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Smoke on the Water: 1910
... to go out This is Duluth, after all. Where are the Trees? Interesting (and sad) to see Park Point so devoid of trees. It's hard to imagine what it would have been like back then, given its ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/13/2012 - 6:44pm -

Duluth, Minnesota, circa 1905-1910. "Duluth from the Incline Railway." Another of the eerily depopulated hive-of-industry scenes that seemed to be a specialty of Detroit the Publishing Co. 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative. View full size. Chamber of Commerce Kelley North Western Fuel Co. Peerless Laundry R.B. Knox & Co. Stone Ordean Wells Co. Wholesale Grocers, Manufacturers & Importers. Eerily depopulated?I think of it as charmingly high in buildings-to-people ratio. My vision of a prosperous future is lots of built square feet per person. My vision of Blade Runner hell is lots of people per built square foot: "hive of humanity." It's all goneReplaced by the convention center and playfront/bayfront parks. The finger of land betwixt the channel and the lake is still residential though. And tell that kid in the doorway of the house at bottom left to quit staring at me. I spy someoneNot quite depopulated -- there's a figure standing in the side doorway of that ramshakle house in the left foreground. By the way, what is up with the brick flues poking through the house's roof? It looks like every other brick is missing. DepopulatedGuess if you choose your angle so you don't photograph any streets it get easier to not show people. Also helps when folks aren't out on their porches. Too cold to go outThis is Duluth, after all. Where are the Trees?Interesting (and sad) to see Park Point so devoid of trees. It's hard to imagine what it would have been like back then, given its current state of tall pines, and lush, abundant plant life. It should also be noted that most of these buildings are still standing. Unlike other downtown areas of Minnesota, Duluth's original buildings didn't get mowed-down in favor of new, shiny ones. The city really retains some of its original character (good AND bad. But mostly Good). Pop. 1I spy one person, I think, in the side doorway of the house at bottom left. For some reason, I find it amusing that 1910 Duluth had Turkish Baths. Seems so cosmopolitan for the Iron Range. The Two Passenger VesselsThe vessel to the far left, mostly obscured by the warehouse of the Stone Ordean Wells Company, is the Newsboy, a 104-foot wooden passenger steamer built 1889 by F. W. Wheeler & Company originally for service on Saginaw Bay. By 1902 she had migrated to the Zenith City and ran excursions inland on the St. Louis River to the picnic grounds at Fond du Lac. She ended her career on Lake Ontario, abandoned near Belleville, Ontario, in 1913. The larger steamer farther right is the Easton, built of steel in 1898 at Baltimore, Maryland, by Reeder & Company for service on Chesapeake Bay. She was brought to Lake Michigan in 1901 to carry passengers and fruit between Southwestern Michigan and Chicago. In 1903 she began service for the White Line Transportation Company, connecting Duluth with north shore Lake Superior ports, eventually being owned, as shown here, by the A. Booth Packing Company, supplying Booth's various Lake Superior fishing operations and transporting fish back to Duluth. In 1917 she was sold to the French government and taken across the Atlantic, converted to the naval patrol vessel Apache. In 1926 she was sold into civilian use and reconverted to a passenger and cargo steamer, renamed Le Sahel and operating out of Tunisia. She was broken up in 1938 at Bizerte, Tunisia, marking the end of a particularly peripatetic career. Railroad DepotThe railroad depot in the center of the field is still there and now houses an excellent railroad museum. 3 Homes in the foregroundDrove by these houses today, 2 of the 3 houses in the foreground are still there, the middle wooden is gone. You can see them here via Google Street View: http://goo.gl/GQNqa3 (The Gallery, Boats & Bridges, DPC, Duluth, Railroads)
The Linear Look: 1940
... have invested in a lawn mower as well Gap in the trees This looks like it: ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 02/21/2018 - 9:25pm -

May 30, 1940. "Bertram F. Willcox residence in Pound Ridge, Westchester County, New York. Outside stairs to upper deck. Moore & Hutchins, architect." Large-format acetate negative by Gottscho-Schleisner. View full size. Looks more like a paddle steamer That ran aground. Still standingThe house appears to be intact but deep in a forest now -- and hard to find. Handyman special! Looks like the inner handrail on the stairs was a bit of an afterthought. I'm waiting forthe FLW comparison. Good background from 10 years agoInformation from a resident: http://modernhousenotes.blogspot.com/2009/12/ Treasure trove of infoThe (possibly) current owners of the house posted a couple of pictures in January 2008, after a light snow fell. The outside stairs are gone, and it's hard to tell what's happened to the upper deck. MaybeHe should have invested in a lawn mower as well Gap in the treesThis looks like it: http://wikimapia.org/#lang=en&lat=41.204649&lon=-73.551540&z=20&m=b FLWI believe I see subtle hints of Frank Lloyd Wright influence in this structure. SnowWouldn't that flat roof be trouble with snow in a New York winter? I do love the double decker porch with (maybe) fireplaces for each. SS Hemp HandrailJim Dandy: The inner handrail on the stairs wasn't an afterthought. Upon close inspection, it is made of nautical rope, and is the only original equipment that survived when Dave K's paddle steamer ran aground. BucketsPrairie style (F.L. Wright) is distinctive, but having walked around too many buckets placed to cope with the inevitable results of flat roofs as a kid, no, thank you. (The Gallery, Gottscho-Schleisner)
Baby Boardwalk: 1905
... they go after the sidewalks - if they do at all! The trees The trees, and the whole scene in general, are both beautiful and scary at the same ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 11/03/2012 - 3:20pm -

Circa 1905. "Under the willows. Rye Beach, New Hampshire." This strikes me as the sort of place where the Big Bad Wolf might jump out of the bushes. 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. So muddy in the old daysA nightmare for women in their long skirts. Submitted for your approvalTen seconds later Rod Serling stepped into this picture and said "your next stop, The Twilight Zone." BoardwalkA classic picture of a real boardwalk. Times Sure Changewhen they give the pedestrians a nice (fairly clean) board sidewalk and the road it a torn-up rutted mess. Nowadays, Highway Departments fix the roads well before they go after the sidewalks - if they do at all! The treesThe trees, and the whole scene in general, are both beautiful and scary at the same time. The boardwalk seems out of place. Almost surrealistic, especially in black and white. GoreyesqueCan't resist: the trees, the path, the child. Technicalities And all that even though the baby buggies, prams and strollers of that time and age hat built-in off-road capability: Large wheels, high axles, ground clearance to match. By today's standards a bunch of big-foot vehicles. Did I mention mud wings? (The Gallery, DPC)
Christmas Story: 1953
... for them -- but with the sheer amount of tinsel on these trees, it seems like the chances for intestinal problems would be good.) ... past! See: http://www.familychristmasonline.com/trees/ornaments/dangerous/dangerous... Kids Again I love this photo ... 
 
