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And It Comes Out Here: 1930
... by poultry farmers." - Dave] United Intra-Hen Workers, Local 803 I feel bad for all those little guys toiling away in ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/07/2012 - 11:05am -

1930. "The hen with the mechanical internal organs surprised visitors at the World's Poultry Congress in London by giving a brief lecture on how she utilized her food to make eggs. Prepared by the United States Department of Agriculture." Harris & Ewing Collection glass negative. View full size. AcmeI must have watched too many Warner Brothers cartoons, because "Powerhouse" is playing in my head now. Talking hens?Somehow, I find it hard to believe that the hen really gave a lecture. Nevertheless, I love this picture. The really absurd photos are the best! ["This giant hen is fitted with a strong voice, and a special phonograph record gives her the opportunity to explain the internal processes which are observed by all who see her. Thus she can be well understood, for she speaks English, whereas the garden type speaks a language only somewhat imperfectly understood by poultry farmers." - Dave] United Intra-Hen Workers, Local 803I feel bad for all those little guys toiling away in there. Do you suppose those are union jobs? Who knew?I keep a couple of laying hens in my backyard. I had no idea that they had little tin men inside doing all the work! Baby-snatcherI mean, is there no privacy left in this world? Turn your head and cluck. Powerhouse!I'm so glad I'm not the only one who immediately started hearing "Powerhouse" in my head. Or thought of the old Bufferin ads. Anyone who ate school lunches should be gratified by this photo. It shows that -- as we suspected -- chickens are full of rubber tubing. Diagrammed InnardsHow many others of my generation immediately thought of Bufferin when they saw this? Does this meet PETA standards?This picture does qualify as something interesting, just as the tagline promises. Does this prove that if you build a better chicken you get better eggs? Operation!Is this not reminiscent of "Operation," the board game that's been around now for a couple of generations? I rediscovered it for the benefit of my eight-year-old daughter. Squawk BoxGuess I underestimated the old hen! Canard DigérateurMakes me think of Vaucanson's duck. PricelessOh Dave, you've done it again. I always log on here at morning tea, spat my cookie everywhere on seeing this one. The title cracked me up. QuestionsOkay, The Department of Redundancy Department has a few questions. 1. How do we get rounded eggs out of square boxes? 2. The oil can in the back - is that for dookey or some sort of in-flight refueling system? In Golden Retirement...I hope our English-speaking hen and her phonograph are resting comfortably in a dusty closet of the Smithsonian right now...because the thought of Our Girl in the depths of some landfill, her tin men rusting and her rubber tubing decomposing, would break my heart! And I'm with Catherine...the absurd photos are the best! (Followed closely by the slice-of-life pics no one ever thought would be so cherished and scrutinized by the Shorpy gang years later as we examine tumblers and advertisements and sugar bowls!) If Rube Goldberg...had invented the chicken, this is how we'd get our eggs. Just one would make omelettes for the whole family. If Raymond Scott hadn't written "Powerhouse," the best music to accompany this picture would be Danny Elfman's opening theme for "Pee Wee's Big Adventure." Oil canThat oil can would presumably be the chicken's oil gland. Should you wish to find and remove the oil gland from your own (dead) chicken's back end, Madam Internet is here to help: http://butcherachicken.blogspot.com/2007/09/step-6-remove-oil-gland.html (The Gallery, Curiosities, Harris + Ewing)
Veteran Hobo: 1938
... farms. The type that formed the backbone of the Industrial Workers of the World in California before the war." Photo by Dorothea Lange for ... the contents in one gulp. Old heads indeed. Industrial Workers of the World My mother (b. 1902) translated "IWW" as "I Won't Work." ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 04/16/2013 - 10:46pm -

December 1938. "Napa Valley, California. More than 25 years a bindlestiff. Walks from the mines to the lumber camps to the farms. The type that formed the backbone of the Industrial Workers of the World in California before the war." Photo by Dorothea Lange for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. What's in a NameI was born in 1939 and had always heard the terms tramp and hobo. I asked my Mom, once, what the difference was. She said that a hobo was someone out of work and would do chores or other work for either food or money. She said a tramp only looked for handouts and was not willing to do anything for it. TrampsWe lived in a suburb of St. Louis and I remember mom giving sandwiches to men who would knock at the door right after the war. I guess now they would have EIB cards. Apple pickers headed for WenatcheeA friend and I shared a boxcar with two older hobos headed east out of Seattle for the beginning of the apple harvest in Central Washington in 1972. We were both very impressed when they would crack raw eggs over their mouths and consume the contents in one gulp. Old heads indeed. Industrial Workers of the WorldMy mother (b. 1902) translated "IWW" as "I Won't Work." Apparently a contentious organization. Also known as "Wobblies." What a faceHe looks like Paul Newman playing the part of a bindlestiff or what Butch Cassidy did in his later years (if there were later years). If this picture was color, I'll bet he has piercing blue eyes On the Road AgainIn the summer of 1951 I worked as busboy in the Dining Room of an upstate New York resort in the Catskill Mountains, the so-called "Borsht Belt." In the kitchen were a couple of hobos working as dishwashers. They were paid on Saturday nights and most didn't come back the next day. I remember one Saturday evening myself and another college kid were finishing our shift and cleaning up in the kitchen when we started to sing "You Are My Sunshine," we were joined by these two down and outers and the group sounded pretty good. They had their gear and were ready to leave when my friend and I had to return to the dining room to set up for the next meal. When we returned the two itinerents were gone along with our clothes and shoes. HobosMy mom used to tell me about hobos who would pass her parents' farm on the highway south of Walla Walla, Washington. They would often knock on the door and ask if they could get something to eat and if there was any kind of job they could do. Grandma would always find something for them to eat and sometimes Grandpa would find some work they could do. Grandma got a bit frightened, however, the time a hobo came to the door, pointed to a bull in the field across from their house, and said "See that bull over there? I'm gonna go grab him by the tail and throw him out!" She sent mom out the back door to find Grandpa! (The Gallery, Dorothea Lange, Great Depression)
Five-Tube Chassis: 1937
... Curious Why were all the workers women? This looks more like a shot you'd see from 5-ish years later in ... and no one will suspect your true ambitions. Female workers Women in the workplace was not a WWII invention. Women entered ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 05/05/2013 - 7:57am -

March 1937. "Camden, New Jersey. RCA Victor. Five-tube chassis assembly line." Radio like Grandma used to make. Photo by Lewis Hine. View full size. Designed for mass productionCompare these to the Atwater Kents of the twenties. The A-K radios were more like an Erector set, all the little fiddly bits held together by screws and nuts. Every assembler had a tray of hardware from which to build the tuning assembly. The tuning capacitor and IF coils in these radios are made of stamped steel pieces, designed to fit together like puzzles and held together by bent-over tabs in slots. This style of construction was used through the sixties, when the Japanese replaced it with little molded plastic pieces. 1936 designed hardware ?Looks like a 5T7 model: http://www.radiomuseum.org/r/rca_5t7.html CuriousWhy were all the workers women? This looks more like a shot you'd see from 5-ish years later in the midst of the war. Not all womenThat is either a man in the background leaning over with his thumb to his nose, or the lady needs an apology from me. Women were better suited (no pun intended) for these types of jobs since their hands fit the gloves better. And when you aren't working, you can pose like a model and no one will suspect your true ambitions. Female workersWomen in the workplace was not a WWII invention. Women entered manufacturing at the dawn of the industrial revolution. In Lowell, MA the mill owners recruited young women and built living quarters for them. When food processing evolved, it was common to see plants full of women performing the cleaning and canning operations. By the turn of the last century, most apparel sweatshops employed girls and women - remember the Triangle Shirtwaist Fire of 1911? Still using a power transformerThe venerable five tube concept would not long after this abandon the big power transformer on the right for a direct, non-isolated connection to the AC mains. Saved a lot of money, but could be a surprise for an unwary tinkerer. "Miniaturization" during WWII would shrink the light-bulbish tubes and large coils to something about 1/3 the size of what we see here. That lead way to legions of bread-loaf sized radios in the 50's on, some of which are now considered art pieces. Should have held on to those things! Ah, the All-American Five!The five-tube chassis was a classic, and many versions graced American homes. These seem to have a power transformer that made the chassis safer than the cheaper models that ran directly off 110 volt AC power lines. A touch to a transformerless chassis and a good ground could deliever quite a shock! Atwater-KentsAnd, nixiebunny, the Atwater-Kents were tuned radio frequency (TRF) receivers that were cranky to tune and pretty unstable. These radios used superheterodyne technology invented by Edwin H. Armstrong that made using a radio easy, stable, and reliable. Armstrong also corrected faulty vacuum-tube theory, invented the regenerative receiver, the Super-regenerative circuit, and FM radio. Five-tube CrosleyThe lady wearing glasses in the foreground seems to operating with a decent chassis but more importantly when I was a lad Pop owned a 5-tube Crosley superheterodyne receiver. We were on Long Island but at night that beast could pull in the race results from Bowie in Maryland and River Downs out in Ohio. (Technology, The Gallery, Factories, Lewis Hine)
Angel Wing: 1943
... into sharp focus. Keep up the good work! War Plant Workers My Dad worked in a US Naval shipyard installing aircraft carrier ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/30/2012 - 2:02pm -

February 1943. Working on the horizontal stabilizer of a "Vengeance" dive bomber at the Consolidated-Vultee plant in Nashville. View full size. 4x5 Kodachrome transparency by Alfred Palmer for the Office of War Information. These beautiful Kodachrome 4x5's...are a revelation. re: These beautiful Kodachrome 4x5's..."are a revelation." Not to mention the quality of the workforce! I'm sure there were some "plain Janes" at work, but photographers being photographers.... I realize this comment might be construed as sexist, but I assure you my admiration for these women goes well beyond their obvious charms. These people helped win the last decent war this country fought (another subject ripe for controversy) I think they were all 'PLANEI think they were all 'PLANE JANES'. Well, weren't they allWell, weren't they all "PLANE JANES"? Angel Wing 1943Wonderful Kodachrome & medium/large format! The color OWI photos shown on the site never fail to satisfy. I always say, "It's like being there." Having been born in 1951, it always amazes me to see WWII in color. It really brings the whole experience into sharp focus. Keep up the good work! War Plant Workers My Dad worked in a US Naval shipyard installing aircraft carrier engines. My sister soldered components in electronic communication equipment for Western Electric. I, aged 14, manufactured those cardboard recording discs used to mail voice messages to our troops abroad. (The Gallery, Kodachromes, Alfred Palmer, Aviation, Nashville, WW2)
Indianapolis: 1908
... for they lack of scowls, perhaps it was payday? Happy Workers? Not all industrialists of the day were cutthroats. Perhaps these workers were paid well and treated with reasonable compassion? If Hine wanted ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/03/2012 - 1:56pm -

Noon, August 1908. "Young People in an Indianapolis Cotton Mill." Uncharacteristically happy photograph by Lewis Wickes Hine, who generally seemed to prefer that his subjects scowl for the camera. View full size. Indianapolis MillworkersWith the exception of the young fellow in the front row, these folks look a bit older than the subjects Hines typically photographed. As for they lack of scowls, perhaps it was payday? Happy Workers?Not all industrialists of the day were cutthroats. Perhaps these workers were paid well and treated with reasonable compassion? If Hine wanted them to appear unhappy and abused, it looks like they refused to cooperate. That, or the boss had a gun to their backs! [No one was making these people work in the mills. Interesting related comment here. - Dave] (The Gallery, Factories, Indianapolis, Lewis Hine)
Making Babies: 1936
... rising! Phew! It's getting warm in here! Wanted: Workers for Toy Factory Must be ripped & willing to work shirtless. ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 03/26/2013 - 12:13pm -

