MAY CONTAIN NUTS
HOME
Home

Search Shorpy

SEARCH TIP: Click the tags above a photo to find more of same:
Mandatory field.

Search results -- 30 results per page

Official Business: 1942
... Milwaukee, Wisconsin. "Women in war. Supercharger plant workers. To replace men who have been called to armed service, many young girls ... jobs never before held by women. Her job is shuttling workers between two Midwest war plants for Allis-Chalmers Manufacturing Co." ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 01/16/2023 - 8:02pm -

October 1942. Milwaukee, Wisconsin. "Women in war. Supercharger plant workers. To replace men who have been called to armed service, many young girls like 19-year-old Jewel Halliday are taking jobs never before held by women. Her job is shuttling workers between two Midwest war plants for Allis-Chalmers Manufacturing Co." Photo by Ann Rosener for the Office of War Information. View full size. Don't mess with me, mister!A wonderful shot, dramatically lit, conveying the sense of the subject being all about business. [Photographer Ann Rosener would be a Missus. As opposed to her assistant crouched next to the steering wheel. - Dave] The estate of affairsLooks like a 1942 Buick 40B Estate Wagon - for all your war labour transport needs. I'm a big fan of wooden boats, so the idea of beautifully varnished wood on a mechanical conveyance is not foreign to me. The US Army bought a ton of the 2-door and 4-door sedans for use as staff cars, and it would appear a few of the woodie estate wagons too. Jewell HallidayJewell (correct spelling) Halliday married Rudolph A. Pollak in Milwaukee, on June 20, 1946. He was a World War II veteran. Jewell passed away in Milwaukee on November 20, 1974. Rudolph died in Florida, on November 24, 1999. I was unable to determine if they had any children. It wasn't just womenIn 1944, my Dad (16 years old) was driving the street sweeper in Coronado, Calif. He had an hour between 5-6am, to sweep the downtown business district. The next hour was spent on a rotating basis thru the different residential areas. By 7am he was headed home to get ready for school. Restating "The estate of affairs"While looking very Buick-like, this is actually a 1942 Chevrolet Special DeLuxe Station Wagon. The wood panels and trim are different; the Buick's fender sweep into the front doors is longer; the thin wooden slats on the interior roof of the Chevy took the place of a headliner; and the shadow of the Chevy's rear door hinge can also be seen below the door handle. The Buick's hinge was above the window line. Chevy built 1,057 while there were only 327 of the 1942 Buick Model 49 Estate Wagons (including one for export). At $1,095 it was Chevy's most expensive model, and it was also their heaviest model at 3,425 pounds. Only three of these Buicks are thought to still exist, and half of the 1942 production is believed to have gone to the federal government for the war effort. Cost of the Buick was $1,450, and it weighed 3,925 pounds (500 more pounds than the Chevy!). Comparison photos from early 1942 catalogs are below. Note that because Chevy used two different body builders for the station wagon bodies the trim shown in the Shorpy photo is slightly different from the catalog drawing (which was also produced months in advance of actual production beginning). (The Gallery, Ann Rosener, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Milwaukee, WW2)
Yesterday's News: 1940
... sounded familiar. The Eaton Cutters post for the army shoe workers is a reference to the Charles A. Eaton Shoe Company founded 1876 in ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 03/28/2018 - 8:56am -