Posted by der_bingle - 12/09/2008 - 6:58pm -

Christmas 1953. Oak Park, Illinois. My cousin Tom experiencing the thrill of his first Lionel electric train. My Uncle Bill is manning the transformer, and my dad, who was a real-life railroad engineer, is on the right. 35mm slide. View full size. There's a tree somewhereUnder all that tinsel! SparksWow! I can practically smell the ozone. This could have been me, except we didn't have sense enough to take pictures of anybody with our electric train, only pictures of it, like this one from December 1954. I think it's Lionel, I forget. This was the time of my life.I might as well be in this picture. The timeline and all that is going on is perfect. Wonderful family shot. WOW! what great memories. Thank you and Merry Christmas to you and your family. Tinsel HazardsHere's a question for you Boomers -- I see that tinsel was big in your growing up years (understatement). Did people keep their pets outside then, or did they all just die horrible, tinsel-blockage induced deaths? (I know that it doesn't always cause serious problems for them -- but with the sheer amount of tinsel on these trees, it seems like the chances for intestinal problems would be good.) tterrace, I really like the attractively arranged couch pillows behind your train. What were you hiding back there? Or are they simulated mountains? Who's having the most funI was so glad when our son was old enough (1957)for me to buy the thing I'd always wanted for Christmas but, because I was a girl, never got. Unfortunately, he was still at the push-toy stage so it didn't work for him but I had a ball. Re: Tinsel hazardsWhy would pets be eating tinsel in the first place? None of ours ever touched the stuff. I grew up in the tinsel-lovin' Fifties. Dogs and cats eating tinsel was not anything people ever talked about happening. Sounds like some sort of 21st century consumer worrywart issue. TinselitisI don't know ... because it's shiny and stringy and fun to play with? My cat would go crazy for the stuff, as would most cats I've owned. Maybe even the pets were perfect in the 50s. It was just a question. [It was an excellent tinsel question. Speaking of which: Garlands or icicles? We were always a garland family. Not that there's anything wrong with icicles. - Dave] Simulated mountainsVery good, Catherine. I usually have to explain to people what the pillows are doing behind my toys in a number of my photos from back then. These we had retained from our old chesterfield which had been relegated to a slow, moldering death in the basement a couple years back. If you could look above them, you'd see my mother's renowned curtains and drapes. We never used tinsel ourselves, but I remember enjoying it when we'd visit friends or relatives who did. Those were the days when tinsel was made of, or mostly of, lead. I liked to slip strands off and ball them up into little wads or, better yet, if there were lighted candles around and nobody was watching, dangle them in the flame and watch them melt. Don't tell anybody. Twin tops?It appears that someone improvised and used some of the TinkerToy pieces to make stands for the 'billboard' signs. It also looks like the Tinkertoy was also a present that may have been wrapped in aluminum foil. And, there appear to be two identical toys in the picture, possibly spinning tops. Great picture! TransformerLooks like the transformer is a Lionel model 1033 (made from 1948-'56). I have one of these units, still in perfect working condition. As far as I know, the only maintenance it ever had was the replacement of the power cord, due to the insulation drying out and cracking (a common problem). I never cease to be amazed at how durable those old Lionels are. Great picture! LionelI agree, it's probably a Lionel in tterrace's photo. I had an American Flyer I received for Christmas in 1948. American Flyer did not have the middle rail in the track. A way of lifeAs they say, a way of life gone with the wind. I love this blog . . .It is threads like this that keep me hooked on this blog. It's comforting to know I'm not the only whack job walking around unattended. Foy Las Vegas Cat TinselWithout the prompting of previous posters I wouldn't have mentioned that during the Christmas season at our house our Siamese cat Tabetha would walk around with a piece of what she usually left in her litter box instead dangling from a piece of tinsel she had once presumably eaten. That's the most tasteful way I can explain it. Now That's Christmas!Real Tinker Toys, the "real" old-school Lionel train sets, and not those modern knockoffs made by a company that simply owns the name. What do kids get today? Lead lined Chinese plastic "toys" from Wal-Mart. Boy, give me that old fashioned Christmas anytime. Thanks, and Merry Christmas to you. My Dad and Uncle have passed on, but Tom - who's now in his sixties - still has that Lionel train set. Last time I was at his house he had it set up in his basement, along with several accessories he's accumulated over the years. [We're all glad he finally got to play with it! And thanks for this wonderful photo. - Dave] Chestnuts roasting on an open plasmaThis picture just radiates warmth and good cheer. We're leaving it up all night on our plasma display. It's better than a fireplace! California TinselI have to think our state banned tinsel production due to environmental concerns, because it's virtually nowhere to be found. I say "virtually," because Michael's has it. No tinsel at the dollar stores and such. At Michael's it is in packages that need to be cut. The tinsel comes attached at the top. Same stuff. Thanks to Michael's, our tree looks like this one. [I think its scarcity might be due more to child-safety concerns. - Dave] Nothing to add.I have nothing to add. Just love this picture and reading all your comments -- the wallpaper is killer. Shorpy forever. How we tinseledAround our house, we would always begin with laboriously stringing one strand of tinsel at a time on a barren branch until it was somewhat filled. Yet invariably, we two boys would get rambunctious and throw a handful up where we couldn't reach. And Mom, patient Mom, would sigh and give us permission to begin the fusillade of tinsel throwing that produced a Christmas tree neatly stranded with tinsel about 3 feet up, but above that utter disorder that only little boys could love. But I hasten to add the "tidy line" rose as we grew. Making a much happier mom. The Train Don't Stop Here No MoreMy Dad had a huge 60's-70's Lionel train set, with all the accessories: the lighted passenger cars, the little signal box with the trainman who would come out, holding his lantern when a train went by, and even the Giraffe Car. Anyone remember the Giraffe Car? Several locos too, both steam and diesel, and that big control transformer with the power supply handles on both ends. The whole setup ran on a plywood table, about 6 x 8, which he built himself. Sadly, when he died, my mother sold the whole outfit for a hundred bucks, and today it would probably be worth ten times that much. I wish I still had it! Tinsel informationTo RoverDaddy who is looking for tinsel, try the cheap, cheap, cheap stores. I found it at Dollar General Store but also Family Dollar Store, Dollar Tree and other bargain centers are most likely to have it. You can see I am the last of the big spenders and I have to add that one time when my mother was removing tinsel to save it for the next year, my father asked her, with a straight face, if she was going to make tinsel soup, as she always stretched the life out of a dollar by making lots of soups and stews. Voices from the kitchenLove this photo! While the menfolk are intent on the train, I can hear Grandma and the aunts in the kitchen talking over each other while getting Christmas dinner ready. Is the turkey done? Did you hear about Great Aunt Stella? She's already wrecked that brand new beautiful car. Mom, that's enough gravy for an army! Did Bill get you that brooch you've been wanting, Madge? And, naturally they're all wearing dresses, heels and festive aprons. This photo is CLASSIC. Lead-foil tinselThe tinsel on a tree of this vintage is probably made of lead foil. The good news is that it was reusable year after year. The bad news is that you could get lead poisoning from ingesting it! Lead foil tinsel has long since been removed from the market, along with several other dangerous items from Christmases past! See: http://www.familychristmasonline.com/trees/ornaments/dangerous/dangerous... Kids AgainI love this photo because the uncle and the dad are suddenly about 9 years old too. Windows 53Love those window blinds. All our cats have eaten tinsel. It makes the litter box more festive. We use both kinds -- short hunks of garland and the stringy silver "icicle" stuff. I too heave the stuff at the tree rather than place it carefully. Dave, I think Anonymous at 11:25 was talking about the train in tterrace's photo. [You are so smart. Thank you! - Dave] Wow.Well this brings along even more memories. I was born in '65 and I remember playing with a train like this in '68 or '69. I do not remember what brand (Lionel or American Flyer), but I do remember putting in a pill pushing a button or something and it would smoke when I pushed it. I remember pissing Daddy off because every time the train would go in front of the TV while he was watching it, I would push that button! Talk about pushing Daddy's button!!! I also remember throwing tinsel on the tree, Daddy helping, and Mom getting upset with both of us. In addition, we also had those bubble lights. After they warmed up they would start bubbling. I need to go lie down and look at Shorpy some more and see what else I can remember. Too much tinsel...My mother would always complain that my father and I put too much tinsel on our trees. And our beloved Cocker Spaniel, Sherman loved the taste of tinsel. Xmas ExpressOur house had a very similar Christmas morning about 25 years later. My dad found a second train in a garage he was tearing down. I got them out last Christmas and they still run. I put a video on our site. RetinselingYup, we did the tinsel thing too, but we were thrifty New Englanders, and my mother took at least some of the stuff OFF the tree every year and carefully put it on cardboard to use it again the following year. My grandmother, bless her, had the job of untangling the resulting mess and handing each of us little handfuls to drape over the branches one by one. Needless to say, we weren't allowed to throw it because then it couldn't be taken off. All That to be an Engineer????I can't tell you how envious I am of your father. When I was in the ninth grade one of my teachers decided to play guidance counselor and advise me on what courses to take in high school. She asked what I wanted to be and I told her I would like to be an engineer. She told me I should take Algebra II, Calculus, Physics, etc etc etc. I sat there in stunned amazement thinking, "All that just to drive a train????" When it dawned on me that we were talking about two entirely different things I was too embarrassed to correct her. Where can I find tinsel?This year I'd love to introduce my kids to the fun of cheap old shiny plastic tinsel (yes I'm a masochist for wanting to clean up the mess later). Unfortunately, I can't seem to find the stuff anywhere! Does anybody still make plastic 'icicles' as the package often called them, or have they been made extinct by concerns over fire hazards and unfortunate pets? Retinseling 2And I thought my family was the only one who did this, except we didn't put it on cardboard. All the tinsel went into a cardboard shoe box, year after year. We would add maybe one package of new tinsel every couple of years. The new tinsel would hang straight while the old would be more and more crinkly over the years. My sister & I had to put it on one strand at a time (except when Mom wasn't looking). Being from the Depression era as my mother was, I'm sure that box of tinsel is still up in the attic to this day. Our cat also loved the taste of tinsel, with predicable results. Lionel 027It's 027, the less expensive Lionel product compared to big heavy "O". Same gauge, lower rail, slightly sharper curves, simpler switches. We had a mixture of both, purchased used from various sources, and we figured out ways to use the 2 sizes together. That switch is a manual 027 one, with no lighted position indicator, we had a pair of them. Didn't make the satisfying "clack" sound that the "O" manual switches did when you threw the lever. We never had remote control switches, since you could buy more manual ones for the same money. Some "O" gauge equipment couldn't operate on 027, the curves were too sharp. Made a serious mistake about 30 years ago, sold all of it except a couple special cars. Smokin'!My own American Flyer set of that era had tablets that, when dropped into the locomotive's smokestack, would emit little puffs of real smoke. Gift itI gave my 1948 3/16 model American Flyer to my grandson last Christmas. Much better than selling. Alas ...In 1954, just after we moved into our spiffy suburban ranch house, my uncle started a large 8 x 16 Lionel O-gauge layout in the basement. Presumably for me, or so he said. After everyone died off, I inherited the six large boxes of trains and all the fixin's. Fifteen years ago I sold the lot for $450 to a dealer. Dumb move. But revenge is sweet as I have just started construction on a huge (roughly 100 x 150) garden train layout behind the house. The RugWhat really caught my eye is that rug -- a dead ringer for one we had for many years! My dad got it at Barker Brothers in 1943. The hopper car and caboose also look exactly like the ones from my Lionel train set from the late '50s, though the rest is different. I just wanted you to knowI just wanted you to know that you brought a tear to the eye of this grumpy old man, remembering the exact same scene from his childhood. Thank you. You made my day, GrumpyGlad this evoked a fond memory for you, as well as for so many others. Another tinsel commentGrowing up in the later 50s and 60s, we also did tinsel every year. Like many others, we would save it from year to year until it was too crinkled to hang right. Then we'd have to get one or two new packages, probably from Woolworth's or "the drugstore" since Target and Walmart were not born yet. We kids also tossed it up to the top of the tree. These days, I want to get some but my wife says no - you can't recycle it with the tree, she says. Too messy. Too bad. I did see some this year at Target, except the 'new' tinsel has that prismatic glimmer to it where it reflects like a rainbow, not like regular silver stuff. I'll kep trying. Tinsel and SnowLike Older than Yoda, I can remember taking the (metal foil) tinsel, which we always called icicles, off the tree and saving it. As soon as the plasticky stuff came out, that was the end of that. Another long-gone Christmas memory was a box of mica chips of that Mama would sprinkle on the cotton batting at the base of the tree. That box lasted years and years. When you had parents that came up during the Depression, you learned about saving. My dad: "Turn off some of these lights, this place looks like a hotel!" American Flyer, no LionelGreat picture ... we all laid our heads on the track and watched the train coming right at us. This is actually an American Flyer 3 rail O gauge train. It was made before WWII. After the war American Flyer went to 3/16" to the foot S-gauge two rail track. [If it's not a Lionel, why does it say LIONEL LINES on the tender? - Dave] We used tinsel alsoThat brings back memories. We would go to the woods and cut the "cedar" tree. My family had a flocking machine, and several households on the street would put their tree up the same day, so the flocking machine would only have to be used once per year. We also used to take a strand of tinsel, wedge it in between our front teeth, and blow. I don't know why that was so much fun but it was. A (real) Christmas storyMy brothers (who were 18 and 9 years older than me) made me a train set for my 5th or 6th Christmas -- I walked into the garage while they were painting the board and I asked if I could help and they told me they were painting a sign and I could help paint it green. When I got it Christmas morning I was the most surprised boy in the world. It was a great gift that I helped make without knowing! Disney train setWhen I was 5 (back in 1970), my parents bought me a Disneyland Monorail train set. My father had it already assembled for me on a large piece of plywood that had been covered in green fake grass, and had miniature buildings to go with it. Considering what that original set would be worth today, I almost wish he had just left it sealed in the box. All that I have remaining from the original set is the 12v-18v transformer. Maker of lead foil tinselI'm not sure if anyone is still looking for lead foil tinsel - the stuff some of us fondly remember from our childhood. It's available from Riffelmacher and Weinberger in Germany. Or rather it's shown in their wholesale catalogue. See p 50 of their 2010 Christmas catalogue, Item 91152 is silver ... exactly what we all remember! Now your only challenge may be ordering in bulk from Germany. I can smell the coal smoke from the furnaceGreat picture. I love how the kid's old man gets to run the locomotive, his Uncle is playing Conductor and the kid gets to be Switchman! Gotta pay your dues kid! Looks like they just setout the hopper and tank car and are about to back the engine to re-couple onto the NYC gondola and caboose. A very similar scene played out in many households of the era. I like the Hamilton or Gruen wristwatches that the guys are wearing too. My cousin Tom, the boy in the photo...turned 68 this year. Sobering perspective on just how long ago this was! Your photo and story for magazine articleHi, I am senior editor at Classic Toy Trains. We would be interested in publishing this vintage color photo and learning more about the background . Please contact me at: Roger Carp 262-796-8776 ext. 253 rcarp@classictoytrains.com Thanks, Roger (ShorpyBlog, Member Gallery, Christmas, Kids)
Better Watch Out: 1921
... more tasteful than the tinsel gobs of the midcentury trees! Of course, it's not QUITE enough to distract the eye from Secretary ... century most families did not bring in and decorate their trees until after the kids went to bed on Christmas Eve. Try to imagine setting ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/13/2012 - 5:34pm -