1936. "Mt. Holyoke, Mass. - Paragon Rubber Co. and American Character Doll. Pressing rubber bodies (French)." With "Old Sadie." Continuing our guys-and-dolls series. Large format negative by Lewis Hine. View full size. We Are Paragon, We Are Buff!This and its predecessor photo suggest that one of Paragon's fringe benefits was a well-attended bodybuilding club. [There's also the possibility that the job involves lifting heavy things - like molds - for many hours each day. - tterrace] Temperature's rising!Phew! It's getting warm in here! Wanted: Workers for Toy FactoryMust be ripped & willing to work shirtless. Paragon Rubber CompanyIf they were still in business I'll bet they'd have cross-over photo advertising connections to Ambercrombie's and their rubber doll sales would be soaring to dizzying heights. Old Lady?What does the chalked inscription say on the machine? [It's in the caption! - Dave] DOH! Missed that first time around. Sorry, Dave. Dippers and StrippersI certainly am no expert in the art of making molded rubber toys, etc. but years ago I had a good friend who worked in a rubber glove factory. The ceramic molds had to be dipped in liquid latex, hardened and/or dried and then stripped off the molds in just the correct time period which was a very difficult and precise job The people who removed the rubber gloves from the molds were called strippers and those who dipped them into the liquid were called dippers. Needless to say, the molds were very heavy, often very hot and it was tricky to remove the finished product without tearing or damaging it. I believe my friend mentioned that the strippers had the most difficult job stripping the molds and I believe the built up biceps probably came from long term work of that type. This was over 25 years ago, so it may be much more modernized today. No one has mentionedthe unbelievable smell of hot steaming rubber wafting throughout the workplace, Yikes !! What a DollAs nice as that is to look at, it would never fly today. It looks like his belt buckle is off to the side. Do you suppose the buckle interfered with the molds? [Back in the day, it was evidently a thing. Exhibits A, B, C, D, E. - Dave] I find that very interesting. Thanks Dave. Best caption of 2013 Game over. This one won't be topped. Fit as a fiddleThe young man is very fit and handsome too! (The Gallery, Factories, Handsome Rakes, Lewis Hine)
Flour City: 1904
... of that particular sports genre. - tterrace] Bridge workers Note the guys working on the bridge, top slightly-right-of-center. ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/19/2012 - 12:55pm -

Rochester, New York, circa 1904. "Driving Park Avenue bridge and falls on Genesee River." And one of the flour mills that gave Rochester its nickname. 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. But, I just gotsa know.What is that steep incline for? Whats on it? Where does it go? Stairs to the right of me, stairs to the left of me!Imagine the climbing somebody who worked on a lower floor of the complex at left would have to do at the end of an exhausting workday. It might be less bother just to move in and live there. "Flour City", or "Wire City"?Now *that* is a lot of overhead wiring! Watch your step !Right center of the photo. What are those people doing wading in the river just before the drop off? [Extreme Wading, an early example of that particular sports genre. - tterrace] Bridge workersNote the guys working on the bridge, top slightly-right-of-center. Assembling a new bridge, or painting it after it's in place? This bridge doesn't look very old. ColorizedColorized, for the postcard. Grinding electrons, not wheatI'm pretty sure that the building on the left is a utility power plant and not a mill. BTW modern shots of the same spot show buildings in the same locations, but probably successors to those shown here, and the structures on the right bank are now just ruins. The bridge was dynamitedThe bridge was dynamited into the gorge in 1986, and replaced with a similar arch bridge. http://www.waymarking.com/gallery/image.aspx?f=1&guid=f52f966e-c3ea-4fbb... In ^^^this^^^ view, you're looking down the river toward Lake Ontario (5-6 miles...squint really hard...). The large building on the right (east) bank is Eastman Kodak's Hawkeye Plant, at the corner of Driving Park Ave and St. Paul Blvd. Kodak had optical system manufacturing, along with camera manufacturing there. Supposedly did some bombsight optical work there in the 40's & 50's. My CityIt's so fun to see what my City looked like 108 years ago. My school bus used to pass through this bridge on the way to home in Henrietta from the deaf school, which is not far off. I always liked to stretch my neck to see the bottom of this valley. Driving Park Avenue BridgeThe bridge was designed by noted bridge architect Leffert L. Buck (chiefly remembered for his Williamsburg Bridge spanning the East River). It was completed in 1890 and lasted until 1985. It was unceremoniously dynamited to make way for its successor, which opened two years later. (The Gallery, Boats & Bridges, DPC, Factories, Rochester)
Stacking Up: 1955
... on a jobsite by volume than by weight. Concrete workers ... are "mixed up and set in their ways." (The Gallery, ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 05/26/2022 - 4:06pm -

Meanwhile, back in the cement-sack warehouse, these guys are still piling it on. Columbus, Georgia, circa 1955. 4x5 inch acetate negative from the News Photo Archive. View full size. Two tonsAbout a month ago I helped a friend pour a concrete pathway to his front door. He was the on-his-knees guy, I was the wheelbarrow guy, and my 25-year-old son was the mixing guy. Over the course of the afternoon, my son heaved 67 bags (lifted and poured into mixer), each one 66 pounds (30 kg), so that’s 4,422 pounds = over two tons. Thank goodness for youth. 94 poundsWhy was 94 pounds the standard weight for a bag of cement? Because that's the weight of one cubic foot of dry cement. That makes it easy to state concrete "recipes" in terms of volume because sand and rock were more easily measured by volume than by weight. The water/cement ratio is the critical factor but there, again, a gallon is easier to measure on a jobsite by volume than by weight. Concrete workers... are "mixed up and set in their ways." (The Gallery, Columbus, Ga., News Photo Archive)
Fourth of July, 1887
... San Dimas, California. View full size. Poses for workers That's one of my favorite things about it. There seems to have been a 19th Century custom for workers to display the tools that symbolized their work when they posed for ... 
 
Posted by willc - 07/26/2009 - 8:51am -

This family photo was taken on July 4th, 1887. My grandfather is seated on the floor at front left. That's his helpful dog next to him holding a hammer in its mouth. He was twenty years old in 1887, but he was already a contractor and this was his crew. The building they were constructing was the AT&SF train station at San Dimas, California. View full size. Poses for workersThat's one of my favorite things about it. There seems to have been a 19th Century custom for workers to display the tools that symbolized their work when they posed for photos. The hammer-holding dog is probably a hint of my grandfather's sense of humor, but also a sign of his enjoyment in being "good with animals." In addition to raising well trained dogs, he later bred and trained Belgian draft horses for logging work in Oregon. Hand toolsObviously someone deliberately choreographed this so that everybody is holding, and in some cases brandishing, a tool. The crossed saws in front is a nice touch. Including the dog in the production is the kind of ironic, even slightly mocking twist we don't often associate with this period - probably because the conventions and photo techniques of the time usually resulted in people looking so darned serious. Completed Train StationAccording to San Dimas history this station burned down and was rebuilt in 1933. http://www.colapublib.org/history/sandimas/faq.html CelebrationDo you suppose this rough looking group of men might have been inclined to celebrate the Fourth with a Fifth? (ShorpyBlog, Member Gallery)
The Herd: 1941
... View full size. Chicago's El Trains Moooved the Workers At its peak, the Chicago Stockyards employed 50,000 people. A ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 02/03/2020 - 2:39pm -

July 1941. "Union Stockyards, Chicago. Employees' parking lot in the foreground." Medium format acetate negative by John Vachon for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Chicago's El Trains Moooved the WorkersAt its peak, the Chicago Stockyards employed 50,000 people. A special Elevated train branch line was built in 1908 to serve the yards, and ran until 1957. There were seven stations, and buses replaced the El trains until the Stockyards closed in 1971. You can read more about it here. The Stockyards even had a geographic telephone exchange name, YArds. Social ChangeCould one imagine this parking lot today without pickup trucks? Nostalgia lens"Dang it, all cars today look the same. Back in the Old Days, cars were unique and had real personality!" The "Back of the Yards" Neighborhoodlurks behind the G. H. Hammond Co. building. It had to be very pleasant at times when the wind blew in the wrong direction. DirectionThey're all, in the main herd, pointing the same direction. The drill for mass parking is usually back in to your space, because people arrive at different times but all leave at once, and the less backing out all at once the better. No clunkers herePay must have been good, mostly newer vehicles. That smellOn a recent cross-country drive we drove through Las Cruces, NM, and the interstate goes by a large dairy cattle stockyard area south of the city. I'd never been near one, and the smell was so much worse than I could have imagined. I can't imagine what Chicago was like back when the Union Stockyards were active. At least one grand old PackardFour rows from the top, 12 cars from the left. Looks like a 1934 Packard 5 Passenger Sedan. Patio hairBack in 1970 I bought 1100 paving bricks for my patio that came out of the stockyard pens. Some still had cattle hair sticking to them and smelled a bit. Looked nice, though. Memorable smellThat image reminds me of why I was once a vegetarian for 20+ years. As an ex-pat Chicagoan, the smell of that place c. late 1950s-early '60s for many blocks around lingers in the mind to this day. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Chicago, John Vachon)
Watts Bar Dam: 1942
... Kodachrome transparency by Alfred Palmer. scale model workers hmm.. these look just like scale model workers, you know the ones in scale model railways, toy cars etc.. i couldn't ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/05/2012 - 6:35pm -

June 1942. Checking the alignment of a turbine shaft at the top of the guide bearing in the TVA hydroelectric plant at Watts Bar Dam, Tennessee. View full size. 4x5 Kodachrome transparency by Alfred Palmer. scale model workershmm.. these look just like scale model workers, you know the ones in scale model railways, toy cars etc.. i couldn't find any good photos through google, but kinda like these. (The Gallery, Kodachromes, Alfred Palmer, Industry & Public Works)
Twenty Questions: 1940
... like Dean's Rebel Without A Cause jacket. Two hard workers The boys on the right look to be hard workers by the condition for their hands. (The Gallery, Cats, Kids, ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 06/23/2018 - 5:45pm -

February 1940. "Farm boys at 'play party' in McIntosh County, Oklahoma." Photo by Russell Lee for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Child's playEveryone, children to adults, sang and did the movements to children's games (Skip to My Loo, Pop Goes the Weasel) at a play party: The churches disapproved of dancing and of the fiddle, but the play parties didn’t seem so worldly. “Some family would let the children all come in and play games. And you had to call it games because dancing was sinful,” Ritchie explains. “It was called ‘going to the plays,’ and so it got to be called a ‘play party’—a party where people played. - PBS Captive kittenThe boy on the left appears to be explaining how Harry Frees posed his animals. One Of 20 QuestionsWhat color is the guys leather jacket? Doesn't seem dark enough to be black, and too shiny to be brown. I want it to be red, like Dean's Rebel Without A Cause jacket. Two hard workersThe boys on the right look to be hard workers by the condition for their hands. (The Gallery, Cats, Kids, Russell Lee)
The Post Office: 1907
... the upper right hand corner? Second floor flush? Two workers Don't forget the person (lady?) in the cage, apparently sorting ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/28/2012 - 5:58pm -