December 1940. Brockton, Massachusetts. "Men and a woman reading headlines posted in window of Brockton Enterprise newspaper office on Christmas Eve." 35mm Kodachrome transparency by Jack Delano. View full size. FedorasYour best bet finding them are in Hasidic neighborhood stores. Anthony UtoI think the sign reads "Enterprise Barber Shop." I have no doubt tho that the sign was changed to something that did not resemble the imperial battle flag! Still AroundUnlike the Seattle Post-Intelligencer or the Rocky Mountain News, the Brockton Enterprise will still deliver a physical newspaper to your home. I find that comforting. You two, yeah you, get out of the wayI really want to know more about problems with the schoolbooks, but those two guys are in the way. Twitter 1.0Just a few short words on a subject, broadcast for all the world (if the world happens to walk by that window) to read. Japanese Barber ShopThis picture was taken in December 1940. I'd be willing to bet that one year later "Anthony Uto's Japanese Barber Shop" was no longer in business. ["Japanese"? I think you're misreading the sign. - Dave] It Comes Full CircleI was wetting my pants in 1940 and here we are back in the same mode, its deja vu all over again. Brockton EnterpriseThe Enterprise of Brockton is still there: http://www.enterprisenews.com/ And it still resides at 60 Main Street in Brockton. And W.B. Mason (2nd Floor) is still going strong as well. R.I.P. Billy HillBilly Hill, Boston native, wrote a number of popular songs including The Last Round-Up, Wagon Wheels, Empty Saddles, In the Chapel in the Moonlight, The Glory of Love. At the age of seventeen he went out West and spent the next fifteen years working at various jobs including dishwasher in several roadhouses, cowpuncher in Montana, payroll clerk at a mining camp in Death Valley, and band leader at a Chinese restaurant in Salt Lake City. Sadly, Billy "lost his battle with alcohol" on Dec. 24, 1940. You can learn more at www.americanmusicpreservation.com Staying connected to your world.Wow! I wish we had a place to go today to read news headlines. Enterprise Barber Shop?Is that what is says? Although, when I saw the "Empire of the Sun" sign, my first thought was "Japanese" as well. School Board,not schoolbooks. The past is prologueInteresting how the formatting of newspaper pages on the window presages the formatting of information on the screen of my iPod Touch. Quake?There was an earthquake? Indeed, two? In Massachusetts? Many years back I read that there is a fault line running under Manhattan. I suppose this may be connected. EarthquakeThe USGS website confirms the headlines in the window. A magnitude 5.5 earthquake struck the Lake Ossippee region in New Hampshire on December 20th and 24th of 1940. It reports that aftershocks were felt throughout the northeast. News FlashToday this would be replaced with the news "zipper" like in Times Square, New York. Evergreen street tree?Is that a Doug Fur or Canadian Hemlock in the corner of the picture? It looks like there is an ornament on it, which would make sense, but it seems like an odd place for a Xmas tree that size in the middle of the sidewalk. Keeping an eyeWas everybody a private detective in those days? Hatzoff, Fedora ManAs I grow older (and balder), I find myself coveting those fedoras. Gonna go find me one, somewhere... Get Your News HereUnlike today, there were no text messages, no blogs, no CNN, only newspapers and radios. There were no all news stations but there were morning and afternoon papers. Things changed much later on and I believe we are all the better for it. FedorasGosh, I really like the look of a man with a nice hat on. I remember that growing up in the 50's and 60's, practically all men wore them. I don't know why they stopped, but they sure look elegant. SantaI like that even back then they were "tracking" Santa and that he might not finish up his route until Christmas morning! Men Without HatsThe style changed, I believe, with John F. Kennedy, who was the first U.S. President to regularly go hatless. This encouraged a lot of other young men of his generation to follow suit (but not hat). Then there was the disastrous collapse of the once-mighty Japanese-American barbershop industry, which has yet to be fully documented. Not by me, though. Still, the familiar Kabuki barber in his garish makeup and flowing silk costume used to be a fixture in American cities from coast to coast, like Howard Johnson's restaurants and motels. For some reason or other, they never made a comeback after 1945. Maybe it was because, as my WWII veteran Grandpa used to say, "I'll never, ever trust one of those little guys with a razor again!" Since the average customer wasn't getting shaved bald any more (except for the traditional Samauri topknot, on request), the hat was no longer needed. [Disclaimer: If you don't think that real history is entertaining enough, you can always make up your own]. Marciano and HaglerBrockton is indeed home to boxing great Rocky Marciano. It is also home to another boxing great, Marvelous Marvin Hagler! Window vs. Web LogsBrockton, Mass. Who knew it was the birthplace of blogging? This is also a very early use of Windows Media. The Brockton BomberWasn't Rocky Marciano from Brockton? Eaton CuttersSomething about Eaton sounded familiar. The Eaton Cutters post for the army shoe workers is a reference to the Charles A. Eaton Shoe Company founded 1876 in Brockton, eventually adding their golf shoes to its line. In 1976, the company changed its name to Etonic. Read all about itAs a newspaper editor, this photo is evocative of a time when people truly treasured their daily or weekly newspaper, read it religiously, wrote letters to the editor, subscribed for generations, and hungered for important news as it was packaged in those days--on paper. Sure, they listened to H.P. Kaltenborn, but they still read all about it. Just a year later, when I was a month old, the Japanese struck Pearl Harbor, leaving our generation to question why anyone in 1940 used a rising sun motif for their outdoor advertising! Nowadays, our industry is on the ropes, but I'm glad to see that the Brockton Enterprise is still going strong, right where it started. For how long, though? Reading is becoming a lost art, alas. Re: As a newspaper editorRe: As a newspaper editor, this photo is That's saying this photo is a newspaper editor. I thought it was reporters who fell into the trap of the dangling modifier, and the editors were the ones who pulled them out! Oops, ya got me!Anonymous Tipster is so right. Those dangling modifiers are pernicious. What is missing are the words "I find" from my original draft, inserted just after "editor," and just before "this." Good catch! I know who caused the earthquake!My dad, who would have been 14 at the time of this picture, grew up in Manchester, NH, and told me this story several times: One day he and his younger brother were in their upstairs bedroom doing nothing in particular while their mother was in the kitchen. Suddenly the dishes rattled and the cupboard doors shook. Mom marched to the foot of the stairs and shouted, "YOU BOYS CUT THAT OUT!" They looked at each other, then replied, "We weren't doing anything." (They were fond of fighting and wrestling, so Mom had every reason to blame them.) "You rattled the dishes down here!" "It wasn't us, honest. It must have been an earthquake," they countered. Well, that was ridiculous because earthquakes just don't happen in New England. However, when the next day's paper reported an earthquake, they all had a good laugh, and Mom was reassured that her boys weren't lying. The EnterpriseThe Enterprise is no longer at 60 Main Street in downtown Brockton. Delano's photo shows where the old Enterprise offices were, where the city of Brockton water/sewer offices currently reside, I believe. 60 Main is to the right, on the other corner. The building has been sold to a developer and the presses were dismantled and removed in 2008. In October 2008, part of the newsroom operation moved to a nondescript office on the city limits. Flying SantaThe "flying Santa Claus" referred to was Edward Rowe Snow, a local historian who every year, with the help of the Coast Guard, delivered Christmas packages to lighthouse keepers and their families. You can find more about him here. Grandfather Uto's barbershopThis was not a Japanese barbershop. My grandfather Anthony Uto came to this country from Italy in 1899 and opened his shop under the Enterprise building in the early 1900s. Until his retirement in the late 1960s, that was his shop. (The Gallery, Brockton, Jack Delano)
Queens of the Radio: 1925
... Kent closed the plants and shut down the company when his workers tried to unionize in 1936 (and after a decline in sales of high-end ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/30/2012 - 10:05pm -

"Radio set assembling room, 1925." Another view of the Atwater Kent factory in Philadelphia. View full size. National Photo Company Collection glass negative. Just like my house.So, why are all the women busy while almost all of the men are doing nothing but standing around and watching? Working Girls. But Not the Guys.I'm a dude myself and couldn't help notice. Geez, gents - at least look busy! Fifth in lineThere is at least one busy guy working the assembly line. Fifth person on the right. And I love the look the girl is giving the camera (fourth in line on the left). Talk RadioSimple. The men are done already with what they need to do and are waiting for the women to catch up. Maybe if they would stop talking so much they could get done too. Radio GirlsLooks like one of the ladies in the foreground knows the photographer. We've come a long way...Did anyone notice there's not a fat person in the picture. I bet the percentage of fat Americans was considerably smaller back then. SpookySpooky if you think that every one of those people is now dead.... Smirking galThat gal is a go-getter. They called her 'ol two at a time Tula Everyone Look BusyAlmost everyone held still for the picture, the girls just did a better job of looking busy. The actual busy folks are the men in the far back who did not bother to stop and left a blur of motion as a testament. Arthur Atwater KentWhat a great photo. Awater Kent closed the plants and shut down the company when his workers tried to unionize in 1936 (and after a decline in sales of high-end radios). He quit the business, moved to California and lived out his days. Fascinating story and interesting radios. I think this (1925) photo was just around the time they switched from making 'breadboard' radios, where everything was laid out on a board and operated by batteries (yup, 90v batteries). After about 1925, they discovered that homemakers often didn't want to dust tubes and open bits of radios, and he started building enclosed cabinets. I think the company that made the cabinets is still in business making furniture. Mike Y Dallas, Texas [He also made millions off his patents for automobile ignitions, which is how he got his start. - Dave] Atwater KentI wish I'd had this photo when I was a radio-electronics-obsessed little girl in the 1950's and my 1920's-educated dad kept telling me that radio assembly was a boy's hobby. Penny Spooky 2I have this same though about many of the photos on Shorpy. What would these people think if you could have told them that thousands of people would be looking at their face on something called a "computer" over 80 years in the future. In this case, it is somewhat possible (although very unlikely) that one or two of these people are still around. Flapper BobsI love how so many of the girls have the flapper style haircut, now most often associated with Louise Brooks. It's funny how the changing styles of coiffure always date a photo, much as the cars do when they are visible. This one screams "mid-1920s." (But that fourth girl on the left did have something special going on.) I was looking at a 1978 High School yearbook yesterday and every girl had the same Farrah Fawcett 'do. Atwater KentMy family had an Atwater Kent. I was told it was one of the first radios in the state. The model we had was made in 1921 though. You could have killed somebody with the metal horn speaker it had. Atwater KentI really like Atwater Kent radios. Have repaired quite a few since 1990. A good hobby. Atwater Kent 20CThese are Model 20C compact radios. Assembled faceplates are on the shelf behind them. The set used the two individual sockets plus the 3 socket island and a large round rheostat. They are attaching components to the metal faceplates with brass bolts. After this, someone would solder the wiring on. Fourth GirlThat fourth girl on the left is hot! Yeah, if she's still alive she'd be over 100. And, at my age, when this picture was taken, I'm old enough to be her father... But, jeez louise, she's hot. I wonder if she was the photographer's girlfriend. That's certainly a familiar look on her face. What a babe! (Technology, The Gallery, Factories, Natl Photo, Philadelphia)
Checking Out: 1942
... 1942. "Wilson Dam, Alabama (Tennessee Valley Authority). Workers checking out at end of shift at a chemical engineering plant." Acetate ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 04/26/2023 - 3:28pm -