"Secretary Davis, Christmas tree, 1921." James J. Davis, Secretary of Labor in the Harding, Coolidge and Hoover administrations, moonlighting as Santa Claus. National Photo Company Collection glass negative. View full size. Father ChristmasWonderful variety of ornaments. But especially sweet is the daughter's little hands holding her father's hand. Better Not CryEven when the tree comes toppling down -- I haven't seen such a lopsided extravaganza since the year our family tree tipped sideways thanks to insufficient rocks supporting the trunk. The garland is particularly egregious. The Pullman train car makes up for it, though. Train TechLooks like the trains of the 1920's were not far removed from 1950's models. As far as the timely tags, dry cleaning anyone? TimelyBut, please Dave, what's on time on the doorpost? And let's hope Junior doesn't short the transformer with the Pullman car. More tasteful!I love the dangly silver bead strings - that's more tasteful than the tinsel gobs of the midcentury trees! Of course, it's not QUITE enough to distract the eye from Secretary Davis's elaborate combover, but it's a start. Dollhouse, Army tank, toy car, Indian headdress, tea set: you're all on the bench. Today's game is all about The New Train! Tree CriticsI know from my parents' storty-telling that in the early part of the 20th century most families did not bring in and decorate their trees until after the kids went to bed on Christmas Eve. Try to imagine setting up a tree in the stand, decorating it with all the trimmings, gathering up the toys hidden all over the house and setting them out under the tree all on the night before Christmas. They had no time to choose a decorator's perfect tree, place everything perfectly and make it look like a showplace. Also (even before everyone went "green") the gifts from Santa were never wrapped, just put out. I think the wonder and amazement in the kids' eyes prove they were quite enchanted with it all, so it must have looked pretty special to them. Amazing Array of Glass BaublesI have a large number of ornaments from my grandparents' collection, and peering at the pretty things on this tree, I see several that are exactly what my grandparents have. It's amazing what bits of family history survived upteen Navy moves and the one time Grandmother lost almost everything when the train transporting everything caught fire. I don't care how misshapen the tree is, or the garlands being haphazard, I think it's a charming tree! Trains Don't Run On TimeLooks like the Secretary of Commerce is responsible for disrupting train movements on this line - his foot appears to have pulled the track far enough back that it pulled apart at the switch. Knocked down one of the signals too. Godzilla would be proud but the Interstate Commerce Commission would have questions. There's not just a giant Pullman in this shot, but behind the boy there's a tender and the locomotive to go with it seems to be behind the secretary's child dandling leg. Davis On Time ....Interesting batch of "ON TIME" labels hanging from the hinge of the door. Wonder what they were for, and why collecting them? At least the doll is happyEveryone else looks a bit overwhelmed. And when was the last time you saw child-sized shoes with nails in the soles? Our TreesIn my family we have always waited until Christmas Eve to set up the tree, though at least it wasn't done stealthily. And presents from Santa were never wrapped. Another thing about the tree is that in 1921 most Christmas trees were not the carefully sheared farm-grown specimens of today. Sole TrainThe Pullman car and the tender look to be well played with. There are dents on the end of the Pullman at the boy's right as well as worn paint on it and the tender. As to the soles of the boy's shoes, that's stitching, not nails. Whose TrainThe electric train is for the grown-ups. Everyone knows that! Merry FarkmasFark a la la la. Pre-Martha StewartFrom the days when Christmas trees didn't have to be perfectly symmetrical and Martha Stewart approved. Maybe it was last year's tree. What kind of tree IS thisSo many comments about this tree, but it does not look like a real tree. it's not any pine or spruce or fir that i recognize. Any botanists out there care to ID this tree? [Scraggly blue spruce (Picea pungens Charlie Brownius), I would opine. - Dave] Egads!Charlie Brown called from 1965. He wants his Christmas tree back. Lionel, I believeLionel standardized the electric trains they're still selling with minor modifications around 1906, so I'm guessing that is a Lionel. The Pullman car is a Gauge 1 that preceded O gauge, but was wiped out in the depression. No Gauge 1 tracks are visible as far as I can tell. They were expensive; my dad got a Lionel train that cost about $200 around 1950, and it was either that or carpet in the living room. Grandma and Grandpa did not see eye to eye on that decision. (The Gallery, Christmas, D.C., Farked, Kids, Natl Photo)
Barbershop Row: 1936
... road with an old barn in the background and on one of the trees is a sign with the 666 on it. I always wondered why it had that number ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 01/06/2023 - 3:55pm -

March 1936. Vicksburg, Mississippi. "Vicksburg Negroes and shop front." 8x10 inch nitrate negative by Walker Evans for the Resettlement Administration. View full size. American Pie 2I think that's a '29 Chevy. The 1930 models were very similar, but the windshield was tilted back ever so slightly. Something Going OnDown the street How did they do it?The detail is wonderful as usual but I'm amazed at the tonal range in this and the previous photographs. The people on the shopfronts are in full sun yet you can still read the circus poster in the shadow inside the open door. I could do this digitally but it would take a lot of work. The photographers really knew their stuff. [Having a negative the size of a windowpane helps. - Dave] Let the Devil take your cold666 for colds and fever. Not the marketing name I'd pick, but the company is still in business. Reminiscent of "Porgy and Bess"This photo and the previous one "Sweet Home Alabama" both immediately reminded me of the scenes from 1959's Otto Preminger UNFORGETTABLE film named above starring Sidney Poitier, Dorothy Dandridge and an all-star cast of outstanding African-American talents. At the time, there were some protests that the characters were Negro stereotypes which offended some African-Americans, but to this "sheltered life" caucasion Caucasian (me), they were incredibly strong, spirited, deeply emotional and never-to-be-forgotten people who have stayed with me all these years. I think it was one of the best movies EVER, in spite of all the controversy it provoked. The street in the movie was CATFISH ROW and the characters were largely fishermen who sold their wares but in my opinion, it opened up a whole new way to tell a story with music. Cannot believe it was fifty years ago. Just outside frame left:Robert Johnson unpacks his guitar and gets ready to entertain the men on barbershop row. 668The neighbour of the beast. American PieChevy with California plates. What year is the car? Monticello Drug Co.666 cold preparation and cold tablets are still made by Monticello Drug Co. Founded in 1908 by Tharp and Thurston Roberts, who "obtained a patent on a prescription known as Roberts Remedies #666. This prescription with a high concentration of quinine within the ingredients became the best selling remedy for malaria, chills, fever, influenza, colds, constipation, and bilious headaches. The 666 lines included the liquid, tablets, salve, and nose drops." "During the depression years, the business continued to grow in spite of the economic situation because the medicine was kept available and affordable. Dr. Roberts was once asked, “How can you make any money when you are only asking 25 cents and 35 cents a bottle?” He answered, "You sell a lot of bottles"; and that he did." 666 for colds666 for colds was manufactured in Jacksonville Florida, the factory (no longer there) at the foot of the old Acosta bridge (also no longer there) I think it was grain alcohol and creosote, or something equally nasty. It must have been sold throughout the South. Odd name for a cold remedy from the heart of the Bible Belt. Barbershop QuartetBy my count, four out of five stores shown in the photograph are barbershops. Today, in the mid-size city in South Carolina that I live in there is a short line, about a half block long, of five or so brick buildings of which I can remember only one not containing a barber or beauty shop. The lone holdout was a pawn shop. So what is with this clustering of barbershops? Whoa!I'm getting dizzy looking at these buildings 666You may scoff at the name, but 666 cough syrup is still hugely popular in the black community. A lot of white people have no idea what it is. The first time someone asked for it at the drug store I work for, I had no clue. Vicksburg BluesThis would make a great cover for a Delta Blues album. Maybe it already did. 666 for Colds Fever666 is such a big deal now; I wonder if it was in 1936. Red, white, red, white, etc.Clever paint scheme on the barber shop. Dilapidated Much?I find the photo very intriguing. Even being from the South I've never seen anything like that, things were so much different back then. Helluva ColdThat would have to be one devilish cold or fever for me to take "666" brand liquid, tablets or salve. Regarding the cluster of BarbershopsMy guess is that unlike more affluent establishments, each of these shops probably had one chair and one barber. So if one guy was busy, you'd go to the next. If they weren't near each other, you'd be more inclined to wait for your guy to free up. This way, everyone gets some bidness. The FactoryTaken in Jacksonville around 1980. VburgMy wife and sister-in-law inform me that this was at 1004-1006 Washington Street in Vicksburg, next to the river. Off-frame to the right would be the intersection with Jackson Street. Today it's an empty lot. The barely visible building in the background is the railroad depot. The Nassours, who owned the grocery, are still a prominent family in town. If you go to Vicksburg today, look for a pink-and-white building at 2710 Washington Street -- the "Nappie Roots Styling Salon." I kid you not. VicksburgThanks for that info about where this photo was taken. As a grad student, I lived near the corner of Monroe and Jackson for one summer while working at the Waterways Experiment Station. Although living in this "city" was quite the culture shock for a native New Englander like me, it didn't look nearly as run-down as this picture. AhaMy aunt has a painting in her living room of a country road with an old barn in the background and on one of the trees is a sign with the 666 on it. I always wondered why it had that number on it and why she'd want that number in her living room. Now I see it was just a weird name for a cough syrup. Roberts Remedies No. 666I stumbled upon your website while researching a bottle that I found recently. It is an old bottle with a cork stopper and the label (mostly intact) for Roberts Remedies No. 666 from the Monticello Drug Co. It sold for 50 cents. I found the "General Directions" interesting: One teaspoonful in water every three hours until it acts well, then three times a day. As cure for Malaria, One Tablespoonful in water every three hours for three days, then three times a day for eight weeks. CHILDREN IN PROPORTION TO AGE. Vicksburg Red Beans and RiceHad lunch (Red Beans and Rice) in ol' downtown Vicksburg today on the way back East from Louisiana and thought of this series of photos on Shorpy as I was shaking the Tabasco into the plate. Could have used a trim too. More than 15 times as effective as Vick's Formula 44 (The Gallery, Stores & Markets, Vicksburg, Walker Evans)
On the Edge of the 60s
... An ath-uh-lete. Those are some seriously huge looking trees in back. Redwoods? Casual Friday? I was in public school 8th grade ... maximus! My wife posed in front of these redwood trees. And she did it many times through her school years. She also ... 
 