Washington, D.C., circa 1907. "Post Office." Must be where the coughdrop-box tryouts are. Harris & Ewing Collection glass negative. View full size. Postal efficiency.One man working at his desk, and I'll guess three supervisors. The spittoonAlthough I'm sure there must be other examples here, I can't recall seeing a spittoon before. It's apparently exclusively for the one guy actually working. Another working stiff(As opposed to the two-and-a-half stiffs facing us) There is at least one other gent working there. He's the blur behind the cage. Probably sorting, judging from the speed he's moving. Cornelius muttered under his breath..."Young people today, allowing the Postal Service to grind to a halt just to primp for a newspaperman. "Well I'll have none to do with this foolishness -- NONE TO DO, I SAY!" spit -- (ding) Pinkie RingsAll three men seem to be wearing pinkie rings - but no wedding rings? Great Site Dave. One of my favorites. Trade & MarkWhen I was a kid, I actually thought the Smith Bros. names were "Trade" and "Mark" like it said by each of their portraits on the box. 6 LoafersIt looks like all three are wearing exactly the same shoes. Spittoon floor two?Why is there a gutter and scuppper in the upper right hand corner? Second floor flush? Two workersDon't forget the person (lady?) in the cage, apparently sorting mail. Also, I wonder what they had in that file cabinet that made it worth an iron bar and padlock? Sorry, next window pleaseWe're on break. Rebellious sortThere's always that one guy that refuses NOT to stare right into the camera. Quel gauche. WinnersI wish this was clear enough to get a better look at the "list of winners and their states" hanging up. I wonder what they won! Cough drops, perhaps. [It's "Members." Of Congress, probably. - Dave] As far as the cough drop gig goesI think the job should go to the man in the middle. LockboxIn the past, and at least up until the mid-50's, registered letters had to be stored in the postmaster's safe. That may explain the locked chest of drawers. Either that or it's where Cornelius keeps his tobacco. (The Gallery, D.C., Harris + Ewing, The Office)
Postal Kingdom: 1905
... Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. Workers' Paradise I probably wouldn't have retired if I'd been working ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/19/2012 - 10:24pm -

Circa 1905. "Post office, Saginaw, Michigan." Perhaps our most Disneyesque P.O. so far. 8x10 inch glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. Workers' ParadiseI probably wouldn't have retired if I'd been working in that one. Not sure they would have gone for my spending my time making dioramas, though. Memorial FlagCan anyone make out the sign? ["Navy Recruiting Station Permanently Located" - tterrace] Thank You Saginaw!I was there a few years ago for a wedding but don't recall seeing the old post office. Here's a picture of it still going strong however! Castle MuseumThe post office left the building long ago. It is now known as the Castle Museum and is the home of the Saginaw Historical Society. AwningsI love the canvas awnings. FinialsThere is much to admire about this old building. But, my favorites are the metal finials at the high points of the building. They are probably forged from copper. Visited TodayWe visited the building today thanks to Shorpy. It is just as interesting on the inside as the outside. The tall tower has an incredible sprial staircase running up the outside wall. The main lobby is excellent too. Up in the attic space is a long narrow runway with peep holes to the floor spaces below so that inspectors could keep watch on the employees as they worked behind the counters and in the sorting rooms! A major addition in 1930 on the back of the building doubled it's size and was done so well you can't tell where the original building leaves off and the addition starts. The museum is excellent and the staff are very friendly. Highly recommended if you are ever in the area! (The Gallery, DPC)
Doffing All Summer: 1911
... caption by Lewis Wickes Hine. View full size. Mill workers My dad graduated 6th grade in Greenville, SC in 1927 and went ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 01/07/2009 - 5:35am -

September 1911. Winchendon, Massachusetts. "Batiste Joseph. Doffer in Glenallen Mill. Father and mother said he is 12 years old, has been doffing all summer, will go to school. Query: Will he go to school? Another boy, 13 years old in this mill, said, 'I'll stay at work until they come after me.' Older sister and parents illiterate." Photo and caption by Lewis Wickes Hine. View full size. Mill workersMy dad graduated 6th grade in Greenville, SC in 1927 and went straight down the street to the Woodside Mill and got a job working in the mill. He was 13 years old. Doffing All Summer: 1911This is Joe Manning, of the Lewis Hine Project. Hine took 40 child labor photos in Winchendon, and for the past three months, I have been researching all of them. Winchendon is just a 75-minute drive from my home. I interviewed one of this boy's children. It's a remarkable story, one I have not committed to print as yet. You can see the Winchendon results I have published so far at the link below. There is still much to tell. www.morningsonmaplestreet.com/winchendon.html Going to schoolI would have guessed that this picture was taken in front of a school. Those marks on the front door look like they were made by chalk board erasers. [They probably were, but this isn't a school. - Dave] Doffing in front of schoolThose are definitely eraser "clapper" marks - used to be a privilege if the teacher chose you to do the "clapping." [This is one of the Glenallen Mill buildings. Plenty of businesses, factories and churches had chalkboards. - Dave] Sharing the history. I have been aware of the Hine photos for a while, though never presumed the history beyond the image. Thank you so much for sharing your project. Doffing All SummerThis is Joe Manning. I have completed my story of this boy. http://morningsonmaplestreet.com/2014/11/26/elias-joseph-page-one/ (The Gallery, Kids, Lewis Hine)
You Want That?
... Corbett Space Cadet and Hopalong Cassidy. Construction Workers By the concrete mixer, I imagine they are construction workers. (The Gallery, Columbus, Ga., News Photo Archive) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 10/01/2015 - 10:24pm -

From the mid-1950s somewhere around Columbus, Georgia, it's these guys again -- Larry Lunchbox and Bob Brownbag, continuing their break from whatever it is they're supposed to be doing. 4x5 acetate negative. View full size. Same age?A couple of commenters on the previous photo of these guys (Drinking Buddies: 1955) took them to be many years apart in age: the one on the right here in his 40s, the other in his 20s, maybe father and son. In this shot, they really look to be a lot more in the same age range. The lunchbag dude seems much younger here than earlier, perhaps partly due to the pleasant and soft smile of anticipation as he digs in to reveal whatever is so appealing to lunchbox dude. Bronze workforce There is something very statuesque about this pose, just as if the ancient heroes of Greece and Rome suddenly became working people in the 1950s! C'mon, dig deeper --I saw your wife put clean shirts in that bag this morning! Argyle socks!Early prepster?! Hungry ManBob Brownbag must have made a Dagwood judging by the size of that bag. How 'boutI'll trade you my Twinkies for your Necco Wafers? Really got to watch what I eat BobMy body fat is nearly at 2%. Levi'sHey Bob, why can't we ever get bluejeans in the proper lengths? Aladdin thermosMade in Nashville. In Tom Corbett Space Cadet and Hopalong Cassidy. Construction WorkersBy the concrete mixer, I imagine they are construction workers. (The Gallery, Columbus, Ga., News Photo Archive)
Pabst Backward: 1943
... frequently followed by "aaaaahhhh." Thirsty Railroad workers on payday I would imagine downed a few of those cold draft PBR's. ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 06/14/2017 - 11:51am -

April 1943. The PBR R.R.: "Pabst Beer sign over the Illinois Central freight yard at South Water Street, Chicago." Kodachrome by Jack Delano. View full size. "Time NOT Forgotten"As though it were yesterday, seeing that Pabst sign brought back the acrid smell of the brewery as it cast its unmistakable aroma over Peoria during my childhood. The Blue Ribbon Plant, Hiram Walker's, Little Giant and a host of other industries have faded from the banks of the Illinois River as have I, but the memories never will. Thanks, Cliff Shell Fort Myers, FL Memory of Chicago's old front yardI remember the old Pabst sign, I think it is where the Prudential Building stands today. Man that seems like a long time ago. Still good to remember the way it used to be. Thanks Thomas PBRWhenever I see or hear about Pabst Blue Ribbon I think of Ken Niles's Adverts on the Danny Kaye Show. Ken was an amazing announcer. I love how whenever he was a show's announcer they would put him in the show, "It's Ken! Ken Niles! How are you?" "I'm great, and you know why? It's because of Pabst Blue Ribbon, and all its brews!" haha only 22 and love those old radio shows. Still the SameWe drank PBR in the '70s because it was dirt cheap at $4.50 a case. (Miller Lite was $5.85) 40-odd years later, I bought some recently. Tastes exactly as I remember it, in a good way. Now it's $7 for a sixer of 16-ounce ones. Onomatopoeia = AieopotamonoPABST backwards = TSBAP, which is similar to the sound of a 16-ounce "tallboy" when opened quickly. That sound is frequently followed by "aaaaahhhh." Thirsty Railroad workers on payday I would imaginedowned a few of those cold draft PBR's. Just a few. (The Gallery, Kodachromes, Chicago, Jack Delano, Railroads)
Kitchen Aid: 1918
... photographer for interrupting their work. The seven workers From left to right: cautious, busy, firm, exasperated, messed up, ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/18/2020 - 11:45am -

May 1918. Paris, France. "Kitchen of restaurant. American hostel for refugees -- Accueil Franco-Américain aux réfugiés Belges et Français. Supported by the American Red Cross." 5x7 inch glass negative, American National Red Cross Photograph Collection. View full size. Enigmatic smileThe girl front-right reminded me of someone. Their expressions.I love all the amused and not-so-amused expressions directed at the photographer for interrupting their work. The seven workersFrom left to right: cautious, busy, firm, exasperated, messed up, tolerant, pleasant. An Evocation of Bygone AngelsThis particular hostel was first established primarily through the efforts of novelist Edith Wharton, who remained in Paris throughout WWI. Edith was allowed to visit the front lines, witnessing the devastation of Ypres, and many other towns. The hostel housed primarily women and children displaced by the war. Attempts were made to find employment for the women, so they might attain a degree of self-sufficiency. It is quite possible the ladies pictured here are themselves refugees, earning perhaps one franc a week for their service. As indicated, management of the hostel was eventually handed over to the American Red Cross. It may not be a house of mirth, but there seems to be no lack of good-natured warmth in abundance. (The Gallery, ANRC, Eateries & Bars, Kitchens etc., WWI)
Kids in the Hall: 1909
... father's life story? I would love to hear it. Mill Workers I have been enjoying these old pictures so much and this one ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 04/27/2008 - 10:58pm -

May 21, 1909. Manchester, New Hampshire. "A few of the small girls and boys (not the smallest ones) that I found working in the spinning room of one of the Amoskeag Mfg. Co. mills. Photo taken at 1 p.m., May 21, 1909, in hallway of spinning room. Many others there and in the other mills. Smallest boy (on left hand) is George Brown, No. 1 Corporation. Corner of Granite and Bedford Streets. Next is Eugene Lamy, 16 Marion St. Girls: Melvina Proulx, 145 Cartier St., Laura O'Clair, 145 Cartier St." View full size. Photograph by Lewis Wickes Hine. Re: George BrownTell us more about your father. How old was he in 1909? Can you tell us more about his life? Little Grown-UpsWhat always strikes me about the Hine photos, especially when he takes a group shot like this, are the differences in the way the children carry themselves. Some look like they've never had an easy day, never had a single thing given to them in their entire, young lives, and like they don't expect things to ever change. Others seem to carry themselves like little grown-ups, and have a look about them that says "I'm working here now and earning my keep, but I'll do better than this, someday." Really makes me wonder what happened next. Also, I agree with C.H.A., would the person who is the child of George Brown please consider sharing more of their father's life story? I would love to hear it. Mill WorkersI have been enjoying these old pictures so much and this one inspires--or reminds--me to share them with my oldest son (14). He could learn so much, just from looking at these pictures. To Mr. Brown's sonThank you for telling us more about your father. It is always a treat and a pleasure to hear the stories behind these sometimes forgotten faces. Having had such a large family, I am sure his life was never easy, but I do hope it contained many happy moments. Best wishes, Laura George's SonWell darn. I had to restart the database and we lost the two very interesting comments from George's son. Anybody save a copy? Google cache to the rescue"Dad was 10 years old when he worked in the mill. He was born in 1899 in Lowell, Massachusetts. At the age of 12 he became orphaned when both his parents died in 1911 just six months apart. He had 12 children of his own-of which only three are still alive. He died in 1963 at the age of 64." [Thanks, CHA! There was one earlier comment, too. - Dave] George BrownYou have this wrong, the person who wrote about my dad was George's daughter -- my kid sister. Dad was a wonderful father who had worked hard all of his life to provide for his family. [Whoops. Thanks. We'd love to hear more about your dad. - Dave] StrengthThere is strength in the faces of these children. Also look at the arms of Mr. Brown, those muscles are those of a man, not a child. You can tell he has done hard long labor. It is good to know that he grew up to be a good father, and provided for his family. I am sure he worked hard so his children could have a better childhood than the one he had. God's Rest to you Mr. Brown. (The Gallery, Kids, Lewis Hine)
Mail Equipment Shops: 1915
... negative. View full size. Wow I'm sure these workers worked for weeks, months, years without an accident. Today, it would ... Washington Post, Jan 25, 1924. Expert Workers for Uncle Sam. By Lee Lamar Robinson … In the ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/31/2012 - 2:59pm -