June 1942. "Wilson Dam, Alabama (Tennessee Valley Authority). Workers checking out at end of shift at a chemical engineering plant." Acetate negative by Arthur Rothstein. View full size. (The Gallery, Arthur Rothstein, Factories)
Maryland Packers: 1909
July 1909. "Some of the workers in a Maryland packing company." Photograph by Lewis Wickes Hine. View ... Baltimore Biloxi Connection.. Before the migrant crop workers, there were European immigrants who followed work all along the Eastern ... Bay where the schooners docked to unload their catches. Workers lived near the factor. Some were fortunate to find low cost housing in ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 04/16/2009 - 10:40pm -

July 1909. "Some of the workers in a Maryland packing company." Photograph by Lewis Wickes Hine. View full size. Second grade class photoThis would be appropriate for an elementary school class picture. Hardly anyone seems to be older than nine. I am glad that things have changed for the better. There's a ringer in the photoAw, c'mon. You can't tell me the baby in brother's arms on the left does any work at this factory. Day careYes, many of these children are very young but Mama had two choices since she needed to work: bring them with her or leave them home alone. I am neither condoning nor accusing but facing the reality of the times. Thank God for child laborThank God for child labor laws. It's ridiculous when the sweet-faced girl with her hair up on the right looks like everyone's mom or teacher, and she's probably only twelve or thirteen... Future planningInteresting how most of the girls' dresses either have tucks or large hems to allow for growth. Also interesting is that the baby has shoes, even though (s)he may not be walking yet, while most of the children in front do not. Guess they were left over from older sibs and might as well be used. What did they use the baby forA doorstop? A paperweight? Thank God for child labor laws. No child should have the eyes of an old, disillusioned adult!! What were they packing?Normally I can look at Hine's photos and see distinct points of view. Life was different back then, and children worked to support their families or themselves. But this photo is haunting because of just how young the subjects are, and how many of them there are. Also probably because I have family in Baltimore, and can imagine a grandparent or grand-aunt or uncle in their midst. A potential personal connection always hits harder. Bean plant revisited?Was this photo was taken on the same day, at the same factory as the Bean Stringers that was posted on April 14? Notice the girl in the striped dress who has shoes, fourth from the right, in the first row. She seems to be the same little girl in the front right of that photo. Same striped dress, only she has an apron over it in this shot. And the little boy holding up the pail, could he be the same kid half hiding behind the post in that photo? What a rascal he must've been. [It could be. The original caption information for this image is missing. - Dave] Science fictionYou couldn't get any kids that age to do any work these days, so I figure that lady in the very back, the one laughing, she must have been the one that carried the whip. The Golf links lie so near the mill...I am reminded of Sarah Norcliffe Cleghorn's short but powerful poem: The golf links lie so near the mill that almost every day, The laboring children can look out and see the men at play. When I taught english literature to grade nine students, this was always my first lesson, after which we would take turns looking out the classroom window and commenting on how the world looked from the inside. (Then I'd make them get to work. The irony was not lost on them.... heh heh) Ansel Adams had the Zone System... I'm working on the points system. First I points it here, and then I points it there... The Baltimore Biloxi Connection..Before the migrant crop workers, there were European immigrants who followed work all along the Eastern seacoast in the early 1900s. Several families from the Seafood factories in Baltimore eventually settled in Biloxi, Mississippi - working for the dozen or so factories in what was then "the seafood capital of America". Most were Slovian - from Yugoslavia and Czechoslovakia - their once strong presence on Biloxi’s Point Cadet is still marked by the names of streets, businesses, and the Slovonian Society Social Club. Seeing this picture reminds me of the stories my mother told, and particularly about my Aunt Beulah working as a child in the factory. The factories lined Biloxi’s Back Bay where the schooners docked to unload their catches. Workers lived near the factor. Some were fortunate to find low cost housing in factory owned “camps” – Dirt floor shacks often housing multiple families – with a community privy out back. Each factory had its own distinctive whistle - blown before the crack of dawn to summon its workers to “come to work”. Beulah was about 9 years old - the oldest of 5 children. Being as her father was (in her words) “…a useless, good for nothing, wife-abusing drunk…” Beulah and her mother worked the factories making just enough to keep the family fed. Beulah worked on the shucking floor. Each worker had a place at a bench – that was actually part of a shelf along the wall. The room was built on a pier with openings in the floor to let the seafood juices and trash fall into the bay below. In the cold winter months the chilly winds blew up through the cracks in the floor making an already miserable job tortuous. Steel tracks on the floor led to the steaming area. Every so often a huge basket-like trolley rolled into the room brimming with steamed open oysters. The young workers collected them using sacks or their aprons, and carried them to their work bench. Then the long process of prying open the shells, saving the meat in the can, and throwing the shells out of the wide open windows onto the pile outside. When the cups were full - sometime it could take an hour or more, depending on the size of the oysters and how well steamed they were - the worker took their cup to the much despised "checker". The checker - usually an older woman – who job was to make sure the cup was full of oysters as possible and very little liquid. If she felt there was too much liquid, she would press and drain the contents, and hand the cup back to the worker to "finish filling it". The hours were long. The conditions were poor and unsanitary with the oyster juice running down bare arms and legs. But it paid - FIVE CENTS A CUP !! So when I see pictures like this one, I can't help but wonder: "Why are some of these children smiling?" People say we're going through hard times today. But pictures like this one tell a story of much darker and harder times. We have much to be thankful for. Relativity>> I can't help but wonder: "Why are some of these children smiling? Maybe they're smiling because they have jobs and will eat supper tonight! It is through the prism of modern day society that we are appalled by the notion of child workers; but over the long history of man this has been normal. The way that we raise our children now is abnormal when compared against the history of mankind. (I'm not suggesting it was better back then ... just that this was normal.) America was, for much of the 18th and 19th centuries, an agrarian nation - and our workforce consisted of the children our women bore. They were put to work as soon as they could lift a grain bucket to feed the chickens. What's striking to me about the photo is how healthy these children look compared to the obesity so common in our children today. (The Gallery, Kids, Lewis Hine)
Traffic Ahead: 1901
... whose carbons need periodic adjustment. The trolley workers can climb on top of one of their cars to get to their wires in the ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 01/29/2023 - 3:35pm -