Posted by tterrace - 09/29/2011 - 6:37pm -

Even though it's 1960, it's obvious that the 60s haven't started yet. My eighth grade class photo in Larkspur - or as Dave would say, idyllic Larkspur. I must say, though, that we're looking somewhat less idyllic than when some of us were gathered at the same spot eight years earlier. I'm in the front row, second from left. So, when did the 60s begin? A case could be made for 1963, 1964 or 1965, but I'm going for 1965. View full size. 60s != sixtiesThe problem here is that the Sixties as a cultural phenomenon has very little correlation with the decade of the 1960s. In most of America, the Sixties (drugs, sex, rock-n-roll, decadence) began in late 1968 with the large demonstrations against the war, and faded out around 1975. By contrast the 1960s, as seen in this picture, were a time of prosperity and optimism, a time when boys looked like rocket scientists and girls looked like rockets. Did any of these boysserve in Vietnam? Great photo BTW When the 60s beganThe 60's began on Sunday night, Feb. 9, 1964! I'm from a later generationbut I think Buddy Holly (among others) had a influence on kids back then. (Or was he just that way?) The 60sI'm in the group who think the '60s started at the end of 1963 with JFK's assassination, followed by the Beatles in '64. And the end of the decade came in 1973 with the U.S. pullout from Vietnam and Nixon's resignation in 1974. No moreAn innocence that no longer exists in our children. So tell us, tterrace, just how innocent *were* you kids? Starting from top right, moving counterclockwise. On a scale of 1 to 10. -Dave] I was six in 1960This shows life as portrayed in "Leave It To Beaver." Then came the Beatles and life changed. That's how I remember it anyway. Girls ARE more matureIf you enlarge this photo, and carefully scrutinize all the faces, it is apparent that all of the girls seem to be certain of who they are and comfortable in their own skin. Many can also pass for high school students. The boys on the other hand show various characteristics of rebelliouness, moodiness, sadness, some seem troubled and pensive, some look like cut-ups and wise guys, just a lot less certain of the image they wish to portray and many can pass as fifth graders, looking at least three years younger. I'm thinking perhaps some parents were much harder on their sons than on their daughters as the girls seem relatively content while the boys show signs of personal conflict. I hope they all found happiness. Thank you for this very nostalgic picture. O.K. RomeoWhich girl (?!!) did you have the hots for? I was in 2nd grade in 1960 ... and you're right, we were all still blissfully living in the fifties then. I think the sixties began with the assassination of JFK and arrival of the Beatles in 1964. The era was in full swing by the time of the Summer of Love and the murders of RFK and MLK. And, btw, if anyone ever perfects a time machine, I'm going back to live with your family, tterrace. "Idyllic" is the right word for most of your pics. Nothing screams 1960... like a Hawaiian t-shirt! Such a lively group of kids, and to think, in just under a decade this same group of youngsters will introduce the world to pot, LSD, and the Grateful Dead! When did the 60s begin?I too was an eighth grader in 1959-60. It's hard to say just when the culture of the "60s" first emerged in the national consciousness. I guess I would say 1964-1965, with the beginning of the Vietnam buildup, the civil rights movement in full swing, campus protests, inner city riots, and the emergence of an entirely different style of popular music. Anyone who leapt from 1963 to 1968 would have been completely lost. I Want to Drivemy '50 Ford to the drive in with that little gal next to the teacher, whew, what a doll she must have become in high school, "Apache" (1960) on the AM car radio. How many?Point of curiosity -- if you know -- how many of your classmates are still alive? It seems like every class starts losing members about a year after graduation so I suspect you've lost your share as well. Innocence of youthWell, our names were innocent-sounding enough anyway: Albert, Bob (2), Bucky (really Harold, but who knew?), Carla, Christine, Cynthia, David (2), Dennis, Earl, Frances, Hilliard, Jack, Jean, John (3), Johnny, Ken, Laurie, Lenore, Lonna, Marcia, Margaret, Paul, Peggy (2), Richard, Roberta, Roger, Russ, Sam, Sharon, Sheila, Tom. Ashley, Brittany, Brandon, Justin and Dakota were absent that day. Could be my classI believe the 60's started around 1962, but in a small way. The folk music scene, and coffee houses contributed to it. Early Dylan, Baez helped nudge us into a new decade. But the really visible 60's didn't occur until around 1964/65 with the British invasion of music, and fashion. The guys in the photo defiantly exhibit a late '50s sensibility in their clothing choice, and hairstyles. [Definitely. - Dave] Decades vs. ErasOne of tterrace's contemporaries takes on the '50s-'60s thing. Let's go back to the '40s. '40-'45: the Depression jarringly became the WWII Era--privation and sacrifice. '46-'51: the Post War Era--baby boom, consumer goods and housing in short supply. '52-'63: "The Fifties", the "Fab-u-luxe Age"--tail fins, massive consumption, rock and roll, shadow of nuclear destruction, JFK. Started to peter out with Cuban missile crisis. Ended November 22, 1963 '63-'72: "The Sixties", civil rights, the British Invasion, Women's Lib., Viet Nam, student riots, Stonewall Riot, M.L. King and RFK assassinations, Chicago convention, Nixon, war winds down. '73-?: Beyond here lies Disco, gay rights, bad presidents, trickle down, AIDS, Iran, energy crisis, limited wars, cell phones, the Internet and Shorpy. Positive IDI graduated a few years later at LCM and recognize about 14 of the people, all boys by the way, as some of those were the ones you had to look out for. Do you remember all the names to go with the faces here? Too Cool for SchoolPlease let us know (if you know) what happened to the dude sitting next to you on the right. I bet he wound up in juvy. Front row guyI wonder what happened to the James Dean guy in the front row. He had an obvious magnetism and confidence that the other boys seem to be lacking. More than 10 years to the SixtiesHaving graduated from 8th grade in the same year, I would say that the 60s began in 1955 with Rosa Parks in the front of the bus and with the trial and ended with the sentencing of Patty Hearst in 1976. For me, just starting to open my eyes to the world, the Sixties began with the Civil Rights movement, JFK, and the Space Race. In between there was Vietnam, the draft and the anti-war movement; the assassinations (JFK, RFK, MLK and Malcom X); the Summer of Love, Woodstock, and the rest of the drugs, sex, and rock & roll scene; and all the societal and personal changes, large and small, that we remember in different ways. It ended with Altamont, Kent State, Manson, Nixon and the Symbionese Liberation Army. A long, strange trip indeed. I'm glad I was on the ride. The girl by the teacherShe is not only seriously cute, but that direct gaze, as if she's looking right at ME, indicates she really knows who she is (as someone else pointed out). That, and she's quite a flirt. Alpha Male spottedBack row, between Buddy Holly and Susan Boyle. An ath-uh-lete. Those are some seriously huge looking trees in back. Redwoods? Casual Friday?I was in public school 8th grade in 1964, my first experience with "real clothes" after parochial school. I am amazed at the attire in this photo. In the front row alone I spy sneakers, rolled-up pants, and dungarees. All would have been verboten in our school. There's also the glaring absence of shoe polish. The gals, though, all appear demurely and appropriately dressed. Could this have been "class day" or some other occasion calling for "dress-down" attire? BTW, the gal at the top right is hottimus maximus! My wife posed in front of these redwood trees.And she did it many times through her school years. She also remembers Mr. G, the teacher in this photo. Seemingly fondly. Some of these guys look familiar to me. My sister was this age, and ended up going to Redwood High School with most of this crowd. I think she even went out with the guy in the second row from the top, two over from the teacher. I'm pretty sure he was kind of a baseball hero in high school. Some of these lads look like the kind of guys you'd have to avoid if you were younger like I was. There was a pretty good pecking order that went on back then between age groups. And if you were from out of town, then you were in real trouble. I was from the next town over, but would head to Larkspur to run amok in the abandoned houses along the Corte Madera Creek. Dangerous and fun. No real teasing quite yet... of the girls' hair, that is. In a couple of years those natural looking bobs would be teased and sprayed into larger than life beehives and bouffants. By 1962 I am doing just that and seeking great heights of unnatural hair that looked just like the styles in Hairspray. Although my sixth grade year of 63-64 was certainly pivotal between Dallas and the Beatles, the 60s started for me in 1962, when hair was hard to the touch, shoes were very pointy, and boys that looked like the Danny Zuko lookalike in the front row would have been the object of my desire. That day in Dealey PlazaDefinitely the 60s started that Dallas afternoon on November 22nd 1963 Fan ClubOh tterrace....you need to have a fan club! And I want to be your president! Your photos make my day, Daddy-o! Bye, Bye Miss American Pie!I’ve been wrestling with what I could ad to these observations. I’ve decided that Don McLean knew what he was talking about when he sang about “The Day The Music died.” That did seem like the day of transition to me. Before, it was the optimistically innocent time of early rock ‘n roll, Davy Crockett and Annette Funicello. Afterwards came the threat of nuclear war, the Beatles & Stones and the threat of being drafted. The onset of darkness seemed overwhelming as our high school years commenced. Most of us got through it. People from The Edge of the 60sI met up with a number of them at the 40th reunion of the Redwood High class of 1964 and learned that the gal next to our teacher Mr. G. is, I'm afraid, one of the ones no longer with us. The fellow in the second row from the top, second from left was indeed an athletic-type guy, but it was his older brother who became a tennis pro of some note. This wasn't a "casual Friday" or any other kind of special-clothing day. This is pretty much how we all looked day-in, day-out. CreepyThat is how I feel whenever the adult male visitors on Shorpy make comments about the physical appearance of underage girls in the pictures....even if the pics are decades old ... it is just creepy. [There is definitely one creepy comment here -- yours. Ick! - Dave] Why so few girls?Was there a Catholic girls school nearby and thus the out of whack boy-girl ratio? I am about this age and this looks a lot like one of my Indiana school pictures of the time. Socks that always fell down. Checked shirts. Buzz (butch), flat top cut or Brylcreem. Jeans with a cuff. Always a white T-shirt under your shirt. Girls more mature so they were always going out with guys 2 years older. Thin and NowOne notable difference between your class picture and one of a current 8th grade class is the lack of fat kids! Everywhere schoolYou guys are youngsters. That year, 1959-60, was my first as a teacher. Every kid in the photo reminds me of one I taught. When in a group, mob psychology seems to rule, and these kids, especially the boys, could give any teacher problems. But in one-on-one situations, you would probably enjoy getting to know any of them. One of the best things about kids is that most of them eventually grow up! If you replaced all the girls in the photo... with iPods, this would look like a pack of present-day Brooklyn hipsters. Creepy?Hardly -- I look at this photo, and I feel part heartbreak, part bittersweet nostalgia. I see tterrace and his friends, and I see myself and MY classmates*, now scattered to the winds. This is a reminder of lost opportunities, a reminder of the futures we saw for ourselves -- mayhap, realized, more likely not -- and above all, a reminder of the fleet passing of our lives. Still, it's nice to remember what we were, and not try to force ourselves into the shorthand of decade-sized boxes. *Admittedly, some of us were smitten with other classmates. Remembering those early crushes -- and that's what has been commented on -- is part of who we were and are. Something in the WaterI distinctly remember my eighth grade class & none of the girls looked like this. 3/4 of these girls here look like 25-year-old women. It's a strange phenomenon. The beautiful girl sitting on the far right has a timeless look but definitely exemplifies wholesome fifties beauty to me; the dark girl with the sweater sitting in the middle looks four years ahead of her time, like she should be dancing to Spector records. Biology is strangeCan't help but notice - with this photo as well as my own grade eight class photo, taken 17 years later - the disparity between the girls and boys. Some of the boys look like seniors in high school already, while some - the line sitting in the front - could be in grade 5 or 6. The girls, on the other hand, look around the same age, and far more mature than kids just a summer away from high school. They do, as someone said earlier, seem like 25-year-old women. The same strange phenomenon is present in my own grade school grad class photo, shot in 1977. The stretch between 10 and 14 really is a biological roller coaster for boys in a way that girls seem to have been spared. I would love an explanation for that. The 60s started, for me, in the early spring of 1965, when I was 10 years old. My dad, a Marine stationed at Camp Pendleton, California, came home from work and said that he had to get on board ship in a few days. He said he didn't know where he was going or when he would be back. We went down to the dock and waved goodbye and he said, "I'll see you by Christmas." I am sure he really knew where he was going, but couldn't say. He did come back, thankfully, 13 months later. I don't think I had a single waking moment, over the rest of the decade, that I was not conscious of the Vietnam War. I guess when the 60s started depends on what about the 60s you are thinking of. If it is civil rights, then I agree that it started even before 1960. If you are thinking of the hippie culture, campus demonstrations, etc., then I say it started in 1965. There were certainly all ready things, like the JFK assassination and the arrival of the Beatles, that had kind of paved the way, though. (ShorpyBlog, Member Gallery, Kids, tterrapix)
La Coquille: 1954
... all the Fords I'm gonna guess the red roadster behind the trees is a T-Bird. [They're Hertz rentals. - Dave] Wow What a ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/17/2023 - 2:27pm -

December 1954. "La Coquille Club, Palm Beach, Florida." 35mm Kodachrome by Toni Frissell for the Sports Illustrated assignment "Sporting Look: La Coquille." View full size. Very nice!Love the light blue Caddy with the soft top ! Thanks ! Cadillac AbuseIt's just a year or two old, but it sure looks tired. And what's up with all the Ford ragtops? [Hertz Rent-a-Car. - Dave] A Plethora Of Mid-Fifties Fords!A white '55 coming at us, an aqua '56 to it's its right, then a blue '56, and another aqua '56, all Sunliners. Then, coming in, are two more '55s, both Customlines, and exiting the lot looks like another '55 Sunliner. Finally the back end of '55 (56?) station wagon on the far left. Ford dealer meeting perhaps? Given all the Fords I'm gonna guess the red roadster behind the trees is a T-Bird. [They're Hertz rentals. - Dave] WowWhat a nice assortment of cars! Through most of the 1950s and the early '60s my dad drove a Studebaker like the one in front of the red Ford. He loved that car. Heard much about it.My late grandmother worked at La Coquille several winters, during the 1960s, as a chambermaid. She worked her entire life in the hospitality industry up North and, to hear her tell it, working here was as good as a vacation. (The Gallery, Kodachromes, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Florida, Toni Frissell)
Chicken Dinner Here: 1927
... of this delicious scene has to be the shadows of unseen trees, bottom right. http://www.jazzlives.wordpress.com K of C ... to its present home at 805 Wayne avenue. Windows and trees This is just a wonderful photograph, catching a casual moment long ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 12/04/2009 - 6:20pm -