Washington, D.C., circa 1915. "Post Office Department." The Mail Equipment Shops last glimpsed here. Harris & Ewing glass negative. View full size. WowI'm sure these workers worked for weeks, months, years without an accident. Today, it would never work. It would need to be made idiot proof. Expert MechanicsIt's a shame the lamp shades are obscuring the working bits. Are these drill presses? Hole-punchers? Washington Post, December 28, 1923. Mechanics' Jobs Open. Examination to Fill Vacancies Set for January 9. An examination to fill positions of junior mechanic in the mail equipment shops of the Postoffice Department has been announced for January 9 by the civil service commission. The entrance salary in these positions is $2.25 a day. The age limits are 16 and 45 years, except in the case of honorably discharged soldiers, sailors and marines, where no age limit applies. Information and application blanks may be had at the office of the civil service commission, 1724 F street northwest. Washington Post, Jan 25, 1924. Expert Workers for Uncle Sam. By Lee Lamar Robinson … In the mail equipment shops for the fiscal year ended in June 20, 1923, there were, among other things, 1,245,65 mail bags alone manufactured. A few of the tasks falling to the technical personnel include possible improvement of lighting systems in postoffices and railway mail cars, tests of painting and varnishing materials used on government-owned motor trucks and new methods of transporting safely parcel post packages. Electric driveI'm wondering how recently the driveshaft from the steam engine was replaced by all those electric motors hanging overhead? The Gafferis certainly much older by decades than the other employees! However, it looks like he's being supervised by the younger gentleman, or is he showing how it's supposed to be done? The blurred spokes of those spinning wheels would be giving OSHA the vapors in this completed unprotected workplace, free of a single orange or yellow warning label! Laissez FaireWhile the Post Office of the time was certainly Government, it's interesting that there was apparently neither union nor government labor laws at the time. The man on the right looks like he's old enough to be retired, while the boy beside him looks barely old enough to have graduated high school. That's what an unregulated, non-union workforce would look like. Thanks Shorpy -- that's something I haven't been able to see in my own time. Wish I could tell what they were making or repairing -- something that required quite a bit of mechanical energy through the drive belts. [There were postal unions at the time, but they did not gain collective bargaining rights until the Postal Reorganization Act of 1970. Two of the most common items made up of lots of complicated machined components were lock assemblies for street collection boxes and post office boxes. Old-style versions of the latter appeared to have been designed by Rube Goldberg. Believe me. - tterrrace] OverheadI find it interesting that the electric drive motors for these presses are mounted to the ceiling. i wonder if these were converted from overhead shaft drive, or if this is just a residual design mindset. Drive upgradeLooks like the shop was recently upgraded to individual electric motors from the ubiquitous overhead line shafts. I bet it could take a while to bring those big flywheels up to speed, too! What are those bins?Are those government issue white enamel spitoons next to the chairs of the workmen? Or just some other kind of trash bin? ChairsNice long back supports attached to the machinsts chairs. Punch pressesThose are punch presses. The heavy flywheel is where the energy comes from. It rotates continuously. When the operator has his part in place he depresses the foot treadle and a clutch is engaged for one revolution. The die comes down and completes the operation, after which the operator removes the completed part and inserts another blank. In later days all that moving machinery would be enclosed in safety housings. Also, some presses were equipped with wrist bands for the operator. If his hands weren't safely out of the way at the start of the operation, they would be automatically yanked backward out of danger. (Response to a question from a Shorpy user): To clarify a little, if the hands are back where they should be there is no yanking since the apparatus would be slack at that correct distance. I saw it in use years ago and the annoying thing from what I could see might be that you're always wearing those wrist straps with cords attached. Considering that you might notice around the factory from time to time an old-timer with a missing finger or two, it might not be so bad. I think I could live with it. Civil War Vet?The old man in the foreground could have very likely been a Civil War veteran. Especially after seeing the advertisement about jobs not being age restricted at the Post Office for veterans. Certain vicesIt is interesting to see that each of these men shared two common vices. GuardedAt least the fan has a guard. Kinda. (The Gallery, D.C., Factories, Harris + Ewing)
Cothouse: 1942
... around "Free" // I wonder if this was for wartime workers needing a place, or if 'Cot House' was just a standard system during ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 01/18/2024 - 1:39pm -

November 1942. "Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Cot house." The California Dormitory, offering not just "clean cots," but checkers and dominoes. Acetate negative by John Vachon. View full size. SnoringIt may be a good 80 years ago and 5500 miles away, but I can still hear the snoring . 50% PremiumI wonder what extras you got for 15 cents versus the base price of a dime. A blanket? Larger size? Heads Carolina, Tails CaliforniaI wonder how the owners/proprietors of the Largest and Most Modern Cot House in the Southwest settled upon the name "California Dormitory" as opposed to some other state dormitory? And I'd like to see the signage on nearby culinary establishments where the denizens of the Cot House got their three hots. “California” DormitoryIt wasn’t named for the State, but rather after its location - 308 W. California Street in OKC. That part of the street no longer exists. “California” was also the name of that specific style of dorm construction in vogue when built. I don’t know what that was/is. The 15-cent CotMy best guess is that they gave you a second mattress to lay over the first. I don't think a cot mattress was more than an inch thick. BTW the sign in the window refers to E.H. Moore, who was running for Senate. He won, but his health failed him and he did not run for re-election. He died in 1950. Spelling (sigh)"Shower Bath Privilegs" - we signpainters have a proud tradition of phonetic spelling. The workmanship is quite impressive - even some flourishing around "Free" // I wonder if this was for wartime workers needing a place, or if 'Cot House' was just a standard system during the Depression? The California Dormitorywas a style -- huge but cheap to build -- that came into being in the 1930s during New Deal employment programs. In the Adventures of Superman episode "The Ghost Wolf," Clark, Lois and Jimmy spend the night in one of these dorms. The place is so enormous that Lois doesn't think twice about staying in one end while her two colleagues spend the night in the other. 2 in '42?BTW the Cincinnati Enquirer described "2 in '42" as a "mystery symbol." I guess it was a very good mystery, since no one today seems sure about what it meant. I've scouted around a bit, and it may have meant that people should buy two war bonds during the then-current year, 1942. [Two days' pay. - Dave] 15 centsFree WiFi. New Orleans CotsIn about 1960 I stayed at a Cot Dormitory for a few cold nights. The price was either 25 or 50 cents a night, I forget. You raised the head of your bed up and put your shoes under the bedpost so they wouldn't be stolen. I hitchhiked through 37 states in that period, met a lot of good people. 50% PremiumCots were 10 cents, clean cots were 15. (The Gallery, John Vachon, OKC)
Let's Do Launch: 1943
... Shipyards, Baltimore, Maryland. Portraits of the workers who turn out 'Liberty' ship cargo transports, during lunch hour or on ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 02/01/2023 - 3:01pm -

May 1943. "Bethlehem-Fairfield Shipyards, Baltimore, Maryland. Portraits of the workers who turn out 'Liberty' ship cargo transports, during lunch hour or on rest period." 4x5 inch acetate negative by Arthur Siegel for the Office of War Information. View full size. Juan de la cruz is awesomeThe photo with "What is being said"? is different from the original "Let's Do Launch". Either Mr. de la Cruz has astounding Photoshop skills or it is the second in a series of pix. Either way it is a personality plus photo. [I added the photo to show what they were laughing at. - Dave] Short-lived but crucialThe Birmingham-Fairfield Shipyard existed for less than five years. It was one of two yards (the other in Portland, Oregon) constructed under the 1941 Emergency Shipbuilding Program. The emergency? Even though the U.S. was still officially neutral, it had to react to the severe losses of the British Merchant Navy in the Battle of the Atlantic. The Baltimore yard built Liberty Ships, eventually 384 of them, along with LSTs (Landing Ship, Tanks) and Victory ships. What is being saidWould love to know what is causing all the smiles. What is the conversation. If I had the editing skills, I'd add balloons to each of people with, starting from right to left: "Say what?" "Can't be true!" "He really did that?" "Yup, I saw him -- " And then I run out of conversation. Someone else, with better imagination, can carry on. Dave - Thank you for adding it. Wish I could take credit for it, but I can't. It is as fun a photo as the original. Lots of smiles. And I really wish I could hear the comments! Brown bagsFrom what I can see, they all brown bag their lunch. I wonder why none of them has a black, domed top, metal lunchbox with a handle? [Because when a metal lunchbox falls on your head from 50 feet up, it hurts. - Dave] Point taken. The other observation I have is about the guy sitting fourth from the right, including the man sitting on the bottom step. I'm pretty sure he was a football lineman. He's a big guy and he's wearing what appears to be a varsity letter on his sweater. Waxed paperWhen I was a kid we didn't have plastic sandwich bags. A sandwich wrapped in wax paper worked just fine. At the lunch table, I could lay it flat for a clean place to lay my lunch out on. Occasionally, I'll still wrap a sandwich in wax paper. The S.S. John W. Brownwas assembled at the Baltimore shipyard in 1942, and is one of two surviving fully operational Liberty Ships preserved in the United States. It is docked in Baltimore, and open for tours and living history cruises. https://www.ssjohnwbrown.org/ Looks like Central CastingEach one of these guys looks like some character actor. Especially the fellow in the white sweater, I'm sure I've seen him in a Bowery Boys picture. Good bunch of guysThere's lots of nice body language in this shot. I especially like the fellow, lower center, leaning back into the legs of the guy behind him, who is gesturing with a touch to the shoulder. And, of course, they are of different races -- in a time that racial segregation was widely legal and widely practiced. VarietyThat's quite a collection of headgear. The man with the bill-less cap probably is wearing it backward, not because it was the style but possibly because he wears a welder's mask when he's working. Today you would probably see uniform OSHA-approved hard hats. And you wouldn't see any cable-knit sweaters. (The Gallery, Arthur Siegel, Baltimore, Boats & Bridges, WW2)
Man of Steel: 1938
...       A Shorpy salute to the nation's workers on Labor Day 2020 -- July 1938. "Steel worker at rolling mill. ... Monday in September, and not on May 1, the International Workers' Day . While May 1 even was chosen to be International Workers' Day to ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/07/2020 - 11:16am -