Detroit circa 1901. "Woodward Avenue and Farnsworth Street." The future Motor City on the cusp of the Motor Century. 8x10 inch glass negative. View full size. Re: Pole ClimbingThe town here in Texas where I grew up still had the metal climbing steps on poles in the late 70s, but by then the bottom steps had been raised about 7 or 8 feet off the sidewalk, probably to keep adventurous kids from climbing the poles. I always wondered what the world looked like from the top of a pole. Detroit Institute of Artsand the main library, across the street. The only two things on Woodward Avenue that don't make me think I was born 75 years too late. bjzielinski's Street View is in front of the Maccabees Building, original (radio) home of The Lone Ranger. Actually, Cater-Corner From the LibraryThis view is looking southeast at the corner of Woodward and Farnsworth. Farnsworth does not extend west of Woodward (the street to the west of Woodward is named Putnam). The future (and current) site of Main Library is thus out of view to the far right of the picture. Similarly, the site of the Detroit Institute of Arts, to the northeast of this corner, is out of view to the far left. The location shown is now the site of the Horace Rackham Education Memorial Building (opened in 1941), which was originally built for the Engineering Society of Detroit, but is now owned by the University of Michigan and largely leased to Wayne State University. Previously on ShorpyLooking up Farnsworth in this Kodachrome from 1942. One of the photos that helped get me addicted to Shorpy way back when. Interesting poles for sureThree quick Shorpy questions: 1. The street lamp almost in the middle of the photo appears to have a pulley and rope, extending down the pole to the street. Is this light now electrified, where its predecessor perhaps was oil-fired, requiring raising and lowering the lamp twice daily for lighting and extinguishing, plus re-filling the oil? 2. The other poles which seem to be handling electricity, also basically in the center of the photo, appear to be metal. since they're honey-combed in the middle. I would have thought wood was the preferred pole material. Were these man-made (and fairly stylish) back in 1901? 3. Finally, I hope someone shows us that intersection today. Bet it looks incredibly different now. About those polesPower poles could be and WERE made from a number of different materials, although wood was the preferred medium. In western New York, many power poles and street lamp poles from this time period were made from reinforced concrete, which wasn't surprising because the County Engineer "happened" to own a batching plant. But like them or not, they were still usable until the late 1950s and early 60s. The metal poles that replaced them only lasted and twenty to twenty-five years. Pole ClimbingSome telephone poles still had the climbing steps in them when I grew up on the 50s. Since then they've discovered climbing spurs. LibraryIt looks like this photo is looking north along Woodward. If so, then the main branch of the Detroit Public Library was built in the open area to the right of the second house. Designed by Cass Gilbert, the library was started with a $750,000 gift by Andrew Carnegie. He offered the money in 1901, but the city didn't get around to accepting until 1910. Some things don't change. Eventually, the houses were replaced by the front lawn of the library, probably when it expanded in the '60s. Current viewView Larger Map PolesMark, those are arc lights, which were high maintenance compared to later incandescent and todays bulbs. Note the transformer on the pole just below the attachment of the bracket arm, the wires dropping down to it from the crossarm, and the low voltage wires hanging in a catenary shaped arc to the lamp fixture. Arc lights were much brighter and lower maintenance than oil lights. The carbon rods had to be replaced regularly, but nowhere near the daily schedule required of oil or gas lamps. Two methods were common for the way to lower the lamps. Often, the metal arm which reached out over the center of the street or intersection would be pivoted to the pole, and the winch would lower the whole arm through an arc to a level where the worker could perform his duties. In this picture, lowering the metal cantilever could interfere with the trolley wires, so the arm was mounted rigidly and the lamp was lowered straight down to service it. The metal poles in the background were for the trolley line. Wooden poles were used in the early days, round metal pipe poles with a bell shaped cap were very common, and metal lattice as seen in this picture were used to a lesser extent. Those poles and the pulleyThe metal poles are for the trolley car company's wires. More prosperous lines used metal because it lasted almost forever. Philadelphia still uses some that were erected at the start of electric service in the mid 1890s, although they have received new paint, and some have rusted to death from the inside. The light on a rope might be an arc light, whose carbons need periodic adjustment. The trolley workers can climb on top of one of their cars to get to their wires in the middle of the street, while the electric company's men climb poles, in this case to disconnect wires so the light can be brought within reach of an adjuster on the ground. That locationThat location would be Woodward Avenue and Farnsworth Street. [Incorrect. - Dave] (The Gallery, Detroit Photos, DPC, Streetcars)
Take a Letter: 1911
... don't see it. [The was the factory office where the workers tromped in for their paychecks. Mopping happens after these folks go ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 03/28/2022 - 4:27pm -

May 22, 1911. "Buhl Stamping Co., Detroit, Mich. Office from inside." Last seen here, from across the counter. Office-Boy, finally off the phone, is now on the filing cabinet, while Miss Shorthand has changed desks to take some dictation. 8x10 inch glass negative. View full size. Married to EileenJudging from his posture in these photos, I'd guess the Office Boy is named McLean. What this place really needs... is an Office Christmas Party. What in tarnation?Is that contraption on the pillar? [Fire alarm. - Dave] Housekeeping in the teensI am always amazed at how filthy the floors are in these old pictures. How hard is it to run a mop over it? 10 minutes a day right before closing wouldn't cost anything. The rest of the place is pretty tidy, it's like they just don't see it. [The was the factory office where the workers tromped in for their paychecks. Mopping happens after these folks go home for the night. And: That might not even be dirt, but where the finish has worn off the floorboards. - Dave] Electric meter IDVisible through the doorway, high on the brick wall, appears to be a Fort Wayne Type K, with the top terminal block option. The anchorSliver of the lit floor coming through the door is the key to the composition. (The Gallery, Detroit Photos, DPC, The Office)
Nacelle Belles: 1942
October 1942. "Two assembly line workers at the Long Beach, California, plant of Douglas Aircraft Company enjoy ... I know that the majority of these women were actual workers, but how many were just models that they brought in for these photo ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/17/2012 - 10:28pm -