Silver Spring, Maryland, circa 1927. One of three National Photo glass negatives with the caption "Jordan & Co." National Photo Company. View full size. Nothing LeftAccording to Jerry McCoy's "Historic Silver Spring" (which has this photo), this is the west side of Georgia Avenue at Harden Street (now Wayne Avenue). All modern office buildings now. Film SpeedA day-time photo in the 20's still with a slow shutter speed? I would have thought by this point that the film would have been fast enough to stop the action. Just what film speed were they using in those days? [They weren't using film. As noted in the caption, this scene was recorded on glass. - Dave] Love Silver SpringIt lasted until at least 1970 and by 1980 it was mostly gone. historicalaerials.com shows how it used to hardly be an intersection at all! Jelly Roll Morton and moreJazz pianist and composer Jelly Roll Morton used to talk about filling up his Cadillac with "that good Gulf gas," and I thought it a phrase he had made up -- now I know he was someone else who had fallen under the spell of a catchy slogan. For me, the most evocative part of this delicious scene has to be the shadows of unseen trees, bottom right. http://www.jazzlives.wordpress.com K of CThe building hosting the chicken dinner was the Knights of Columbus Hall, 8500 Georgia Ave. Built circa 1926, it was sold in December 1930 and remodeled for use as a house of worship by the newly founded St. Michael's Parish. The congregation moved in 1952 to its present home at 805 Wayne avenue. Windows and treesThis is just a wonderful photograph, catching a casual moment long gone. I live in a house built in the mid-1920s, and its wood-framed windows are exactly the same as those along the side of the Knights of Columbus Hall. There is a touch of modernity, yet not-so-modern in this photograph. With the black and white detail, you can almost hear the dry breezes rustling through the branches of the trees. A muted moment that is spectacular. Shutter speed.Glass plates and film had similar speeds. The use of a slow shutter speed was due to the need to stop the lens down for depth-of-field, in other words a large area from foreground to background that the photographer wanted to keep sharp. I shoot the same size film now, and I often use shutter speeds in the 1/4 to 1 second range in order to stop the lens down for maximum sharpness front to back in the scene being photographed. Emulsion Speed in the '20sIn the 1920s, photographic media weren't rated at standard speeds the way we do today. But if they were, their ISO numbers would generally fall in the 8 to 16 range, with a few "Super Speed" and "Ultra Speed" emulsions being as fast as ISO 32. The proper exposure in full sun, like this picture, with an ISO 16 emulsion, would require around 1/15 second at f/16. A large format camera, like those that used glass plates, would require at least f/16, if not a smaller aperture, to yield the depth of field seen here. I pulled out my copy of "The Camera, the Photographic Journal of America" from June 1926 and reviewed the exposure info for some images and found that most exposures made on sunny days were longer than 1/15. Sunny's SurplusI think the K of C building also housed Sunny's Surplus in the 60's. There was a great old green-painted brick building across Georgia Avenue that housed a slot-car facility around the same time. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Natl Photo, Stores & Markets)
Pie Town Dugout: 1940
... Great Plains and deserts of the West and Southwest, where trees and other building materials were scarce, dugouts were warmer in winter ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/30/2012 - 12:01pm -

October 1940. "Mr. Leatherman, homesteader, coming out of his dugout home at Pie Town, New Mexico." View full size. 4x5 Kodachrome transparency by Russell Lee. Another example of the dugout-style structure used for the homesteader dwellings and church in the Dead Ox Flat photos. Before industry and technology gave us sawmills and frame houses, this is how the average person lived in much of the world. The dugout or pit house, with sod roof, log walls and earthen floor, is among the most ancient of human dwellings -- at some point in history your ancestors lived in one. Especially popular among 19th-century settlers in the Great Plains and deserts of the West and Southwest, where trees and other building materials were scarce, dugouts were warmer in winter and cooler in summer than above-ground structures; just about anywhere in North America the ground temperature three feet down is 55 degrees regardless of the season. [Addendum: This picture was taken using Kodachrome sheet film (5 inches by 4 inches) and (probably) a Graflex Speed Graphic press camera. The image you see here was scanned from the positive transparency itself, not a print.] Pole & Line in BackLikely a dipole antenna for a small radio in the home. Note what appears to be a runner going towards the ground from the mid-point. Similar Aleut-style dugoutHere is an 1899 photograph from the Harriman Expedition of a barabara, a semi-underground Aleut dwelling on Unalaska, in the Aleutians Islands, Alaska. Not quite the dugout captured so well in Pie Town by Mr. Lee, but the principle is the same: the temperature below the ground’s surface remains fairly constant. In the fiercely windy Aleutians the advantage of below-ground structures is even more enhanced. Denny Gill Chugiak, Alaska HmmNote--the photo is in color. Not real? [This is one of our most frequent uninformed comments. When do people think color photography began? The answer is that it goes back to the 19th century. Kodachrome film went on the market in 1935. And of course we've all seen Technicolor movies from the 1930s -- The Wizard of Oz, Gone With the Wind, etc. - Dave] Color photography goes backColor photography goes back a lot further than October 1940. No reason to believe it's fake. What is the pole and line in back?It seems to have a line or wire running from the pole into the tree, then on to another tree. Aha!That must be why the first structure ever built at my alma mater looked just like this! Speak for you own selvesNot MY ancestors! I love it!I want mine in my backyard so I can go down there with my neighbor!!!!!! Uh huh. I bet I'd still live in one of these babies if my community would allow it. Holy Sh*t! ColorizedUhm ... Both The Wizard of Oz and Gone With the Wind were filmed in B&W. It wasn't until later re-releases that they were colorized. [Sigh. Where do people get these ideas?? GWTW (which won an Oscar for color cinematography) and Wizard of Oz were of course both filmed in color. Wikipedia articles on Technicolor and Gone With the Wind. - Dave] OzThe Wizard Of Oz started filming in 1938. The book's silver shoes became ruby slippers because the movie was one of the few films made at the time to be filmed in color, and MGM wanted to show off the color process. At the time, most movies were filmed in black-and-white thus those parts of the movie were meant to be reality, and the color part was meant to be a dream. By the way, all this information can be found on the internet, so look up things before you say something because instead of being an expert instead you sound like an idiot. History of color photographyThe history of color photography. The Wizard Of OzThe main reason people think the movie "The Wizard Of Oz" is colorized is because 'faded' copies of that film is usually shown on tv. This movie has been recently restored frame by frame to its original look by Warner Studios and even some extra footage has been added. I have that restored movie on DVD and it is visually outright spectacular. Just take a preview look at this here [Warner Bros.]: http://thewizardofoz.warnerbros.com/ Wizard of OzWrong. Wizard's first few minutes and last few minutes were in B&W but the majority of the film was originally in Technicolor! Wizard of OzActually, you are all wrong. The Kansas scenes were filmed in Sepiatone, which is actually color film. The Oz scenes were filmed in Technicolor. Blair Frodelius http://ozmapolitan.spaces.live.com/ Oz, Part 23573"The Kansas scenes were filmed in Sepiatone, which is actually color film. " Well, just to carry this off topic argument further... sepiatone is not a color film. It is a coloration applied to black and white images resulting in a brown and white appearance, but not a color film in any normal sense. Looking ForwardDare I say it? There might come a point when these people appear to be ahead of their time. Imagine how much less energy we would use if we took advantage of some of the ground's natural advantages---of course balanced with modern technology to make it a whole lot more comfortable. Oz ad nauseamUnless someone can prove otherwise, I am convinced the black and white portion of Wizard of Oz was shot on black and white negative. The Color portion of Wizard of Oz was shot on THREE black and white negatives. Black and white and sepia are all colors. You mean I've been in Kansas all along? I saw all of you there though. Were you thinking? Maybe you weren't really there. But in short, the intro and epilogue was black and white, and the OZ portion was Technicolor. And the prints seen in theatres, I assume were all printed on color positive stock, although it is posible if there was a reel change, the intro and epilogue actually COULD have been printed on black and white stock. The real question is... was the sepia toning of the black and white portion originally there, in the theatre prints? Watching the movie on TV growing up, I would say it was not, unless the networks decided to pump away the sepia technically. When the film was restored for video release since 1980, sepia toning of the black and white portion was probably done. Electronically. You know, to make it look old. I haven't watched the film since its first 'restored' vhs release, except to listen to Dark Side of the Moon. Sepia toning usually takes place on paper prints (such as via bromination) either as a accidental by-product or intentional archival technique. It generally was not used for movies presented in the theatre, even in cases where it could have been technically possible to fudge the look when printed to color transparency. And it is cool/hotto live in a hole in the ground. That doesn't make it that feasible for an entire population however. The majority of houses are, and have historically been, ABOVE ground, because it is simply easier to build them that way. Root cellars were common, to keep stored food at a more constant temperature throughout the year. And beer was often made in caves, as was the mash for whiskey, for similar reasons. Ad nauseam indeedFrom the Department of Dead Horses: "The Wizard of Oz" was indeed released theatrically in 1939 with sepia toning to the black-and-white sequences. MGM, for reasons I don't know, used sepia toning rather often in the late '30s. The b/w Oz scenes were shot on b/w stock; the Technicolor sequences were, as described, shot using the Technicolor process, which produced three separate b/w negatives. But the was not originally printed on color "positive" stock; however, but using an imbibition process, which is too complicated to go into here; try this link: http://www.widescreenmuseum.com/oldcolor/technicolor6.htm. As for toning of films, it was EXTREMELY common during the silent era, as opposed to "generally not used." Try http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Film_tinting Honestly, how do people manage to speak with such authority about things they clearly know nothing about? I never knew, This is aI never knew, This is a great website. Oh man...Progress IS fast. I cant believe that people used to live in those... progress?I agree that we've progressed in the sense of no longer having dirt floors, and tiny houses, but there are certainly advantages to that style of building that we have regretfully left behind. Part of the looming fossil-fuel energy crisis has to do with our dependence on convenient energy, rather than efficiency, in keeping our homes climate controlled. I'd say a similar tradeoff has been made with respect to transportation. Instead of living in close-knit dense communities, we require freeways and cars. I love seeing stuff like this picture, because it's a reminder that there IS a way to live without energy-rich technological solutions. [The people of Pie Town, living as they did out in the middle of nowhere, all had cars. - Dave] FloodingI can't imagine they stayed there very long. What happens when it rains? I don't think there were many sump pumps then. Photographic HistoryThe first color photographs predate WWI. Even those aside, it's fairly trivial to colorize an existing black and white photo if you feel the urge. These structures are indeed ancient -- they were common in Japan as early as 400 AD (that's off the top of my head) and elsewhere in the world even earlier. Interesting to see that they were used in the USA - though it shouldn't shock anyone. The depression wasn't in full force in 1940 but the USA wasn't something a modern resident would recognize. Times were hard. Great photo. :(my ancestors were monkeys and couldn't even afford a house like this I'll give you a "hell yeah"I'll give you a "hell yeah" on that one !! I thought everyone who grew up watching that movie would realize the significance of the color part of the film. think we need to put down our game boys and read books again. Dugout HouseMy mother's family lived in a dugout house near Elida, New Mexico, in the 30's and 40's. They were not poor, and they found the life to be just fine. Nice dipole antennaI wonder what kind of wireless equipment he has in that shack... "not my ancestors"where did you come from? obviously not earth... PlaggenhutIn the Netherlands, these dugout homes or pit houses, 1900 circa, were called "plaggenhut" (sod house or turf hut). They were found typically in the north-eastern part of the country, e.g. in the province of Drenthe. Vincent Van Gogh visited Drenthe from September till October, 1883. In a second letter, dated around September 15th 1883, to his brother Theo, he wrote: "I am enclosing a sketch of my first painted study from this neighbourhood, a cottage on the heath. A cottage made entirely of only turfs and sticks." In Drenthe he painted several studies, the so called third series. One of them is "Cottages," Oil on canvas on cardboard(?), F17/JH395, 35.5 x 55.5 cm." (The Gallery, Kodachromes, Pie Town, Russell Lee)
Michigan Avenue: 1918
... Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. Trees, please. Thank you. Amazingly those multi-globed ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 10/27/2015 - 10:48am -