        A Shorpy salute to the nation's workers on Labor Day 2020 -- July 1938. "Steel worker at rolling mill. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania." Medium format acetate negative by Arthur Rothstein for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. It takes a pair of steady hands. The cut that this young workman is making is much more difficult than it looks. To make a cut through a thick plate as shown and not have the finished result look like a giant hacksaw takes a steady hand, the correct tip on the torch and plenty of practice. If he made the cut that is visible under his hoses he is damn good. Thank you Shorpy for the salute. Rob Ellie, Fifty years working for the man As noted,this work takes a steady hand. As one old shop guy said to me years ago: "You can see every heartbeat in the cut." Labor DayI am now a Shorpy member for more than 12½ years. And, thanks to Shorpy, I learned a lot about what happens and happened in the U.S.A. But, until now, I did not know that in the U.S. Labor Day is celebrated on the first Monday in September, and not on May 1, the International Workers' Day. While May 1 even was chosen to be International Workers' Day to commemorate the 1886 Haymarket affair in Chicago! But if I understand things correctly, it was exactly that connection with the Haymarket affair that made the Democratic (!) President (Grover Cleveland) support the September Labor Day, because of the risks related to the May Day as a holiday. (The Gallery, Arthur Rothstein, Factories, Pittsburgh)
Selznick Pictures: 1920
... Here in our luxurious parlor, daft and cheerful workers, trained in our New York establishment, are ready to serve you. Special ... LOC's archive, it might be possible to tell if one of the workers was an 18-year-old David O. [I doubt any actual Selznicks worked ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/13/2011 - 11:59pm -

January 1920. Washington, D.C. "Selznick front, Thirteenth Street N.W." National Photo Company Collection glass negative. View full size. Hepner's Hair EmporiumWilliam Hepner: "the acknowledged leader in the Art of Hair Dressing in America." The Washington salons of Hepner's Hair Emporium opened Jan 9, 1911. An image of the original New York establishment of William Hepner's hair and skin salon was previously seen in this 1912 Shorpy Photo. Advertisement, Washington Post, Nov 5, 1913 New York       Washington       Atlantic City Special Display of the Latest Coiffeur Effects by William Hepner We are now showing in our windows a special display of the very latest coiffeurs, by William Hepner, the acknowledged leader in the Art of Hair Dressing in America. Every woman in Washington who keeps abreast of Fashion should see these new coiffeurs. Highest Quality Hair Goods All our hair goods are made from the finest quality of human hair, personally selected. Our experts make up the most attractive pieces, under the most sanitary conditions. Our great stock makes it possible for us to exactly match any shade of hair. We Offer Ideal Service in Scalp Treatment, Shampooing, Hair Dressing, Massage and Manicuring Here in our luxurious parlor, daft and cheerful workers, trained in our New York establishment, are ready to serve you. Special service in your own home when desired. Toupees made to order and fitted by experts. Hepner's Hair Emporium 525 13th St. 2 Doors Below F Select Pictures CorpSelect Pictures Corporation was not a happy place. It was created after future Paramount boss Adolph Zukor quietly bought half of Lewis Selznick's silent film company. Zukor apparently insisted on the title change, because he didn't want Selznick's name included. Zukor, however, cared more about his other film companies than for any Selznick, and in the production glut of 1923 let Select Pictures and Selznick go bankrupt. But Lewis's two college-age sons (Myron and David O.) learned. David of course would become a mogul to rival Zukor, while Myron, as talent agent, would avenge Zukor's treatment of their father. If you could run the interior shots of this business in the LOC's archive, it might be possible to tell if one of the workers was an 18-year-old David O. [I doubt any actual Selznicks worked here. - Dave] Who you gonna call?There seems to be a trans-dimensional portal forming around those two centre buildings. Tragedy awaitsThe actress Olive Thomas was soon to marry Mary Pickfords brother; and while on a trip to Paris with him died under mysterious circumstances. He was implicated in her death for a short time, but the truth of what happened has never been fully explained. Julius Garfinkle and Co. (Washingson~Paris)The company was established in 1905 and, by the 1930s, was the most fashionable ladies' store in Washington. The store was still in existence in the 1970s. They were located on the SE corner of F and 13th NW Streets. Quite a few dresses and accessories with the store label show up on EBay. Garfinkle's demiseI've always thought that the reason the store eventually went under is to be explained in an incident from my childhood. Once -- I must have been 2 or 3 -- my mother took me with her when she went shopping there. One of the salesladies commented on what a handsome grandson she had. My mother never set foot in the place again. Julius GarfinckelThe most interesting thing to me in this picture is the spelling of "Julius Garfinkle." At some time during his life, the great Washington retailer changed the spelling of his name from Garfinkle to Garfinckel. The store was always known as Garfinckel's during my lifetime. The flagship downtown store moved from 13th and F to the northwest corner of 14th and F in 1929. The building now houses offices and street-level retail. I give up.At first, I merely thought it was something wrong with the film. Then, I looked at the picture full size and realized that they were on display in not just one, but both of Garfinkle windows. They look like a bunch of haunted handkerchiefs that have come to life, and are saying "Boo" to all passing pedestrians. [Mold on the emulsion is responsible for the clothing display's alarming appearance. - Dave] Daft WorkersIn the Hepner's ad below it states "Here in our luxurious parlor, daft and cheerful workers" -- I believe the word should have been deft, not daft. Can you imagine a customer requesting one of Hepner's most daft workers to work on her hair? Garfinkle'sMy mother worked at Garfinkle's in the 1930s, and I remember her shopping there many times while I was growing up near DC. I'd have to wait around endlessly while she tried on dresses, but at least we ate lunch at the Hot Shoppe on 14th St, and went to the matinee at the Capitol or the Trans-Lux. Select PicturesThis was, according to news items in the old Washington Star, a booking and exhibitor relations office for the various movie theaters in the mid-Atlantic region. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, D.C., Movies, Natl Photo)
The Tax Clock: 1939
... to help the little guy out the only way they knew how. Workers' Paradise You can be reasonably certain that standing just off ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/28/2012 - 1:42pm -

January 18, 1939. Washington, D.C. "'Less taxes, more jobs' reads the poster being pasted up by George H. Davis. It is the first of 25,000 such signs which will be put up all over the nation as part of a drive for reduction in taxes by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. President Davis called in the photographers today to see the first one done right." Harris & Ewing Collection glass negative. View full size. CredibleWell, if an old white guy supports it, you KNOW it's good for everyone. Mucher Grammar WantedLess Taxes? On 25,000 signs? Shouldn't that have been Fewer Taxes or Lower Taxes? Or was this lobbying campaign consciously written so it could be understood by the barely literate Little Man? What Helps Business Helps YouWhat's good for General Motors is good for the country. Imagine!In 1939, you put on a coat and tie to glue up a billboard! The Tax ManI like the fact that Mr. Davis was straightforward about the fact that this was nothing other than a photo op. Despite his claims about "getting it right," it looks like there are more than a few bubbles in the billboard. He's got a mean brush, though. Less Taxes is A-OK!If you are making a comparison in quantity that can be counted individually, the choice is FEWER: "Fewer apples." If the quantity is continuous (like water) or entails a number too large to count, the choice is LESS: "Less sand on the beach." "Fewer taxes" is a reduction of individual tax categories (sales, income, etc.) "Less taxes" is a reduction in money owed. New Deal = SocialismEverything old is new again! I have a hunch if Mr. George H. Davis were alive today he would be a frequent guest on Bill O'Reilly's and Sean Hannity's shows. Somehow, we were miraculously spared the inevitable fate proclaimed by Mr. Davis that the New Deal would move us "straight down the road by which 'business will logically be required to disappear.'" Does this remind anyone else of the hyperbolic scare-tactics in the current debate over health-care reform? Washington Post, Feb 21, 1939 Government Meddling Perplexing Headlines By Mark Sullivan On the first page of the New York Times the other day, in adjoining columns, was one of those curious juxtapositions of headlines which add interest to public events, and sometimes throw light on them. One headline was over remarks by President Roosevelt in a press conference while on his way to his vacation. This headline said: "Roosevelt Tells Business ... Confidence Is in Order. An Assuring Tone. No Cause for Misgiving." In his talk, Mr. Roosevelt was described as saying that "Business and industry ... could look forward without any misgivings as to the Administration's objectives in the months ahead." The other headline was over an address by the president of the Chamber of Commerce of the United States, Mr. George H. Davis. In part this headline said: "G.H. Davis Warns New Deal Moves Country Towards the Socialist State." In his talk Mr. Davis said that "Washington is moving surely into the State Capitalism that marks the totalitarian countries of Europe ... Thus we move straight down the road by which 'business will logically be required to disappear.'" ... Of course it was all for our benefit.Business didn't really WANT the tax breaks, they were just trying to help the little guy out the only way they knew how. Workers' ParadiseYou can be reasonably certain that standing just off camera are a couple of guys in overalls and glue soaked hands watching Mr. Davis mime the job that they just did. And, once Mr. Davis gets back into his limo, they'll be putting up the remainder of those 25,000 signs. The opposing viewIn 1939 the top tax rate was 79%; and it only went up from there. Once the war hit, the rates skyrocketed, and remained at over 90% until it dropped back to 77% in 1964. In 1953, if you made $16,000, after only the Federal tax you brought home $7040, and if your income was $100,000, you only brought home $10,000. To see how it would stifle business, ask yourself...is it really worth it to put in the enormous effort it would take to increase your income from $16,000 to $100,000 if all you got for your trouble was $2960? Yes, it was in his best interest to lower his taxes, but most businessmen try to grow their business. Higher taxes mean less money to invest, which means less growth, which means fewer jobs available for those who don't run their own business, but rely on others for their employment. It may seem like a great idea to tax the rich businessman out of his shirt, but it only dries up the job market in the end (and be sure of it, the owner probably still made his). Re: Opposing ViewMy understanding of the tax codes of the past is that those high rates (in the 90% range, etc) back during World War 2 and beyond were only for any income ABOVE $200,000--that's pretty good money for the 40's and the 50's. Later it was on income over $400,000, and before that--in the 1930's--the highest rates were for income over $5,000,000. 5 million dollars! In the middle of the depression! Those who were making that kind of money back then have nothing to complain about, and we shouldn't weep for them now. It was highly responsible of the government to raise taxes during World Wars 1 and 2 in order to pay for them. Thank god they did. Income RedistributionRight now the national debt is a little over $11 trillion. What retires the debt is taxes -- and there is no way to not retire the debt unless this country starts defaulting on its obligations to creditors, i.e. stops redeeming Treasury notes. The national debt isn't going down because the federal budget runs at a deficit every year. The usual reaction to this is to blame Congress and "politicians." But politicians are not aliens from Mars, they're us, and do whatever it takes to get reelected. Which is shovel out the entitlements. The Big 3 entitlements -- Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid -- account for the majority of federal spending every year -- two-thirds of the federal budget. There is no way to substantially reduce taxes without decreasing payments to retirees. (And even if entitlement spending were cut off completely, and deficit spending came to an end, there's still that $11 trillion in outstanding debt that has to be paid off.) It's withholding from the paychecks of today's working-age people that go to pay today's retirees. It can't go on forever. It worked, sort ofMr. Davis didn't get everything he wanted from Washington that year, but he got enough to turn a corner. An alliance between the Chamber, Henry Morgenthau's Department of the Treasury, and Sen. Pat Harrison, conservative chair of the Senate Finance Committee, prevailed over the remaining New Dealers, in blocking further tax hikes and opening up new loopholes. Roosevelt went along, expecting the gratitude of business, but was disappointed when the Chamber simply demanded more tax breaks the next year, while backing Willkie. Less, Fewer, Lower TaxesFewer Taxes means a reduction in the number or types of taxes being levied. No confusion there. But the use of Less with a plural noun like Taxes is a confusion between uncountable and countable nouns, and, even though used by many, sounds barbaric at best to them what don't. "Taxes" is not an uncountable noun. Uncountable nouns describe substances like sand, water or mustard (none of which are made plural when used with Less). So, there may be less water and less sand, and I'd like less mustard on that next hot dog, please. But the plural noun Taxes describes a set of similar, countable things, which do not somehow become a substance when lumped together. Each item in the set is called a Tax, which is a monetary levy with a defined percentage rate. The Sales Tax is set at eight percent in some places, and some people once paid as much as ninety percent on their Income Tax. And many people (and Chambers of Commerce) would like to see these Taxes (that is, the Tax Rates) become LOWER, not LESS. [So who wants to colorize this? - Dave] Re:Re: Opposing viewThe following link is to the historic tax tables from the present back through 1913. http://www.taxfoundation.org/publications/show/151.html Yes, the top tier was only on huge amounts in 1939, but during and after the war they went up across the board - the previous example from 1953 showed that at only $16,000, the feds took over half your income. [Commenter Samham replies: "You are misinterpreting marginal rates. The tax applies only to the amounts in the specific bracket, not total income. In the case of a single payer in 1953, the 53 percent rate applied only income between $14,000 and $16,000."] (The Gallery, D.C., Harris + Ewing)
A Face in the Crowd: 1942
... Theres so many of them dressed like individuals, not co-workers, if you know what I mean. [The caption is from the photographer ... the "management" and as apparent are together because the workers seem to not mingle with them. 7. The girl with the black coat and ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/03/2012 - 10:15pm -