October 1942. "Two assembly line workers at the Long Beach, California, plant of Douglas Aircraft Company enjoy a well-earned lunch period. Nacelle parts of a heavy bomber form the background." 4x5 Kodachrome transparency by Alfred Palmer for the Office of War Information. View full size. Love the 40's Working WomenThese women are amazing - maintaining their glamour while working and supporting the war effort. Really fantastic. Thanks for this Shorpy - I dress 40's style and these pictures are a tremendous resource in color! Not that far from AnaheimThe brooch that woman is wearing makes her look like an usherette at Disney's Enchanted Tiki room. In ShorpylandIn Shorpyland, everyone is fit and attractive. I WANT TO LIVE THERE! Out of Time?No matter how many times I look at these Kodachrome photographs I never get tired of them, I always find myself transported back in time to the 1940s, just seeing how colourful the young girls dress up even for just going to work in an aircraft factory is a stark contrast to the black and white movies of the day. I've always had a feeling for the US during this period even today I love watching "On the Town" (sad I know) with Gene Kelly just to see some of the colour footage of New York in the 40s. No. 531is oh so cute. Sigh. Palmer PicksIn addition to being an excellent photographer, Alfred Palmer sure knew how to pick his subjects. Hubba-hubba. DeliciousOoh, look at those lunchboxes!! The one I had growing up was NEVER this cool. Les BellesOnce again the OWI photographers chose attractive women to include in their pictures. I guess they were trying to boost wartime morale and have a little fun themselves. Beats photographing the machinery. Those awful shoesLook at the pitiful shoes they're wearing. My mother was a 23-year-old bookkeeper then, and she remembers the sacrifices that were gladly made for the war effort. She says that because so many materials were scarce, the only shoes she could buy were made from substandard material, and quickly fell apart. Also, silk and nylon were unavailable, so the only stockings she could get were rayon, which were horrible. Beautiful girls, walk a little slower.......when you walk by me,..." I can hear Tony Bennett now with that appropriate song for this alluring photo. The one sitting down has a pencil tucked behind her right ear. Years ago anyone having to do paperwork often stored their always-needed pencil behind their ear, don't see that much anymore. Last but not least, my father who was born in 1909 enjoyed wearing red socks which made him a little different and quirky, even in the olden days. He was a fun guy (not the mushroom kind), very intelligent and sociable. This picture really captures a day on the homefront in WW2. How staged were these?I know that the majority of these women were actual workers, but how many were just models that they brought in for these photo shoots? [These photos are not "staged," they're posed. Using actual employees. - Dave] Who could forget those red socks?We've seen the lady on the right previously: https://www.shorpy.com/node/2592 Maybe she started the fashion? https://www.shorpy.com/node/2595 EchoI echo Joe on this one.I might add as a nurse I see fewer and fewer of these fine people. Nacelle Belles: 1942As a man who grew up in the 1940s and 1950s, there is an almost overwhelming nostalgia that I feel when I look at these idealized photos of young women from that period. No doubt, many men my age might be longing for the days when women were much more unequal, usually stayed at home, and slaved over the stove to cook memorable meals for their families. But I don't think that is what attracts me to these photos of women who are fashionable, yet ordinary, not glamorous. These women remind me of my mother. Most people who grew up in this era have lost their parents by now, and the missing of one's mother never ends. My mother and father were both modest people, especially my mother, and I don't think modesty is as common now, nor is it as valued - not by a long shot. The magic of KodachromeThe vibrant colours, the tone, texture and the almost 3D quality which Palmer achieves in this photograph are truly stunning. There is a piece of software in existence which digital photographers use to try to replicate the Kodachrome effect; all it does is increase the saturation, it cannot come close to the magic of the real thing. (The Gallery, Kodachromes, Alfred Palmer, Pretty Girls, WW2)
Bananas to Baltimore: 1905
... the work! The B.B.B.W.U. (Baltimore Brotherhood of Banana Workers Union) will hear about this! All star cast Is that Corey Feldman ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/08/2014 - 1:03pm -