Chicago circa 1918. "Michigan Avenue -- Blackstone Hotel and Grant Park." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. Trees, please. Thank you. Amazinglythose multi-globed street lamps are still in use today. Original Michigan Blvd. Lampposts The unique originals were replaced in the '50's by a bland street lighting design eventually used throughout the city. These 50's replacements are still in use in most areas in Chicago proper. Later use of sodium vapor in the lighting elements, these newer fixtures have contributed to the "Orange-ing" of Chicago which sets the city streets apart from those of the suburbs. Even though these replica lampposts use sodium lamps (orange), I was glad to see them return! Still looks beautifulFunny, with the decline of Detroit in the news so much I was expecting this hotel and entire block to be gone or abandoned. It's nice to see that the hotel appears to be as beautiful as it was in 1918. [This is Chicago, though. -tterrace] Oohh...Detroit PUBLISHING company. Thanks tterrace. I saw Detroit at the bottom in the description and got it in my head. Thanks for setting me straight. I had a moment of hope for Detroit! :) +89Below is the same view from April of 2007. Art Institute of ChicagoThat would be the Art Institute in the distance on this side of the street - also still there in the same building. Stick It To 'EmThe billboard to the left of the Blackstone advertised Thrift Stamps that were being sold to the public to aid the Liberty Loan drive during WW1. They sold for 25 cents each. and could eventually be traded for interest bearing War Bonds. We had similar stamps during WW2 but they could be purchased for as low as a dime. BlackstoneI have stayed there a few times, actually. Neat old building. A ton of movies were filmed there too! (The Gallery, Chicago, DPC)
Arnold Park: 1905
... in Rochester very long but I do remember it having more trees and railroad tracks than any city of its size. There's one in ... far left. Champagne Anyone Beautiful American Elm trees. Not may left in our cities any more due to dutch elm disease. What a ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/01/2012 - 1:42pm -

Circa 1905. "Arnold Park -- Rochester, New York." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. This looks like the spotFirst pass through from the end, and the stonework entrance is still there. View Larger Map DrivewaysIt took me a while to realize there are no driveways on this street, only narrow curb cuts that must be for bicycles or wagons or pushcarts or something. My 21st Century mind kept telling me those were driveways until I looked closer. No cars? No driveways yet. [Actually the words "driveway" and "driving" are products of the carriage-and-buggy era. Some of these homes may have had carriage houses with driveways to the street. Also note the curbside mounting blocks and hitching posts. - Dave] Rochester MemoriesI didn't live in Rochester very long but I do remember it having more trees and railroad tracks than any city of its size. There's one in every neighborhoodThe neighbor who piles up trash in his front yard. In Arnold Park, he lives in the house on the far left. Champagne Anyone Beautiful American Elm trees. Not may left in our cities any more due to dutch elm disease. What a shame! Trees are mapleThose aren't Elm. Look at the leaves....those are all Sugar Maple. (The Gallery, Rochester)
Summerville: 1906
... Company. View full size. Spanish moss and live oak trees rarely seen apart in the Old South. Spanish moss is an epiphyte ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 01/26/2020 - 3:26pm -

1906. "Sumter Avenue, Summerville, South Carolina." 5x7 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. Spanish moss and live oak treesrarely seen apart in the Old South. Spanish moss is an epiphyte rather than a parasite, since it doesn't actually get its nutrients from the host plant. Alas it is all gone nowSadly this bucolic scene has changed into a two lane road with modern houses lining both sides of the street. This has happened because Summerville is no longer a small Southern town. It is exploding as people who are working in Charleston and who don't want to live in the city are flooding Summerville. [With any luck, the flooding will counteract the exploding. - Dave] Treasure hunt Sumter today is a mix of old and new. The street is not as narrow, and much of the old growth is gone. But many of the houses standing today were well-seasoned in 1906, and the moss adds that element of quiet. (The Gallery, DPC, Small Towns)
The Rookery: 1938
... days to be at 95 degees or more. Also from the tops of the trees, it looks like there might have been a recent hurricane pass through. ... down, go to Laura Plantation , outside New Orleans. Trees and Hurricanes The records indicate a hurricane based through Morgan ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/30/2012 - 11:03am -

1938. St. Charles Parish, Louisiana. "The Rookery, Trepagnier House. Norco vicinity. Abandoned plantation house now occupied by Negroes." 8x10 inch acetate negative by Frances Benjamin Johnston. View full size. Whoa!I've been rooked! Trepagnier PlantationThe Trepagnier Plantation was expropriated, along with several others, by the U. S. Army Corps of Engineers to build the Bonnet Carre' Spillway. http://www.pbase.com/septembermorn/image/99857528 Amazing perspectiveFrances Benjamin Johnston has definitely become my new favorite photographer. Her capture of dilapidated but still architecturally interesting buildings is beyond compare. While I'm sure this house was never grand, it was well-designed. I would love to have seen the inside of all of the homes FBJ photographed. Needs TLCThe stairs are the definition of negligence, and the porch roof isn't doing its job. Much. Now occupied by photographersInteresting to learn that Russell Lee also photographed this house. Too bad it's no longer available. Stranger than fiction"Always Something Interesting" just doesn't say it well enough. This is the fascinatingest image you have posted. Thanks, Dave, for such wonderful glimpses into our history that the books just don't cover. LaundryI'd guess that a laundress lives here, that the drying clothes are someone else's. Health and SafetyPersonally, I'd move the bed away from the area of the chimney. Wash n WearIf this photo was taken in the middle of summer, those clothes would be dry in no time flat! I know. I live here and it's normal for the summer days to be at 95 degees or more. Also from the tops of the trees, it looks like there might have been a recent hurricane pass through. That's about how they look after one. Fast Forward to...some areas in New Orleans, post Katrina, and there's not much difference! Looks like an old plantation house1700s. I see the timber/columbage construction...turned French columns. In a state of severe decay and I'm sure demolished today? Wash DayLooks like the washing machine works, but the dryer must be out of order. Need a new wordSubstandard doesn't quite work here. Ante-antebellumThat is the predecessor of the Palladian plantation houses you usually see in the Civil War movies. Notice the brick ground floor to protect against water, and the half timbered upper floor that still has some stucco that hasn't washed away yet. It's a combination of traditional European and African architecture that evolved in the extremely wet climate here in Louisiana. That's pure LouisianaNothing to do with Palladianism. Sleep under the starsDo you suppose that's for the cool night breeze, or out of fear of the roof collapsing while you are asleep? No CrackersThat's a Creole House! Yesiree. No white anglo-columns and palladian front doors here. Simple and breezy. It's trueWe may live in a dirty run down house, but gosh darnit our clothes are CLEAN! Tells a long and vast storySo correct about the laundress. This must be one of my very favorite photos seen on Shorpy. Top to bottom, what a picture! 1811 Revolt Trepagnier House was the primary site of an 1811 slave revolt that resulted in the killing of plantation owner Jean-François Trépagnier. Many of the descendants Trepagnier's slaves inhabited the plantation property years after the Civil War, well into the 20th century. Shell Chemical bought the plantation land in the 1950s, which is now the site of a refinery. The building was demolished at that time. Little boyI'm haunted by that beautiful little boy sitting on the stairs looking straight into the camera. Incredible to think that a slave revolt took place here. That's Creole, cherThis house is classic Creole architecture from the earliest years of the 1800s. To see an example of this style that isn't falling down, go to Laura Plantation, outside New Orleans. Trees and HurricanesThe records indicate a hurricane based through Morgan City on June 16th, 1934. This hurricane could have easily struck St. Charles Parish. At the same time, the trees haven't been seriously damaged in the past several years. Notice how fine the branches are on almost every major limb. I'm guessing they are just old trees. I'd also guess that if a hurricane had hit this area, the roof would be in much worse shape than it is. Don Hall Yreka, CA Re: 1811 Revolt Trepagnier House was a site along the way of a failed 1811 slave revolt that resulted in the murder of plantation owner Jean-François Trépagnier. (The Gallery, F.B. Johnston)
A Big Load: 1890s
... roads. I am a native Oregonian and remember seeing trees like this going through the small towns of my childhood on the back log ... must be a steam-driven saw and crane nearby. [The trees were felled and sectioned by hand. - Dave] Double Duty From the ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/29/2012 - 10:08am -