October 1942. "Thousands of North American Aviation employees at Inglewood, California, look skyward as the bomber and fighter planes they helped build perform overhead during a lunch period air show. This plant produces the battle-tested B-25 'Billy Mitchell' bomber, used in General Doolittle's raid on Tokyo, and the P-51 'Mustang' fighter plane, which was first brought into prominence by the British raid on Dieppe." View full size. 4x5 Kodachrome transparency by Alfred Palmer for the Office of War Information. I could not find a singleI could not find a single overweight person in this crowd. You would have a hard time taking such a photo in the USA these days! Come to think of it, I'm not sure I have seen overweight people on any Shorpy photos. I still thinkGreat picture!! Yet I still think the buttons are to apply for the job, and thats their number in line. They all look like they are waiting to go through the fence to the table on the other side. I'd bet this was a type of 'job fair' despite what the caption said. Theres so many of them dressed like individuals, not co-workers, if you know what I mean. [The caption is from the photographer and there's no reason to think he is wrong. In fact, people drinking and snacking indicates break time. -Ken] Gamblers VisorI bet the the man a "gamblers visor" is an accountant. They were used to prevent eye strain. More here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_eyeshade Repeat after meI will never complain about my crowded lunchroom again! Therewere no overweight people then, only the few naturally stout. No one had a potbelly or a fat face. I'm observing1. Only 2 men smoking and one man with a pipe. 2. The man with the pipe could be Norman Rockwell (looks like him a little). 3. The girl in red with her hand on her forehead is thinking "I could'a had a V8." 4. Why is the man to the extreme left wearing a gamblers visor? 5. Below "visor man" one of the few men wearing shades sports a Hitler mustache, which I think might not be considered a good idea during 1942. 6. Apparently the men wearing ties are the "management" and as apparent are together because the workers seem to not mingle with them. 7. The girl with the black coat and blue dress (in the middle of the picture) is beautiful. Great picture Dave, the clarity is outstanding. The more I look at this group the more I see...So many stories here. What do you suppose the yellow buttons with the numbers are for? Could they be their IQ? Or the number of friends they have? The fellow in the blue shirt who looks to be picking his nose doesn't seem to have a button. They are all have different numbers, as far as I can tell. A crude security badge? I love this shot. This picture looks like Norman Rockwell could have painted it. Classic. I love the pocket protectors, too. I can't believe I used them for so many years. [The buttons are ID badges similar to the one below, from a different photo. - Dave] Yellow buttonsI suspect that the yellow buttons are union membership badges... Try AgainCome to think of it, I'm not sure I have seen overweight people on any Shorpy photos. Here ya go: https://www.shorpy.com/webb-and-mother "I could not find a single"I could not find a single overweight person in this crowd." The fella to the left of thermos guy looks a little husky. Okay, 1. :-) The caption says they are on a break, but it appears that many that aren't looking at the camera are facing to the left, if not looking that way, as if they are waiting for something to happen on the other side of the fence. employee badgesI think those yellow buttons are employee ID badges. In the days before instant photos and laminated paper "nametags", numbered buttons were sometimes used. I have one from a cannery that looks similar to these. Hilarious! I frgot thatHilarious! I forgot that one. But seriously, can you imagine how different a present day photo of a couple hundred American factory workers would look? An alien viewing the two photos would probably think it was two different species. It was probably the more the active lifestyle that kept these people thin than the food. I have an old cookbook from the 50's and it seems every recipe back then started out with heaps of butter, lard or (gasp!) bacon fat. Clark GableCheck out Clark Gable next to the gal in the white spectacles! Every FaceI've been looking at every face to see if my maternal grandfather is in this crowd. He was born in 1898, served in the navy in WWI, and had 2 children when this photo was taken. I know only that he worked in an aircraft factory in Cowtown during the war...don't know which one. Something tells me he would't have been standing patiently by the gate while eating lunch...more likely he was running a craps game in the shade under the wing of the aircraft in the top left corner. Goober Pea SurpriseI'm surprised to see so many men of military age. Men of military age.The war, for America, was less than one year old when this picture was taken. Also, contrary to the myth, not every able-bodied American male felt compelled to run down to the recruiting center and enlist on 12/8/41. eventually, conscription was used to fill the ranks. Additionally, the physicians at induction centers were shocked by the effect of 10 years of hard economic depression on general health of American men. Many willing young recruits were turned away because they just weren't fit enough the stand the rigors of training and fighting. So many men of military ageIf you had a job that was vital to the war effort, such as building bombers, your draft classification was 2-A, "Registrant deferred because of civilian occupation (except agriculture or activity in study)." Meaning, you were not going to be drafted. I know a lot of men who studied engineering in the 1960s so they could get jobs in the aerospace industry, to gain that deferment. Re: SurpriseI think these men were probably deferred from military draft because they were engaged in essential war work. The deferred classifications for occupational status were: II-A Men necessary in their civilian activity II-B Men necessary to national defense II-C Men necessary to farm labor No fat peopleWhere are all the fat folks?, there are none. I've noticed this in photos that predate 1960, everyone looks like they're the right weight. We can assume they all smoked like chimneys and got lots of bad diseases like TB, rickets and other things we'd consider less of a health problem today. Nevertheless it's scary to think that an entire society has become so inclined towards obesity in less than 60 years. Just about the time TV hit the mainstream and car ownership skyrocketed. Coincidence? Consolidated Fort WorthI like this photo - I just wish we could see more, since I actually work at this plant now. 6. Apparently the men wearing ties are the "management" and as apparent are together because the workers seem to not mingle with them. They look like engineers to me. There are more jobs than aircraft assembly. The caption says they are on a break, but it appears that many that aren't looking at the camera are facing to the left, if not looking that way, as if they are waiting for something to happen on the other side of the fence. It's possible they were watching something or several somethings take off. The plant is side by side with the runway, and planes still take off and land all the time. I'm used to seeing F-16s and C-130s, but I'm wouldn't turn my back if I'm just standing there on break. Aircraft workersMy dad worked in aircraft factories before and during the war. At one point he was called up for service, and the examiner noticed he could only see out of one eye. Told him he'd be of more use to the country building airplanes. When America was youngI notice there's hardly any gray hair in this photo. Though I'm in Florida, at my place of work (a building with hundreds of employees), people without any gray hair are a minority. (The Gallery, Kodachromes, Alfred Palmer, Factories, WW2)
Southwestern Bell: 1930
... to it. Or maybe King Kong wasn't done yet. [It's workers on a scaffold. They seem to be giving the building a bath. - Dave] ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/10/2023 - 2:59pm -

St. Louis, Missouri, circa 1930. "Southwestern Bell Telephone Building, Pine Street." Gelatin silver print by American Commercial Photographers. View full size. Gotta say... that is one ugly-ass building. Pretty quiet day on the streets of St. LouisI'd speculate this was after the zombie apocalypse, except in fact the Cards won the pennant that year. [Note that the wheels of the car around the corner to the right have been airbrushed out of existence. Probably along with the rest of the streetscape, including sidewalk and pedestrians. - Dave] Gotta Say - Part IIDe gustibus non disputandum est. That is one majestic-looking building. I love it. Just looked it up on Google maps and it's still there and its still occupied by Southwestern Bell and it's still majestic as ever. The future loomsIn 1984, as AT&T was “broken up”, Southwestern Bell Telephone (now one of AT&T’s ‘Baby Bells’) moved out of this landmark into the new AT&T Tower—constructed literally one minute’s walk away. Not long after, the company moved its headquarters to San Antonio, and in 2017 it vacated the Tower, which is still vacant and still looms over the Southwestern Bell building. Too late to spin it aroundThe gothic Southwestern Bell building faces Pine Street, between 10th and 11th Streets. In the 1930 photograph there are much smaller, nondescript buildings around it and on the block behind it. Today, the Pine Street side is the same. But the back side of the building (facing Chestnut Street) has become the attractive side for this Gotham City fortress to face. The Serra Sculpture Park is across Chestnut, and adjoining parks lay to the east. Wisely, the smaller, nondescript buildings behind the Southwestern Bell (AT&T) building have been cleared and there is a nice plaza leading to the back door. ProgressThe entire building has been replaced by a six-year-old PC running an outdated version of Windows. I took a tour of such a building several decades ago and remember two things -- the operators sitting at their stations in a large room and engineers on the top floor monitoring all the TV and radio microwave traffic from New York being sent, by wire, to the local stations. Washday?I see ropes hanging from several of the pylons and some of the areas of the building seem to be cleaner than others. There's a crew working off a scaffold toward the middle left of the photo and the area above them seems to have been scrubbed recently. They do windows, and maybe walls, too? Another name for the building might have been:Fort Phone. Much better on the insideIt's lovely once you step inside the lobby. http://www.builtstlouis.net/opos/swbell.html The Ugly-Ass Buildingis still there surviving the zombie apocalypse and every single one of the Cardinals' 11 World Series championship celebrations. A Grown Up FortAll I can say is that the Architect(s) most likely built forts out of cardboard when they were younger. First commentsThe earliest comments here are pretty spot on. That is, indeed, an ugly pile. and the quiet streets being the product of airbrushing is noteworthy. It failed to go on and tell everyone that the building should have been "airbrushed out of existence" as well. I'd rather look at the chicken slaughter photos from a while ago. A sore thumbOn the left about 13 floors up, did a small plane attempt to rearrange the façade? The whole building looks like it had a lot of early (Stalin-esque) photoshop swipes done to it. Or maybe King Kong wasn't done yet. [It's workers on a scaffold. They seem to be giving the building a bath. - Dave] (The Gallery, St. Louis)
Miami, Florida: 1908
... dispatched John Sewell and twelve of his best black workers from Palm Beach to Miami to begin work on the townsite. They began by ... dispatched John Sewell and twelve of his best black workers from Palm Beach to Miami to begin work on the townsite. They began by ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 10/14/2014 - 12:58pm -

Circa 1908. Who would care to hazard a guess as to the location of this bustling metropolis? Extra points for Street View. Detroit Publishing Co. View full size. UPDATE: The guesses as to the location of "Anytown, USA" (this post's original title) were, quite literally, all over the map -- from Deadwood to Buffalo to Whitehouse, Ohio. Many incorrect guesses for Titusville, Florida. The correct answer, and original caption: "12th Street, looking east, Miami, Florida." Cigars, anyone?It looks like the main street of Ybor City near Tampa, Florida. [Close, but no cigar. - Dave] Titusville, FloridaMain Street Titusville FloridaTitusville was the home of E.L. Brady Groceries! GuessingI'm guessing it is Titusville. Miami, 1200It would appear the MacArthur highway removed this locale: View Larger Map Location is.Titusville Florida Titusville, FLTitusville. FL? A grocer with the same name had a building there: I have to admit I'm not too confident; the bank building looks wrong. Florida?Google search suggests that this may be early Miami, with E.L. Brady Groceries on right, and Frank T. Budge Hardware on the left. Miami, FLI believe this is Miami, Florida, corner of 12th Street (now Flagler Street) and Avenue D (now Miami Avenue). View Larger Map I know, I know!It's the home of the Ace Novelty Company in Walla, Walla, Washington. What do I win? Miami Map 1919This map shows Avenue D (now Miami Avenue) and 12th Street to be somewhere under the pilings for MacArthur Freeway. Too bad about the grand old house on the left a few blocks up. That shoulda been a keeper. E.L. Brady's grocery storetells me this is Titusville, Florida. Miami, FloridaThis is 12th Street, looking east, Miami, Florida. Miami?A guy named E.L. Brady was a grocer in Miami around that time. Wild GuessBrooklyn, New York IdentityWashington Avenue, Titusville Florida. Possible answerI cheated and Googled "E.L. Brady" grocery store" and got Titusville, FL. Did I win? MiamiSome research indicates Flagler Street and Miami Avenue , although street view is hard to recognize. MiamiAvenue D (now Miami Ave.) and 12th Street, Miami, Fl. It looks like it's beneath the MacAurther Causeway now. Titusville FLA.Main Street? Is it KC?It could be my eyes playing tricks, but I think I see a reference to Kansas City in the banner stretched across the street. I'm guessingTitusville, Florida? Taking a guessI think the location is somewhere in Titusville, Florida. Titusville, Florida?Okay, here's my detective work. I Googled C.W. Schmid's Restaurant to no avail, but then I saw the E. L. Brady and Co. Groceries sign and tried that. It took me to this site, which mentions a store by the same name in Titusville. Am I right? Brady Grocery, Titusville, Florida407 S. Washington Avenue, Titusville, Florida "Titusville's first grocery store, L.A. Brady Grocery Store, was built in 1880. This and other buildings immediately south were occupied by Jackson Garage, Coca Cola, Bryan-Conway Realtors, Grower's Supply and Sears. The building was renovated and reopened in 1988 as the Granada Building, housing several government agencies and businesses including Gulf Atlantic Title, Cathedral Holdings and Loys Ward Surveying and Engineering." I had not a clueBut I thought maybe somewhere up north because of the awnings, which I thought might protect from the harsh winter snow. Duh! I could not have been more wrong. Turns out they were protection from the hot sun of Florida! Having lived there for a tortuous 6 months, I should have known better. I'm guessingTitusville,FL. Jacksonville, Florida.It has to be Jax. There's crap in the street and it looks like a slum. Nothing has changed. My guess is MiamiSearching for E.L. Brady's lead me to this conclusion based on this page, and this quote: On March 3, Flagler dispatched John Sewell and twelve of his best black workers from Palm Beach to Miami to begin work on the townsite. They began by grading the site of Flagler’s hotel. (72) By late March the railroad extension had reached a point just below Arch Creek near today’s Northeast 135th Street. (73) Increasing numbers of people were coming to Miami. In order to provide them with a place to stay, Harrington and Tyler leased the Miami Hotel from Julia Tuttle — even before it had a roof over it. Located on today’s South Miami Avenue near the river, the hotel contained a dining room on the first floor and rooms on the second which only could be reached by ladder, since a staircase had not been completed. (74) A former steamboat, the Rockledge, was converted into a floating hotel by E. E. Vail, towed to Miami and docked at the foot of Avenue D (today’s Miami Avenue). (75) Several new businesses had just opened or were about to open as March drew to a close. These included Frank Budge’s hardware store, Frank Duren’s meat market and green grocery, E.L. Brady’s grocery store, and the Lummus Brothers’ general store; additionally, a drug store, candy shop and pool room looked out over Avenue D. The lumber to build the Bank of Bay Biscayne building was being hauled to its lot next to the Brady grocery store. (76) Survey saysI believe this is Brooklyn, NY. I took the easy way out and just searched for 1200 Avenue O from the side of the grocers wagon Joe from LI, NY View Larger Map Miami?A Google search for "e l brady" grocer 1200 ave d turned up this link. On page 69 of which is mentioned a small grocery in Miami, run by an E.L. Brady. A guessIs it Titusville Florida? It's downtown MiamiThe Historical Museum of Southern Florida puts E.L. Brady Grocers, 1200 Avenue D, in Miami at that point. Avenue D is now South Miami Avenue. I'm not familiar with the area to know if the street numbering was retained. Schmids Furniture, Whitehouse, OhioWhitehouse, Ohio? There is a reference to a "Schmids Funiture" still there in 1937 when this was written. An updated guessIs it Miami, Florida? MaybeTitusville, Florida? TitusvilleStill working on the street view. Miami, Florida?Miami, FL, 12th Street. Anytown USA = Whitehouse OHIf you google "Schmid's Furniture" and have google uncorrect it, there's a PDF link to a report on Early Whitehouse History. In there is a reference to Schmid's Furniture on Toledo Ave (which looks very different today in Street View) Some leadsA search for E.L. Brady's grocery brought up a couple things. This page mentions the cart part of the business, which would place this in Titusville, Florida, to the East of Orlando. This link contains a picture of an historical marker in Titusville, which mentions that the building where Brady's grocery would have been housed in 1908 still stands, and is to the right of the sign. I'm pretty sure I've located the sign in street view here: View Larger Map The gardening has changed from the pictures, but the background matches up perfectly. The only step from here would be to go a few ticks over on street view and turn around, but this is where I stopped. Either I have the wrong spot or the view has changed considerably. Found it?I found reference to E.L. Brady's grocery store which leads me to believe this is Titusville, Florida. The building was home to E.L. Brady's grocery store. He first established his business in LaGrange, but moved to Titusville in 1886, occupying a wooden building at Main Street. The 1895 fire destroyed his store and many wood structures in the commercial district. Brady rebuilt his grocery in this building Is this it?Not much left from 1908. View Larger Map No DoubtThat's downtown Anytown. (Read the heading.) Titusville?Looks like E.L. Brady's Grocery store was located in Titusville, FL. That could be the site of this shot, perhaps... Fort Pierce / St. Lucie, FLMan, is this a depressing indicator of change. View Larger Map ETA: Darn, not correct! Miami, Fl ?http://www.hmsf.org/collections-south-florida-birth-city.htm On March 3, Flagler dispatched John Sewell and twelve of his best black workers from Palm Beach to Miami to begin work on the townsite. They began by grading the site of Flagler’s hotel. (72) By late March the railroad extension had reached a point just below Arch Creek near today’s Northeast 135th Street. (73) Increasing numbers of people were coming to Miami. In order to provide them with a place to stay, Harrington and Tyler leased the Miami Hotel from Julia Tuttle — even before it had a roof over it. Located on today’s South Miami Avenue near the river, the hotel contained a dining room on the first floor and rooms on the second which only could be reached by ladder, since a staircase had not been completed. (74) A former steamboat, the Rockledge, was converted into a floating hotel by E. E. Vail, towed to Miami and docked at the foot of Avenue D (today’s Miami Avenue). (75) Several new businesses had just opened or were about to open as March drew to a close. These included Frank Budge’s hardware store, Frank Duren’s meat market and green grocery, E. L. Brady’s grocery store, and the Lummus Brothers’ general store; additionally, a drug store, candy shop and pool room looked out over Avenue D. The lumber to build the Bank of Bay Biscayne building was being hauled to its lot next to the Brady grocery store. (76) Anytown, USA is Titusville, FloridaAnytown, USA is Titusville, Florida "E.L. Brady and Brother Grocery Store, a well established business located on Washington Ave. in downtown Titusville, put into use a delivery wagon in order to provide better customer service." Judging by the number of wiresI would say: NYC. Miami, Florida ...perhaps the corner of D (now Miami) and 12th Avenues? After Titusville, FLAfter Titusville FL Mr. E.L. Brady, Grocer, moved to Miami and opened up his grocery store on Avenue D. Not sure what that is called now though. Titusville Fla. Probably S. Washington St. That was funThat was fun. I was one of the Titusville people. Got it wrong. Oh well. How about doing something like this once a week? Not a palm tree in sightThe grocer E.L. Brady originated in Lagrange, Florida and relocated to Titusville, Florida in 1886. He would eventually became the first grocer in Miami, Florida at Ave. D and 12th Street. Today, this intersection would be Flagler Street and Miami Avenue. An interesting 1901 photo of the mustachioed Mr. Brady can be seen here. A guessBuffalo, NY. Found a reference to a wedding in the NY Times where Mr. and Mrs. E.L. Brady from Buffalo attended. Brooklyn?Probably wrong, but I'll hazard a guess at Brooklyn; 1200 Avenue D is near the intersection of Flatbush, which would make that little side street on the left E. 23rd St. View Larger Map Is it Louisville?I think this may be Avenue D in Louisville, KY. Miamihad an Avenue D in 1908 and a grocer called E.L. Brady. Welcome to MiamiLooks like it's somewhere on what is now South Miami Avenue - possibly where the Route 970 overpass is now located? FoundView Larger Map Stop 17 on the historical walking tour. Historical marker north of the building. Hazarding a GuessI'm going to guess we're looking at Old Miam, South Miami Avei? Just a GuessTitusville or Miami, FL. Titusville, FLJust a guess. Titusville, FLI think I see an atlas rocket taking off from the cape in the background. Florida townI believe this is Titusville Florida. LocationThis was taken in Miami, Florida at the corner of what is now Flagler Street and Miami Avenue. Everything in the original photo is gone, even the street names! Flagler and Miami used to be 12th Street and Avenue D, respectively. Titusville, FloridaHome of E.L. Brady, Grocer. Doesn't Look Like Florida to MeMy guess is Titusville FL, because that is the only place I can find a E L Brady that is a Grocer on the 1900 and 1910 census. Am I correct? Miami, FloridaThat's my guess. Deadwood, SD?Shot in the dark guess. Just seems very western. Gag! I was wrong, wrong, wrong. Embarrassing since I was born and raised in Fort Lauderdale, and my grandparents + my mother moved to South Florida in 1917. Miami, FL?Possibly Miami, as per an obituary for E.L. Brady (pulled from the "E.L. Brady and Co" store on the right, beyond the real estate agent). That would make this shot somewhere in the vicinity of Flagler and Miami Avenue. Miami FloridaAvenue D and 12th Street. Now Flagler Street and Miami Avenue. See if I can get a Street View. Definitely MiamiFrom "Early Miami Through the Eyes of Youth" by William M. Straight, M.D., p.69: "How did you get your dairy products and your groceries? Well, there were two grocery stores, little things. I think the first one was operated by a Mr. Brady, E. L. Brady, who moved here from Titusville." On Page 63, there's mention that Avenue D is now Miami Avenue. 1200 Miami Avenue: View Larger Map MiamiE. L. Brady opened one of the first grocery stores in Miami, Florida. In 1908, the Bank of Bay Biscayne was located next door. I think this is the intersection of Miami Avenue and Flagler Street. Let's see nowThere's a tag that says "Florida," but there's also a tag that says "Detroit." Follow upFollow up to my earlier comment about E.L. Brady; according to the same obituary, E.L. Brady was an earlier settler of Titusville, FL, and started a grocery there, too. So this could be Titusville, FL. E. L. Brady Co. GrocersAt the corner of Avenue D and 12th Street in Miami: Titusville, FLLooks like it's in Titusville, FL, though I'm having trouble pinning down the exact location for a Google Street View. Halcyon HometownFinally, a shot of MY hometown, Miami! When Miami scrapped its old street naming system in 1921, they threw out the house numbers along with the street names for the present day quadrant system. The shot was taken on today's Flagler Street (formerly 12th Street) looking east at Miami Avenue (formerly Avenue D). The lions on the left guarded the Bank of Bay Biscayne, which stood on the northwest corner of Miami Avenue and West Flagler Street. The Halcyon Hotel, with its distinctive turrets, stood at East Flagler and 2nd Avenue (formerly 12th Street and Avenue B). It can be seen down the street on the left side. It'd be great to see some more Old Miami shots! Thanks, Shorpy! Let me guessI'm gonna go out on a limb here and guess that this city is in Florida? I'm thinkingTitusville, FL Thank you, Mr. Brady the grocerIt's Miami. HOW COULD YOU TELL????I enlarged the photo, combed all the print details, how can you possibly recognize it a hundred years later????!! (Thanks for the fun though.) Bay Biscayne BankAccording to the Sanford Fire Map of 1899, the Bay Biscayne Bank was around the corner on D Avenue, on the NE side of the intersection, up the block on D Avenue slightly. Of course, it may have moved across the street to the NW corner by 1909. In the 1909 edition of Florida East Coast Homeseeker, it ran an ad noting it had moved to new digs in the Fort Dallas Bank Building; the one with the columns on the immediate left, and just west of the bank building, would have been the Biscayne Hotel in 1899. The weather bureau opened a station in the Bank of Bay Biscayne Building at that same location in 1911, so by then the building seems to have dropped the Fort Dallas appellation. The picture of the bank building provided by the NOAA website must be looking NW at it catercorner across the intersection. (The Gallery, DPC, Florida, Miami)
Company Cottage: 1942
... River, Baltimore County, Maryland. Housing development for workers at the Glenn L. Martin aircraft plant. Living room and dining alcove." ... aircraft plant in Middle River, Maryland had about 3,600 workers -- by the end of 1942, Martin employed 52,474 workers, mostly in Middle ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/07/2023 - 1:58pm -