Baltimore, Maryland, circa 1905. "Unloading banana steamer." A teeming scene that calls to mind the paintings of Brueghel, if Brueghel ever did bananas. Note the damage from the Great Fire of 1904. 8x10 glass negative. View full size. Big MikeThese bananas are the variety known as Gros Michel or "Big Mike." They were a larger, heartier, tastier banana than the Cavendish variety that everyone eats today, and hardly any special shipping methods were needed. Just stack them and go. Unfortunately, since cultivated bananas are genetically identical to one another, by the 1950s essentially all Gros Michel bananas were wiped out by one Panamanian fungal disease. The Cavendish was a suitable replacement as it could grow in the same soils as the Gros Michel, but it requires more delicate handling during shipping. The Cavendish itself is steadily being wiped out by a similar fungus and we may need to look for another replacement in the not too distant future. Spiders, Oh My!Mackenzie, your family history is probably not far off. I had an ex who discovered a scary-looking spider in a shipment of bananas in the middle of Nebraska of all places about ten years ago. He thought it was dead and went to poke it, and to his surprise, it was alive! Fortunately for him, he was not bitten. I would imagine the threat of spiders and other creepy crawlies would be even greater before shipments passed through inspection. I don't blame your ancestors for being a little scared one bit! Always have a spare.I like the extra anchor lashed to the railing on the lower left of the frame.I wonder how much it weighs. NabiscoThe original NBC, the National Biscuit Company, makers of Uneeda Biscuits and more importantly, Mallomars. Hey, Mister Tally ManSomeone tell the two gents with ledgers (looks like) in the small screened shed to knock one banana off the day's tally, thanks to the one guy in the bunch eating the inventory, in the foreground looking at the camera. The William Heyser seen on one building was an oyster distributor still in business in 1929, as noted by an ad in my desktop copy of a 1929 Baltimore business publication marking the city's 200th anniversary: Heyser’s Oysters Baltimore’s Leading Brand The William Heyser Co. Raw Oysters 2201-09 Boston St, Baltimore, Md. This reminds me of a road projectThree or four guys doing the heavy lifting while a hundred guys watch. NabiscoFirst known as the National Biscuit Company, makers of fine hardtack biscuits. Bananas from a boatBy the time they shipped them to Baltimore, they must have been all brown and slimy. I think the evidence supports this. [As opposed to the way bananas get to America now? - Dave] Do they still ship them all the way to Baltimore? Is that a Banana in your handOr are you just... Oh, never mind, it IS a Banana. Quality ControlNice to see the gent here on the left foreground tasting the produce to make sure that indeed it is a banana. Don't dally you men, the talleys are correct and Harry Ketler's Express boys are in a hurry. re: BrueghelDave, I'm impressed! Your comparison to Brueghel is dead on. May I suggest a novel to you: Headlong, by Michael Frayn. http://www.themanbookerprize.com/prize/books/80 300 accidents waiting to happenI am speaking of all those bananas and peels on the deck. A slapstick comedian's dream. Looking SouthwestThis view is looking Southwest from a pier located on Pratt Street. My guess is that it is Pier 3 which is now the location of Baltimore's Aquarium. United Fruit Company (Chiquita Brand) would later build a large Banana handling plant on the Light St. side of the harbor. On a side note, Baltimore rebuilt itself after the fire. The mayor politely but firmly declining all offers of outside help. How they get here nowThey still arrive on boats, of course, but in a carefully controlled inert atmosphere (usually nitrogen-rich, always oxygen-poor). Banana ships today are among the more specialized transport vessels. [Plain old air could be considered "nitrogen rich and oxygen poor." - Dave] Well, there is a pretty faint difference between rich and poor, as regards oxygen. The troposphere is about 21% oxygen, on average. Meanwhile, OSHA defines air below 19.5% as oxygen-deficient. It's a razor edge that we breathe on, and seldom even think about. But we are talking a sledgehammer beyond that razor. The high parameter for oxygen in modern banana transport is about 4%. If you do not follow the proper ventilation protocol, you will literally suffocate seconds after entering the hold. And look at the guy... eating a banana while the other guys do all the work! The B.B.B.W.U. (Baltimore Brotherhood of Banana Workers Union) will hear about this! All star castIs that Corey Feldman and Eddie Murphy in the wagon?! Daylight comeand me wanna go home. WatchersI think the guys "watching" are buyers. Satisfaction GuaranteedBy our Quality Control Department and On-Site QC Manager! Testing the ShipmentMan in foreground: "Gotta make sure they're really ready to eat." Banana MythA good chunk of my genealogy includes generations of Eastern Shore watermen and Baltimore stevedores. The fear among all banana handlers was that tarantulas would be hiding in the bunches. I have no idea how real or factual this fear was, but it's still talked about at family reunions. Did anyone else think of this?They guy looking at the camera, snacking on a banana, lower left. 1 Timothy 5:18 For the scripture saith, "Thou shalt not muzzle the ox that treadeth out the corn." and "The laborer is worthy of his wages." Sampling the merchandiseGuy in the bottom left. You can always tell the accountants -- starched white shirts and ties by the gangplank, best dressed by far, and looking very pleased with themselves! James Bond?I had no idea that Pierce Brosnan (Lower Center) liked Bananas so much?! Banana "Myth"My brother-in-law, who was produce manager for many years in one of Canada's largest grocery chains, was often confronted with six- and eight-legged critters that accompanied fruit boxes, including many tropical spiders and roaches. Banana boxes produced some of the largest and scariest spiders because of the nooks and crannies that they can hide in. Many were deceased but some were not. One piece of advice from his long years of experience is NEVER, ever, EVER bring home vegetable boxes for moving or storage. You DO NOT want infestations of 4-inch flying roaches. Now & ThenI didn't know where to post this, so here it is: A neat page I found- taking old photographs from the Smithsonian's collection, and holding them so they fit into place for a current photograph. http://jasonepowell.com/ And he gives Shorpy credit for discovery of some of the photos! The BasinA back-to-front review: National Biscuit building in the distance lasted into the '70's as a rowdy saloon known as Elmer's. The ancient peak-roofed structures facing us, fronted on Light St., a major north south street. The two Bay steamers were laying over for their nearby terminals, which lined along Light Street. The mostly new-looking structures on the right, faced Pratt Street. The city has a strange, open quality about it, a result of the recent Baltimore Fire of 1904, which gutted the business district east of Light St. down to the waterfront. The brick foundation closest to the banana boat is likely remains of that conflagration. A famous Baltimore photographer, A. Aubery Bodine, took photos of banana boats being unloaded in the 1950's in nearly the same location as this, with no difference between them. A Baltimore and Ohio RR "Fruit Pier" was established in south Baltimore in the 50's, which largely replaced the practice shown here. The area in this photo was known to generations of Baltimoreans as the Basin; today it's the yuppified, allegedly upscale Inner Harbor. I can't even imagineHow that place could smell. HumorI would love to be in on the joke they're sharing. Bolgiano's Seed Store[stanton_square's contributions to Shorpy tend to be of the Joe Friday type: "All we want are the facts." On occasion this blogger stumbles across documents which have both 1) historically relevant facts and 2) overt racism or sexism. In such cases it is sometimes difficult to decide what is worth transcribing. The following 1903 Washington Post article contains such a passage. While I decided to transcribe this passage, I feel obligated to point out the back-handed anti-immigrant racism contained in the first paragraph. The second article, from the American Poultry Advocate, relates the disastrous business impact of the Baltimore fire of 1904 and contains an odd usage of the word 'wonderfully.'] J. Bolgiano & Son, founded 1818. Bolgiano's Seed Store was located at the corner of Pratt and Light. Several heirloom tomato varieties grown today are descended from Bolgiano stock including: Greater Baltimore, John Baer, and IXL Extremely Early. Washington Post, May 17 1903 English names are not the only ones that have been handed down from Revolutionary times, and often a name that seems to indicate foreign blood represents an old American family. This is illustrated in the firm name of F.W. Bolgiano & Co., of this city, an offspring of a firm of like name established in 1818 in Baltimore. It is Italian in origin, but no longer represents Italian stock more than English. The name is known throughout the country to purchasers of seeds, which the firm grows and sells in many parts of the United State and imports from Europe. … The firm grows seeds largely in Frederick County, Maryland, and supplies some of the largest seeds houses with certain varieties of seed. The firm now has business connections in more than a dozen States, and customers in nearly every State in the Union and Canada. American Poultry Advocate, 1904 It is more than probable that every reader of this paper has heard of the wonderfully disastrous fire which so recently burned the heart out of the city of Baltimore. Unless you just happened to know some one who was living or doing business in Baltimore, it is likely that you gave the fire hardly more than a passing thought. But what do you think it means to the people of Baltimore? What do you thing it means for instance, to J. Bolgiano & Sons, the seedsmen who have for eighty-seven years been doing business In the fated city? In all that long period they have never before suffered from fire. Indeed, they felt perfectly safe this time, for when the fire first started it was more than ten city squares away from them. Later, and when they thought they were endangered — though the fire was still six squares from them — they employed two hundred hands and fifty drays and began the removal of their large retail seed stock to one of their warehouses a long distance from the fire, and where they felt everything would be safe. It transpired, however, that by a shifting of the winds the fire ate relentlessly away until both retail stores, offices, packing rooms and warehouses were destroyed. Bolgianos made a brave fight to save the orders and seeds for their thousands of customers, but fate was against them. The orders already booked and the lists of names of multiplied thousands of customers all over the world were lost in the twinkle of an eye. With absolutely nothing to work with, nothing to aid them except their fair name and excellent reputation, the Bolgianos have set to work with firm hands and brave hearts to rebuild their business. They have already laid in a large stock of the very best farm and garden seeds, notwithstanding the short seed crop of the past season, and will be able to fill orders as usual. Since all their advance orders and names of customers are burned, they have very little to begin on. Will those of our readers who ordered from Bolgiano & Sons write a postal card at once, simply giving your name and postofflce address? Do this whether you are an old or new customer of theirs. Send them your name anyhow, so that they may send you their catalogue another season. Simply address the card to J. Bolgiano & Sons, Baltimore, Md. Market Growers Journal, 1915, Advertisement. Originator's stock — the world-famous Tomato "John Baer." The earliest and best Tomato on earth." Bolgiano's "Long Lost" Lettuce. Excels All Others: On the market, as a Shipper, as a Keeper, in Quality, in Sweetness, in Flavor, in Color, in Profits, in Reliability, in Hardiness. The Town, Women's Civic League, 1916, Advertisement. A rich deep velvety green lawn is assured by planting Bolgiano's Druid Hill Park Velvet Green Lawn Grass Seed Canning Age, Vol 1. 1920. Glory Tomato, yielding better than 20 tons per acre. Pittsburgh Pickle, raised by expert grower. Bolgiano Tomato. Washington Post, Oct 29, 1920. J. Bolgiano & Son Fail. Seed Firm Assents to Bankruptcy and Appointment of Receiver. J. Bolgiano & Son, wholesale and retail seed growers and distributers, today assented to proceedings in the United Sates court adjudging the firm bankrupt and placing it in the hands of receivers. The seed house was established more than 100 years ago by the great-grandfather of Charles J. Bolgiano, present head of the firm, and is engaged in marketing the seed products of more than 10,000 acres of land in Canada, as well as seeds from ten states of the American Union, Holland, France, England, the Canary Islands and other foreign countries. "Hawaii" and bananasI recall reading James Michener's "Hawaii", when the pregnant Jerusha Hale (played by Julie Andrews, in the film version) is aboard ship for the gruelling journey to Hawaii. In order to keep her strength up, she is forced to eat bananas which, by this time in the journey are nearly liquid in their black, greasy skins. She's so disgusted with them that she finally throws them overboard. When she arrives in Hawaii, she is offered bananas and doesn't realize that the yellow fruit is the same thing... Dock SmellIn response to Darnuad's comment: my childhood memories of the harbor involve the enveloping odor of SPICES. McCormick's was there, and it was the best-smelling place I've ever been. Anti-immigrant racismAs one whose name is reminiscent of English blood, I don't find the mere mention of my name as offensive, nor would I think Mr Bolgiano found anything backhanded or racist in his story. He was probably thrilled to get the free publicity. Ship NameDoes anyone know the name of this ship? Thanks james@thebeckhams.us (The Gallery, Baltimore, Boats & Bridges, DPC)
General Electric: 1949
... Not many ragtops. Red-baiting Assuming these are workers' cars, I'm guessing many of the owners were members of the United Electrical, Radio and Machine Workers of America (UE). The Schenectady local represented about 20,000 GE ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/06/2013 - 7:30am -

August 4, 1949. "General Electric turbine plant, Schenectady, New York." Calling all car-spotters! Large-format negative by Gottscho-Schleisner. View full size. Overhead ViewAn aerial movie of the Schenectady GE plant (along with WGY TV's broadcast towers) apparently shot in 1940 can be seen on YouTube. Not sure what the connection between the two was, who shot the movie or why it was made, but it provides a great view of the scale of the facility. In color and without sound. Honey, when are we going to get a new car?Couple of thoughts, Imagine what it was like to come out of work to your old 30's style car that all the paint had faded off, probably leaked oil all over the driveway, then drive home to the nagging wife, what a life! I was 3 at the time of this photo. When I was about 8, My family (3 boys 1 girl) drove from Illinois to Philmont Boy Scout ranch in New Mexico in a Chevy like the 49 in Gazzles comment, I can clearly remember laying on the back window shelf for much of the trip. Who needed seat belts. Didn't the Crosley get about 50 mpg? (Haven't come far have we) What are these?Can anyone tell me what these cute little things are? [The Crosleys mentioned in previous comments. -tterrace] Kaiser-Frazer DealershipMy grand-father, James Page, second from right, with a friend and some kids at his Kaiser-Frazer (with a "Z") dealership in Callahan, Florida in the late 1940s or early 1950s. He also owned the Pure Oil distributorship in Nassau County and was involved to some degree with the Tucker automobiles. I recall my dad telling me all the technical innovations of the Tucker, and I sensed that the enthusiasm some had for the cars lasted a long time! [Your attachment wasn't attached. -tterrace] Parking HabitsIn crowded lots with lots of foot traffic, pulling out is much safer then backing out into the travel lanes. Amazing the number of folks that just 'pop up' after you've made quite sure no one was there. Small wonderThe cars that look like they need wind-up keys are Crosleys. Amazing to see two of them in this parking lot, given how few were manufactured. All-American parking lotWe're still a couple of years away from the engineers buying those weird little foreign jobs to commute with. The shapes of things to comeI find it interesting that the '49 Studebaker, '49 Ford, and '48 or '49 Hudson Commodore are all parked close together in the same row. They really stand out, styling-wise, in comparison. Not-so-big ThreeBesides the two oddball Crosleys already mentioned, there is representation from other non-Big Three companies, including Hudson, Kaiser, and Studebaker. Close to half the cars are pre-war (and many of them are real beaters). With nearly four years of non-production during WWII, plus a booming economy with millions of veterans returning to the workforce, Detroit couldn't build enough cars to keep up with the postwar demand. End of an eraWe're just about at the end of the era of split windshields -- but most of these cars are still using tube radios with vibrators, which were responsible for running down a large number of their 6 volt electrical batteries. Classy looking carParked in the 2nd row from the top and about center the photo looks like a '39 Buick with side mounts, probably a Century. Next to it is a '49 Studebaker Starlight coupe. Something to think aboutAll my life I've wondered why some people always back into a parking space (much more skill needed) so they can get out easily (usually going the wrong way) when it is so much easier to drive in forward and back out when the time comes. Does anyone have an explanation for that human behavior? One year beforeThe unique Tucker '48 was made just one year before this picture was taken, but I don't see any in this lot, perhaps because only 51 of them were ever made. I'm wondering if they are currently all accounted for. Kaiser-FraserWell, I see a 1949 Fraser in the middle. Bet a lot of viewers never heard of the brand. Tried to crop and upload, but the "Upload an image" factor is not working today. [It's "not working" because you're not clicking "attach" after you locate your file. - Dave] Oooops! Player PianoSomewhere in that building, or another nearby, is a young aspiring novelist by the name of Kurt Vonnegut, toiling away at public relations work. Occasionally he ventures over to see the room-sized computer used to calculate optimum turbine blade shapes, which inspire one of his early sci-fi novels. Someday, Billy Pilgrim will be coming unstuck in Ilium, a fictionalized Schenectady. I wonder which car is his? Fourth rowsecond car in from the right has blinds in the rear window, like how cool is that. Car SpottingThere's just too many years, makes and models for me to even try. I did notice a new '49 Chevrolet and one that looks like it was rode hard and put away wet. Special DeluxePretty sure the black car that is two cars to the left of the solid white car on the front row is the 1949 Plymouth Special Deluxe. That was the first family car for us and ours was equipped with rain guards above all four windows. We could run down the highway in the hot summer with windows cracked for more circulation even in a rainstorm. ConnectionI had a relative that worked at this plant for years. This is the first time I have seen a pic of it. Sadly he has passed on a few years ago. But his heirs have done well with their inheritance of his GE stock. Working Man's LotDitto the comment about two Crosleys, very unusual. Very few high buck cars, though I do spot a Lincoln Cosmopolitan and a Packard in the farthest row and a nice Buick convertible in the street at the end of the row. Not many prewar cars though, maybe a third. Looks like most of the folks have stepped up and bought new cars in the last three years. OK, I thought about itand I don't see any cars here that HAD to have backed into their parking spaces. Looks like a whole lot of pullthroughs to me, which is what I do whenever possible, quickest (and possibly safest) way in and out. Tuckers LocatedOTY, Tucker 1 and 13 are in the Swigart Museum in Huntingdon, Pa. It's worth the trip to see them. BTW, Herbie the Love Bug is there also. [And on the West Coast, #37 (or 1037 in the numbering scheme used by Tucker aficionados) can be seen at Francis Ford Coppola Winery in Geyserville, California, where I snapped this a couple weeks ago. It's one Coppola used in his 1988 film "Tucker: The Man and His Dream". -tterrace] Underground structure?If you look past the parking lot, but before the large building, you see a grass strip with vents and a skylight. Is this lot on top of a building? If I'm not mistaken, GE's corporate HQ is underground in Fairfield Conn. Does GE have a thing for being underground? I coulda been a contender. I noticed the Venetian Blinds too! And this photo was a good five years before On The Waterfront was released! Steam tunnels Underground steam pipes require continuous access for maintenance. The tunnels have ventilation hatches at varying intervals, some of which resemble little huts, as seen here. You can see the same thing above ground at the Johnson Space Center. I have a friend who used to work in the tunnels there. You can tell we're in the snow beltNot many ragtops. Red-baitingAssuming these are workers' cars, I'm guessing many of the owners were members of the United Electrical, Radio and Machine Workers of America (UE). The Schenectady local represented about 20,000 GE workers. The same year this photo was taken, the UE withdrew from the CIO as part of the CIO's purge of its left-leaning unions. Senator McCarthy was sent in four years after this photo was taken to "investigate" alleged Communist infiltration of the Schenectady GE facilities. Those two Crosleys must belong to the Soviet saboteurs. About the CrosleyA guy in Sibley, MO has 10 Crosley cars, and 2 Crosley trucks. They got 40 or 50 MPG back when nobody cared about MPG. OTY-At the time Coppola made the Tucker movie, 47 of them were still road worthy. tterrace-Nice shot of the Tucker. I didn't know Coppola still owned one. Back in 1991, I saw an ad in Hemmings Motor News where Coppola had a Tucker listed for sale. His asking price? $350,000. Well, time to stare at this picture some more! This is my favorite vehicleI think this is the ONE bike on the whole lot!! lol Born in SchenectadyMy father worked in Building 37 at GE (Schenectady) from '62 until '66. In August '66, when I was two years old, the family drove across the country in a Ford Taunus to Stanford where my father began grad school. I shared this picture with my father and he replied: "Your mother and I drove past Building 37 on first entering Schenectady in 1962 after my Navy days. I saw this old red brick building and announced that 'I would never work in a place like that.' 4 weeks later, or so, I was hired there. As I recall, my starting salary was $8000 per year." I wonderwho the rebel with the motorcycle was? Also interesting that these parking lots have nary a white line to guide the employees in their parking. I guess GM was full of rebels back in the day. Building 273I used to work at GE Schenectady as an mechanical engineering college co-op in the late 1980s. The building shown here is Building 273 where large steam turbines were (and still are) assembled. The angle of the picture minimizes the building's enormous size, roughly 20 acres! It was incredible being inside it... While the very front has some office space and multiple floors, most of the interior is wide open (excepting the huge machines) with high ceilings and big gantry cranes to move massive turbine components. Construction started in 1947, so must have been pretty new when this photo was taken. If you plug "Schenectady, NY" into Google Earth, you can easily find Building 273, which still stands--look for a big black roof. It's surrounded by a lot of green parklike areas. Those are where (almost) all the other GE buildings used to stand but have been demolished over the past 20 years. I'm guessing Building 273 remains and turbine operations continue there probably because the cost to build a new one somewhere else would be prohibitive. When I worked at GE 25 years ago, it looked just like this--only the cars in the parking lot were newer. In Google Earth today, it looks like they may have reworked the front facade since I was there. AACA MuseumIn Hersey, PA will be doing a Tucker exhibit in August, I believe. There will be three on display along with other related materials. Fascinating car. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Factories, Gottscho-Schleisner)
The Smiths: 1942
... Alabama. Cousa Court housing project for defense workers in boom area around the DuPont Powder Plant. The Smiths share the ... everyone. A bit of black powder humor "Defense workers in boom area around the DuPont Powder Plant." Boom! Staged but ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/16/2022 - 4:04pm -

May 1942. "Childersburg, Alabama. Cousa Court housing project for defense workers in boom area around the DuPont Powder Plant. The Smiths share the drudgery of housework, for they both have important war jobs." Photo by John Collier, Office of War Information. View full size. A songIf you stay I'll stay right beside you And my love May help to remind you To forget that Work is a four-letter word That's how we did it back in my dayGiven the gas meter is under the sink and the water heater is standing in the corner, I'm a little surprised Cousa Court is still there. Most of it is at the end of the street and turn right. If Mrs. Smith is handing Mr. Smith a rinsed dish to dry, then the sink in front of her contains rinse water, meaning the other sink is washed dishes that are waiting to be rinsed. If I'm correct, why are they doing it the long way? Why doesn't Mrs. Smith wash a dish in her sink and then place it in a rinse water sink in front of Mr. Smith for him to retrieve and dry? I'm sure they've both had a long day and would like to sit down. Meter below the sinkDoubt that is gas meter based on piping size and connections. Has to be for water service. [It's an "iron case" gas meter. - Dave] Nice-looking coupleHope they had a happy life and that their kids didn't come to blows over which football team to support, Auburn or Alabama. Doing it for Uncle SamLike many Americans, the Smith's Smiths are doing their part for the war effort. Both have good paying jobs working at the DuPont Powder Plant in Childersburg, Alabama. Mrs. Smith works nights, which gives Mr. Smith plenty of time to explain water rationing as well as demonstrating how to properly draw blackout curtains to Miss Jones. Mrs. Smith... is quite a dish herself. Please, please, pleaseI hope this charming man knows he has a wonderful woman. DuPont Smokeless Powder PlantsI used to have a high-level boss (he was a company VP) who started work at a DuPont smokeless powder plant about the same time as this picture was taken. He said they were very strict on matches and lighters, inspecting everyone daily upon entering the plant. One time violating the no matches rule got a reprimand, twice got you fired. One day he got called into the office and was told he was being assigned to a special job but they couldn't tell him anything about it. He was initially sent to Oak Ridge, Tennessee for training and then to Hanford, Washington where he was a reactor operator ("pile" operator in the terminology of the day) at the world's first full scale nuclear reactor (again, a "pile" in the day's terminology). 40 odd years later he was the VP for Reactor Operations at Hanford's ninth and last plutonium production reactor. Childersburg powder plantwas where my father worked during WW2. We didn't live right there, but I still have his W-2s from the powder plant. They were handwritten at that time. The amount seems really small by today's standards, but it allowed my Mom to stay home with me at that time. The Smiths washing their car - Who can ID make/model etc.?The Smiths washing their car: https://www.loc.gov/item/2017822600/ Albert Forrest Smith Jr. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/72017266/albert-forrest-smith Janey Fay Smith https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/72017303/janey-fay-smith Refrigerator dishesShe has a few glass refrigerator dishes with lids displayed on the top shelf. