeliers glowing!
2,000 guests Could be accommodated at this hotel. It was the largest wooden structure in the world before being razed during the Depression.
Jewel Encrusted Dining


Harper’s Weekly, January 24, 1903.

A Show Resort in the South


…  The Royal Poinciana at night is the centre of the show. Evening dress is de rigueur for dinner. There is immense wealth (if not always refinement) shown in the costumes and jewels of the women at dinner, and when it is borne in mind that over a thousand people easily can be seated in the Poinciana dining-room, the brilliancy of the scene can be imagined. Palm Beach is a show-place in more senses than one. After dinner the display continues in the parlors and on the broad verandas. Some women, whose bank accounts are more flourishing than their family trees, literally seem to stagger under the weight of their jewels. …

(The Gallery, DPC, Eateries & Bars, Florida, W.H. Jackson)
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