July 1942. "Middle River, Baltimore County, Maryland. Housing development for workers at the Glenn L. Martin aircraft plant. Living room and dining alcove." Porch Lady is back, pouring a nice glass of air in her Cemesto bungalow. Acetate negative by Marjory Collins. View full size. Don't lick the walls!If the lead paint doesn't get you, the cement-asbestos mix will. (As Martha put it in "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf," Never mix, never worry!!) The floor is a pleasant surprise: It's probably just pine, but individual boards. I was expecting plywood. Times changeIt's interesting how standards have changed. This house was compact, clean and un-fancy, but we can no longer build affordable housing in this country. Whatever the reason may be -- land cost, zoning, building costs, codes, changing consumer expectations -- lots are larger, houses are much larger and costs are far higher compared to median earnings. You are the wind beneath my antiquesThat's a bold move to put fragile figurines on the ledge above the windows. Hopefully nobody slammed a door too hard one day! Not nail friendlyIt appears cemesto is not nail friendly. The fruit ornament is suspended from wood trim at the top of the wall. There is also a visible seam, which should have been taped and floated. Responding to wally -- one thing that helped make housing today larger and more relatively expensive is the invention of air conditioning. Because of AC, people want more square footage that is climate controlled, also affecting the cost of heating. Porches on the front of houses today are mostly esthetic. And on the back, porches have been replaced with decks because you no longer go outside to catch a breeze and a better temperature. To mitigate the expense of climate control, houses built today have more and better insulation, and often better insulating windows, which add to the construction expense of larger homes. But you are correct that other factors are also responsible. Probably luxury living I'd imagineComing out of the Great Depression and very happy to have it. Population ExplosionIn 1939, the Glenn L. Martin aircraft plant in Middle River, Maryland had about 3,600 workers -- by the end of 1942, Martin employed 52,474 workers, mostly in Middle River. https://www.mdairmuseum.org/martin-and-community Horse LoverI believe I see a total of nine horse figurines and maybe one cat? [And a bird! - Dave] Still hereMany of these homes are still there. A comment in a previous post mentioned 7 Elm Drive, pictured below. The link has more pictures. https://www.redfin.com/MD/Baltimore/7-Elm-Dr-21220/home/9440918 The Glenn L. Martin facility (now Lockheed-Martin) is east of the community at what is not Martins State Airport, within easy walking distance. Lockheed-Martin is in the process of closing operations at the airport. The airport is still fairly busy, plenty of corporate jets and small aircraft, as well as an Air National Guard unit flying A-10 Warthogs. There is a Glenn L. Martin museum on the airport grounds. (The Gallery, Baltimore, Marjory Collins, WW2)
Cunningham Drugs: 1942
... very much like R Crumb in Kodachrome. (Most) Trades workers of Yore Seemed to survive: No hard hats No gloves No safety ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 03/23/2021 - 5:37pm -

    UPDATE: The view here is of Douglas Street in beautiful Victoria, British Columbia! The slide mount for this street scene -- the latest (and earliest) Kodachrome from hotrodder-shutterbug Don Cox -- is bereft of notation regarding location. Where are we? View full size. Cunningham Drugs, based in Detroit MichiganCunningham Drugs was a chain of stores founded in 1889 operated primarily within the state of Michigan. I remember them well from my childhood in Detroit. They had a soda fountain and served a great hamburger. Michigan locations closed and reopened as Apex Drug in 1982 and were later sold to Perry Drug Stores. They finally sold to Walgreens in 1991. Tip of the hat to Wikipedia. [Wrong Cunningham Drug. - Dave] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cunningham_Drug_(Canada) Northwest Corner of Douglas and Yates, Victoria, BThe building is still there, minus the top of the turret: https://goo.gl/maps/kPwwNQzq1MXjcAM2A Location for 3/21 photoI found mention of a Cunningham Drugs in Victoria, British Columbia. There was a postcard on ebay with the words "Peter-Pan-Cunningham-Drugs-Douglas-St-Victorai-British-Columbia-postcard-1950s". The bus' destination in this photo says "Burnside Marigold" which is an intersection in Victoria. Never ...ever step back to admire your work. Victoria British ColumbiaAppears to be 1300 Douglas Street. We're in CanadaTo be more precise, we're in Victoria, British Columbia. Cunningham Drugs on the corner was located at 1300-1306 Douglas Street; the building still exists, the drugstore does not. Victoria, B.C.Next to Cunningham Drugs is McLean's Bakery, which was located at 1304 Douglas Avenue in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. Here is the Google Street View of these storefronts as they appeared in May 2018. Something tells meThis is British Columbia's capital city, beautiful Victoria. Victoria BCDouglas and Yates in Victoria, B.C Canada! Tags + KodachromeThese two together narrow the probable date range to 1946-47. Almost all photographic film and equipment, at least in the US where Kodachrome was made, was reserved for the "war effort". Consumers had difficulty purchasing any photographic materials until well into 1946. When my dad came back from the war, he wanted to buy a new camera to replace the one he inherited from his father who used it during WW1. He had to wait until 1947 before the Kodak Vigilant 620 was available with the faster f/4.5 lens he wanted. Only the version with the simpler f/6.3 lens was available earlier, and that not until 1946. [This exposure is from a batch of slides taken in the Pacific Northwest, many of them dated 1942. Don Cox was a Navy photographer's mate. One of his previous images is this Kodachrome from 1943. - Dave] Good info. A Navy photographer's mate would have had access to materials, Kodachrome in this case, that the average civilian wouldn't have had. Victoria, BCI believe this to be Victoria, British Columbia - Cunningham Drugs was a well known chain in BC during this time and Burnside/Marigold on the bus is another clue - Burnside Rd, Marigold Park. Location Victoria Island Coach Lines LTD. The street sign Points to Sidney, BC. Looks like it's Victoria BCThe bus company initials - Vancouver Island Coach Lines Ltd. (15 November 1928 - 1950) and street sign pointing us to Sidney, which is where the BC Ferries now dock, tells me this is probably Victoria, BC. Not Danforth & Pape... but rather Douglas & Yates, in Victoria, British Columbia: Douglas Street runs concurrent with Trans-Canada Highway 1 in Victoria. In fact, the Zero Mile Monument is not far from this intersection. North of the BorderA quick search for that Burnside-Marigold bus brings up an archival photo from Victoria, B.C.: https://search-bcarchives.royalbcmuseum.bc.ca/burnside-marigold-bus-on-b... Victoria, British ColumbiaThis picture is taken at the corner of Douglas and Yates in Victoria, B.C. Google streetview shows that most of the block is still there. Names like "Copp the Shoe Man" and "Cunningham Drugs" were well known B.C. companies. I worked for Cunningham Drugs for a while as a teenager in the 1970s. The bus in the picture is Vancouver Island Coach Lines and its route is Burnside - Marigold. And the dark blue sedan in the middle of the street looks like it might be a 1929 Auburn. Looks to me like ...Vancouver, B.C. Found itThe location is 1302 Douglas Street in Victoria, British Columbia (corner of Yates and Douglas). The spire and the some of the parapet on top of the Cunningham Drug store are gone now but otherwise the street is remarkably the same. "For the unrelated Canadian chain, see Cunningham Drug (Canada)." TagsThe only years B.C. did not use front license plates were 1942 thru 1947, as a wartime metal conservation effort. So we can date this photo from during World War II or just after. Douglas Street, Victoria B.C.Cross' Marketeria was at 1310 Douglas in Victoria, BC. Here's what it looks like today: Douglas Street, Victoria, BC, Canada?Just a guess. I know United Cigar Stores LTD was a Canadian retailer, V.I.C.L., Ltd on the bus I guess to mean something like Vancouver Island Coach Line, the direction sign points to Sidney which is a town near Victoria, Douglas Street seems to be a good main drag downtown to put hotel on. St James Hotel counters my reasoning but you can’t have everything. At the far right ...... we see the Douglas Hotel at 1450 Douglas Street and the Victoria City Hall at the corner of Douglas Street and Pandora Avenue, an example of Second Empire-style public architecture. That 'scaffolding'The day before OSHA was created. Accident waiting to happenWow. Two men on a sagging scaffold with people under it. Rock steady!Is there any way to know whether Don Cox used a tripod for his photos? If not, then he could certainly hold still when he needed to. Laurel and Hardy on locationI don't recall Cunningham's signs being any color but green, maybe it is a Canadian Thing. The sign painters' physiques, the bow in the scaffold plank, the can of paint and the pedestrian below in trench coat and hat. It is a fine line between tragedy and comedy. Curiously familiarThis looks very much like R Crumb in Kodachrome. (Most) Trades workers of YoreSeemed to survive: No hard hats No gloves No safety harnesses No safety goggles No ear protection No high visibility jackets No steel capped boots No traffic and pedestrian control monitors No pedestrian bypass barriers No proper scaffolding No safety inspectors No license (usually) required to close off part of street/sidewalk No dust or chemical spill controls (The Gallery, Kodachromes, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Don Cox, Stores & Markets)
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