Michigan circa 1890s. "Logging a big load." Continuing our Michigan travelog. 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. IncredibleThis picture blows my mind. On the one hand, my first inclination is to call it a gag photo. But there it is -- before the days of Photoshop. On the other hand I am left to wonder: How can two horses pull such an enormous load -- on sled runners no less, in snow-covered dirt? All the lumberjacks present suggest we are at the forest, not the mill. How long is the horse-pull to the mill? How were the logs piled so high? I take it there was a steam derrick somewhere abouts. etc. etc. People want to know, Dave. Can't resistThose lumberjacks sure have a lot of wood. Hardly toothpicksHope that load didn't become firewood. Can't tell the species from the bark, but that's marvelous timber -- straight, free of limbs (and, thereby, knots and/or crotch wood) -- and some of the logs must be approaching 3 feet across. I see lots of furniture there. I'm SpeechlessThese guys are nuts! 2 HPI'm surprised that kind of load can be pulled by only two horses. Hope they don't have to pull it uphill. PuzzledHow the heck did they stack those logs that high? How the heck do just two horses pull that load? Regardless, pretty darned impressive. Special ShoesThe horses were generally shod with special "clawed" shoes--sort of studded tires of the day. This gave them extra grip in the ice and snow. Also, it would be easier to drag this over the ice (once it was moving)than over dirt roads. I am a native Oregonian and remember seeing trees like this going through the small towns of my childhood on the back log log trucks. Maybe the Run is Downhill?But surely even these brawny experts didn't saw the logs so neatly by hand, so there must be a steam-driven saw and crane nearby. [The trees were felled and sectioned by hand. - Dave] Double DutyFrom the photo below it appears that the horses not only had to pull the sled, but they had to help load it too. It's a livingAren't you glad you're not a horse? Timber SledsHere are a couple photos I used in our project about Michigan White Pine Lumbering in the mid 1800's. Logging in Upper MichiganThe sleds were pulled on ice roads made by spraying the trails with water. The drivers had to be especially careful going down a grade as the load could overrun the horses. If they had an uphill grade they would add a couple helper horses. Another problem was crossing lakes, if the sled fell through the ice it could pull the horses in. These sleds were a big reason why logging was done in the winter in upper Michigan. "Life in a Logging Camp"There's an interesting illustrated account of white pine logging in Michigan in the June 1893 issue of Scribner's magazine. It describes a load of logs "18 feet long, 15 feet wide, and 33 feet 3 inches from the top to the roadbed, weighing over 100 tons ... hauled by a single team" over the specially prepared ice covered roads, and says it "will be placed on the grounds of the Columbian Exposition as one of the wonders of the world." A book on the era The book "White Pine Days on the Tahquamenon" is a good read on the Michigan logging days. WowCan you imagine what the forests looked like with all the trees that size? Pulling PowerTwo impressive draft horses there. Lumber SealerMy great-grandfather, Albert Schuitema, was a lumber sealer in the early 1900's. Maybe he worked in the vicinity of these pictures. Can anyone tell me what a lumber sealer did? Down to the RiverThe horses did not pull the sled to the mill. Trees were cut in the winter only and the horses pulled the sled on a pre-iced trail to a river. The logs were put into the river in the spring and floated to a sawmill. The lumberjacks made a water corral out of some of the logs by chaining them together end to end. The bulk of the logs were put inside the corral. Steam tugboats pulled the log corrals out into the great lakes and to the sawmills on the main inland rivers. The Tugboats waited in an area where the logs would appear just like a taxi waits for a rider. This was a seasonal business for the lumberjacks. Winter and spring only. The Forest TodayThere is still a large piece of virgin forest left in Michigan's U.P., it is called the Porcupine Mountain Wilderness State Park. The park sits along the shore of Lake Superior and is about 70,000 acres. This forest holds the largest stand of unharvested old growth forest east of the Mississippi River. Hike into the interior trails and experience "what it was like" before the upper Midwest was logged. The white pine and hemlock trees are huge, the air is cool and pure, and the silence of the forest is deafening! Total respectAfter a week of felling and logging up 16 large oaks with the help of two Sthil chainsaws and a powerful quad and trailer I have nothing but respect for those loggers of the past. THEY had it tough! Lumber sealerA lumber sealer was the fellow who would mark the ends of the lumber with the "seal" of the company who was doing the logging. Remember, this was when logs were driven to the mill down river, the same river that every other logging company used. Marking or "sealing" was a way of identifying your logs from those of other companies at the mill, it's simular to branding cattle. Shorpy U Rides Again!Once again, I learn more here than I did from living a few years in WA (logging territory) or from even more years in college! Love the bit about the sealer... Thanks, guys and gals! 1893 World's Fair LoadThis load of white pine was cut on the Nestor Estate near Ewen, Michigan, in Ontonagon County in the Upper Peninsula. It was a world's record load of more than 36,000 board-feet of lumber. The two horses did indeed pull the load approximately a quarter of a mile. It was then loaded onto railcars, along with the sled, and sent to Chicago. The load was reloaded as part of the Michigan Lumber exhibit at the 1893 Columbia Exposition. -- Hartwick Pines Logging Museum Very coolI own my family hunting land and it is located in the northern section of the lower peninsula of Michigan. I think this photo is amazing! All Michigan antique photos mean something to me because my family first settled in MI in 1883 (from Oklahoma on horse carriage) (The Gallery, DPC, Horses, Mining)
Acacia Mutual: 1937
... Theodor Horydczak. View full size. Now with more trees. A Greek Revival Recast It is still there, but is now the ... and the Japanese War Memorial it sports two large Magnolia trees that are shaped somewhat like Acacia trees. Wierd Lions? Those ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 03/03/2017 - 2:13pm -

Washington, D.C., circa 1937. "Acacia Mutual Life Insurance Co. building, exterior, Louisiana Avenue." 8x10 acetate negative by Theodor Horydczak. View full size. Now with more trees. A Greek Revival RecastIt is still there, but is now the offices of law firm, Jones Day. Across the street from the Upper Senate Park and the Japanese War Memorial it sports two large Magnolia trees that are shaped somewhat like Acacia trees. Wierd Lions?Those statues welcoming visitors are certainly a bit strange. One assumes they are supposed to be lions. [Sort of an Art Deco griffin-like creature. -tterrace] [They're griffins, not lions, and weird, not "wierd." -Dave] +82Below is the same view from August of 2019. (The Gallery, D.C., The Office, Theodor Horydczak)
A Festive Fourth: 1919
... turned to watch a daring aviator circling low above the trees that surround the monument grounds." National Photo glass negative. ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/04/2023 - 3:45pm -

July 4, 1919. "Washington's men and women who served during the war gathered at the base of the Washington Monument, receiving medals of honor provided by the citizens of the District of Columbia. The big crowd has just turned to watch a daring aviator circling low above the trees that surround the monument grounds." National Photo glass negative. View full size. Things Done No MoreIf you tried to fly a small plane around the Washington Monument this afternoon, there would be fighter jets sent to shoot you down. Must have been a thing to see!Just look at that flying machine to the right of the monument. No presidentWhile it's impossible to identity those in the photo, we know that the President, Woodrow Wilson, was not one of them. On July 4, 1919 he was crossing the Atlantic on his return from the Versailles Peace Conference. From the U.S.S. George Washington on that date, he delivered the first presidential address broadcast by wireless transmission. While the technology allowed it to be heard by those on ships within 300 miles of Wilson's, the transmitter was installed on the wrong podium so his speech could barely be heard. He arrived in New York Harbor on July 8, and two days later delivered the Treaty of Versailles to the Senate for consideration. One Aviator, Many BoatersBoater straw hats, that is. It seems they were quite popular. Then, there's all the sailors with their "Dixie cups", the long time nickname of the white hat. Looks like quite the shindig here. I enjoy seeing the many hats popular over the years, thanks to all the fine, enlargeable photos on Shorpy. Professional Umbrella HolderLooks like two women on the right side in the foreground hired a woman to hold an umbrella over them. I didn't know that was a thing! Soldier with the satchel We were trained to left-hand carry, since there was never a shortage of junior officers who took personal offense at any fumbling before a right-hand salute. (The Gallery, Aviation, D.C., July 4, Natl Photo, Patriotic, WWI)
Merry Christmas: 1951
... Christmas Tree Even today when I think of Christmas trees this is what I think of. All through the 50's and 60's this was the only ... in the future that their parents had "real" Christmas trees that were hand made in China. Up until the first 'fake' Christmas ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 12/25/2017 - 10:32am -

        A Christmas chestnut from the Tuttle attic: "Tree -- Dec. 25, 1951." Merry Christmas from Blue Earth, Minnesota, and from Shorpy! 35mm Kodachrome by Grace or Hubert Tuttle. View full size. Tinsel on the treeAnd snow on the ground. The Box!What jumped out at me about this picture was the Campbell's Soup box! I remember having these at home with stuff stored in them. A product of the days when people would go and get empty boxes from the back of the grocery store to use for storage. Tinsel perfectionistWould have made my sister proud; whilst my brother and I preferred to throw handfuls at the tree; she always insisted on draping them one strand at a time. There were some years we hated her. My first electric trainAnd a red AMT '51 Pontiac were under our tree on Christmas 1951! Wish I had both back! At Last!Something that can compete with the wallpaper! Takes hours to wrap, minutes to destroyMy eldest sister's first job was at a department store in the gift wrap department. She is now in her middle 60s. To this day, when I receive a present from her, it is wrapped to perfection, taped and ready for presentation. These presents remind me of her skills. As a man, I really prefer the gift bags with tissue paper. 1950s OrnamentsWe have some of the same ones (notably the glass birds with the glass fibre tails) on our tree, handed down and carefully preserved. A nice reminder of Christmas growing up in the '50s. Merry Christmas Shorpyites! The plant standAnybody notice the plant in a Calumet baking soda can? Fire Hazard ReductionAlas, no wax candles, as far as I can tell. Being traditionalists, my parents didn't go electric until the late 1970ties. The smell of real beeswax candles on a real tree is unsurpassed. As well as the arrangement and re-arrangement of the candle holders until daddy was satisfied that all candles well were clear from any branch above. Which took hours. Not to mention daddy's hawkeyed supervision of his kids dearest lighting those candles on X-mas eve. Once. With all due care. And him not leaving the living room until the candles were out again. Soup boxI assumed the soup box is how the relatives brought over the presents and they just hadn't gotten around to unloading them before the picture was taken. We used boxes like these when we went camping. Christmas TreeEven today when I think of Christmas trees this is what I think of. All through the 50's and 60's this was the only type that were usually sold in the Houston area. I was even a little mad when one Christmas season I was very sick and my mom went out and got a tree for my apartment and she got a spruce instead of a "real" Christmas tree. What is Real?Is it then or now. Most kids today might say sometime in the future that their parents had "real" Christmas trees that were hand made in China. Up until the first 'fake' Christmas tree, there were only real ones. I remember the smell of pine and my grandma saying "Now dear, do not touch the tree if you do not want to get sappy" I guess in the end I am still sappy, but only about Christmas memories like this one from Shorpy. [This blue spruce reminds your webmaster of his own childhood! - Dave] Blue Earth on ChristmasThank you, Shorpy. I didn’t realize how much I needed some of the Tuttle family for Christmas until I saw this image today. The Blue Earth series is my favorite. Merry Christmas to all, and thanks again for being a part of my daily life. PerfectHere's wishing that the entire Shorpy family is having a wonderful Christmas Day Thank you, Dave Full TreesLiving overseas in the 50s. I remember my parents and my aunt and uncle getting three real trees. One would go to them, one for us. The third was used to fill out the other two. And they were big. Or I was little! The tinsel is what always got me. When taking the trees down, we could not just put the decorations away. No, we had to preserve the tinsel. We could not buy it where we lived. To get more in time for Christmas, would have to get in the middle of summer in the US. Not worth it. We also had to preserve the wrapping for the same reason. What we did not have was that white stuff you can see thru the window. Never did experience a white Christmas until I was 16. Thanks for the memories. Tree memoriesThis is exactly what out trees used to look like in the 60's. The mismatched ornaments, the Santa, the Stars, the indented ornaments, the Tinsel, the green & red wiring running all over and of course the Topper! (Christmas, Minnesota Kodachromes)
The Candy Kid: 1926
... [This spare is already on a rim. - Dave] Fortified Trees I'm surprised the trees are gone, they appear to be well protected in their fortifications. Also ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/07/2012 - 10:29pm -

Washington, Sixth and L streets S.W., circa 1926. "Semmes Motor Co. J.W. Hurley truck." National Photo Co. Collection glass negative. View full size. Long GoneView Larger Map From the look of things everything in this photograph was torn down long ago. Even the intersection itself was obliterated. Ohhhh...So the rim clamps onto the spoked part of the wheel? Gotcha. I learn something new everyday around here. Thanks Dave! Dings and dentsLooks like this truck had a few scrapes with some eager kiddies! I always wondered about those spare tires without rims. How where you supposed to change that along the roadside? Wouldn't you need a tire machine, and air pump? Was the extra tire just for use when you were towed to the garage? [This spare is already on a rim. - Dave] Fortified TreesI'm surprised the trees are gone, they appear to be well protected in their fortifications. Also I remember the iron fencing from my childhood in Philadelphia. We used to jump over the fences in the alley, occasionally our pants would get caught on the post and rip. It didn't hurt as much as explaining to our mothers how our pants ripped. One more question for Dave, is the lady or brand advertised on the poster in the window identified? [Afraid not. - Dave] Thank you for another glimpse into American Life. Aaah! The Candy man!When we were kids my grandfather owned a small grocery store. He sold mostly penny candies from a large glass display in front. If you had a nickel, it might take 10 minutes to decided exactly how to spend it all. There was a candy man named Ralph. He would show up every two weeks with a station wagon full of candy to restock the display. My sister and I and our five cousins knew when Ralph was due to return. I remember dancing around yelling "The candy man's here!" when Ralph's station wagon pulled up to the store. Ralph would have us kids try all his new candies. We became his trusted panel of candy judges. Grandpa usually bought his candy based on our opinions. I'll bet this candy man had similar candy judges on his route. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, D.C., Natl Photo, Stores & Markets)
Federal Style: 1906
... View full size. Who needs poles? When you have trees. More pole less trees The house is still there ... but the trees have become ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 10/25/2020 - 5:02pm -

Salem, Massachusetts, circa 1906. "Peirce-Nichols house (completed 1782), Federal Street." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. Who needs poles?When you have trees. More pole less treesThe house is still there ... but the trees have become considerably smaller. The large church/clocktower is gone, however. (The Gallery, DPC)
Crunch Time: 1923
... Perhaps the service was a little too "prompt." Drunk trees Since so many of these accidents involve trees, they must have a drinking problem. Or why is it that drunks have a way ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/10/2013 - 10:37am -

Washington circa 1923. "Auto crash in woods." Continuing our series on vehicular mayhem around the nation's capital. Harris & Ewing photo. View full size. Committed to a FaultPerhaps the service was a little too "prompt." Drunk treesSince so many of these accidents involve trees, they must have a drinking problem. Or why is it that drunks have a way of finding trees, no matter how far off the road? Back to natureOnce the Flivver had glimpsed the sylvan beauty of Rock Creek Park, it could no longer bear the prospect of returning to dodge trams on M Street. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, D.C., Harris + Ewing)
Soldiers Welcome: 1940
... I was on active duty for a training exercise. Sand, pine trees, ticks and chiggers, along with heat and humidity. 904 Main Street, ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 06/30/2023 - 4:40pm -

December 1940. "Construction of Army training camps around Alexandria, Louisiana. East Side Cafe with rooms for rent, 'Soldiers Welcome,' on highway to Camp Livingston." Acetate negative by Marion Post Wolcott for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Dick Whitmanor Donald Draper? Alternate-take photobomb Hello, Danny, come and eat with us.Did the girls from "The Shining" take a job as waitresses? Now Fort JohnsonThose Army training camps around Alexandria eventually consolidated into what was known as Fort Polk, and now known as Fort Johnson. I remember "visiting" Fort Polk when I was on active duty for a training exercise. Sand, pine trees, ticks and chiggers, along with heat and humidity. 904 Main Street, PinevilleAlexandria has no Main Street, but Pineville, just across the Red River, does. 904 Main Street lies on Military Highway, as the caption implies, and is now the City Court. (The Gallery, Eateries & Bars, M.P. Wolcott, WW2)
Woodstock: 1920
... a wee bit. View Larger Map Boulevard Trees Much has changed in the 90 years since this photo was taken. One of ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/14/2012 - 4:59pm -

Detroit, Michigan, circa 1920. "Woodstock Apartments." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. She still stands!However the neighborhood has changed a wee bit. View Larger Map Boulevard TreesMuch has changed in the 90 years since this photo was taken. One of the notable losses would appear to be the American Elms on the boulevard. They likely succumbed to Dutch Elm disease, which reached Detroit in the 1950s, radically altering the streetscape. I also note the remnants of a "tanglefoot" band on the tree, applied to keep flightless female geometer moths from reaching the canopy to lay eggs and spawn a new generation of ravenous canker worms. 412 Peterboro StreetThese old photos exude so much class and sophistication that is sadly lost by the time we get to the present. It's amazing that this building has managed to survive Detroit's collapse, although it looks like it's had a pretty rough life. I'm also surprised that it's a pretty dark red brick building. From the B&W photo I expected it to be more of a buff color. RelicMetal hitching post cast in the shape of a pine branch. Great Pic of Better DaysI love this old picture for some reason, maybe because it was from Detroit's better days that are now long gone by. It's interesting how the buildings on either side of the "twins" have been knocked down. Notice the archway between the building still exists in the contemporary picture. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Detroit Photos, DPC)
Old Charleston: 1906
... Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. Street Trees I've seen street trees before, but they've always been on the sidewalk by the street, not in the ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 03/27/2015 - 9:49am -

South Carolina circa 1906. "Old Charleston. Church Street just below Tradd Street showing Col. Robert Brewton's house -- No. 71 Church Street at left with piazza." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. Street TreesI've seen street trees before, but they've always been on the sidewalk by the street, not in the street! Brewton HouseSome more history on Col. Robert Brewton's house here. +114Below is the same view from July of 2010. (The Gallery, Charleston, DPC)
Evening Star: 1924
... the shot? [Yes. - tterrace] No Leaves on the Trees Wilson died February 3, 1924, so it's likely this was taken within 30 ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 01/07/2013 - 12:06pm -

Washington, D.C., 1924. "Evening Star building." Offices of the Washington Evening Star newspaper next to the Raleigh Hotel on Pennsylvania Avenue between 11th (on the right) and 12th streets. Where there seems to be something of a mold problem. Harris & Ewing Collection glass negative. View full size. Hotel HarringtonThe Evening Star may have moved on, but the Hotel Harrington is still going strong. It would have been 10 years young at the time of this photo. Flag at half mastCould it be for Woodrow Wilson who died that year? Street viewGoogle street view. View Larger Map Technical questionI've noticed with a lot of these building photos that, despite being relatively wide angle, they don't suffer from the usual "converging vertical" problem that affects these shots. It's been a long time since I did any photographic theory - am I right in thinking this would have been done with a bellows camera that had the facility to shift the lens off-axis from the centre of the negative plate? So the lens and the plate both remain vertical, rather than panning the whole camera up to get the shot? [Yes. - tterrace] No Leaves on the TreesWilson died February 3, 1924, so it's likely this was taken within 30 days of that date. A venerable Washington institutionThe Evening Star was at this location from 1881 until it moved to new quarters in Southeast in the alte 1950s. More about the building and the company can be found here. Avoiding Converging PerspectiveThose lenses with the bellows in the middle worked like a charm. My medium-format Mamiya gear bag had one but it took me a while to get one for my Nikon F2. I'm trying to remember whether it was a lens or an adapter to a lens. Whatever it was, it worked great! --Jim Dueling PhotographersA rare Shorpy occurrence of the same building photographed by both Harris & Ewing and the National Photo Company, which captured the same corner three years prior at Evening Star: 1921. Quite different perspective but very little has changed other than the billboard to the left and the removal of the Hart, Schaffner & Marx Clothes signage at 1109-1111 Pennsylvania Avenue. Same mailboxes at the corner. To the right, up Eleventh Street Northwest is Hotel Harrington and the furniture showroom and warehouse of W.B. Moses and Sons. Both are winter photos which may explain the removed awnings of the street-level stores. Rather than shading a strolling summer customer, the panels are removed to let winter light into the store. Too Much Perspective Correction???While I fully agree with BigAl42's comment and also with tterrace's agreement I do have a thought about the subject matter shown here... It may be just an optical illusion caused by the fancy masonry work near the top but it appears that the perspective correction on this image and some others previously shown on Shorpy have been over adjusted. In this image the building looks to be slightly wider at the top than it is at the bottom. (The Gallery, D.C., Harris + Ewing)
Shabby Greek: 1939
... tour of homes (October 11 - 12 this year). Joshua trees? Those spiny plants in front of the porch look like Joshua trees. Curious to see them in Alabama. [They're yuccas, common ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/20/2014 - 11:50am -

1939. "Rosemount, Forkland vicinity, Greene County, Alabama. Structure dates to 1832. Designed and built by Allen Glover for his son William. Two-story Greek Revival frame house with columns. Ballroom makes a third story on top." 8x10 inch acetate negative by Frances Benjamin Johnston. View full size. Home Sweet HomeRosemount still stands. It was restored by a new owner in the mid-1970s, and was on the local home tour at least one year. Another new owner started a very ambitious restoration about 10 years ago, which was interrupted by the 2008 recession. I understand work continues, but at a slower pace. You can find more information about the house here. About two miles northwest of Rosemount is another plantation home, Thornhill. The current owner is a direct descendent of the original owner. In fact, Greene County has a large number of surviving antebellum homes, and an annual tour of homes (October 11 - 12 this year). Joshua trees? Those spiny plants in front of the porch look like Joshua trees. Curious to see them in Alabama. [They're yuccas, common ornamentals in the South, often crossed with the egg-carton tulip. - Dave] YuccasYears ago, yuccas were planted around many old homesteads and graveyards in my area. You can still see some in well kept cemeteries, but in abandoned ones they've gotten out of control, in some cases overrunning entire plots and concealing or overturning headstones. (The Gallery, F.B. Johnston)
Ninth and H: 1920
... the First Washington Hebrew Congregation. Chicken wire trees I initially thought the chicken wired trees were to deter squirrels, but the saplings encased in wooden boards ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 02/19/2014 - 9:37am -

Washington, D.C., circa 1920. "9th & H Streets N.W." Home to the National Photo Company, whose work is well represented here on Shorpy, and whose neighbors we've seen here and here. National Photo Co.glass negative. View full size. Yikes !just went to google maps for the above scene, I prefer the 1920 view, the present location has lost a lot of futuristic memories. Towers still there; domes aren'tStreet View shows that the towers of what is now the Greater New Hope Baptist Church are still there - though they are today missing the spiffy domes. However, I was curious about the Star of David that's visible in this photo, atop the building's central dome (the central dome is still there today). A look through the Greater New Hope Baptist site's history page reveals that the building originally housed the First Washington Hebrew Congregation. Chicken wire treesI initially thought the chicken wired trees were to deter squirrels, but the saplings encased in wooden boards suggests protection more from horses. [Horses in both cases. -tterrace] Glass negativesPerhaps one of the photogs of this site could explain why glass negatives were still in use in 1920. [Because photographic film in 1920 was not very good. - Dave] William B. Fowler, Contractor Washington Post, January 23, 1910. Builders and Contractors WM. B. FOWLER — Contractor. Concrete Pavements, Driveways, Cellar and Stable Floors, Walks, Steps, and Copings. Old Buildings Removed. Excavating, Walls Tarred. 9th and H st. nw. Phone Main 4973 Washington Post, January 10, 1955. W. B. Fowler Dies; Former D.C. Builder William B. Fowler, 84, former building contractor, died Saturday at Georgetown University Hospital. A native of Washington, he lived here all of his life. For more than 50 years he had his own contracting firm. In later years his office was at his home address, 908 9th st. nw. He was one o the original members of the Redman's lodge here. Many of the smaller storefronts along 7th st. nw. were built by Mr. Fowler. … Washington Hebrew CongregationAlthough the building that is now Greater New Hope Baptist Church is on the site of the first WHC building, it is actually the synagogue's second building. In 1863, WHC bought the building of the Methodist Episcopal Church, then on the site. It was demolished and replaced by the current building in 1897. This is the view of the 1897 building from the WHC website. (The Gallery, D.C., Kids, Natl Photo, Stores & Markets)
Hugh and Lynn: 1943
... Bubley, Office of War Information. View full size Trees That's the north Capitol Street side of the grounds, very near the Russell Building. All of those trees you see are still there, just towering now. Great picture. Two for ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/17/2012 - 10:11pm -

December 1943. "Hugh and Lynn Massman sightseeing on their first day in Washington. Their baby is being taken care of in the nursery at the United Nations service center." Photo: Esther Bubley, Office of War Information. View full size TreesThat's the north Capitol Street side of the grounds, very near the Russell Building. All of those trees you see are still there, just towering now. Great picture. Two for the roadI like sharing, caring! (The Gallery, D.C., Esther Bubley, Massman, WW2)
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 - 08/30/2012 - 4:46pm -

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, Jack Delano, Railroads)
Everywhere a Sign: 1941
October 1941. "Syracuse ice cream vendor." Continuing the story begun here . Medium-format nitrate negative by John Collier. View full size. ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 10/17/2012 - 9:41am -

October 1941. "Syracuse ice cream vendor." Continuing the story begun here. Medium-format nitrate negative by John Collier. View full size.
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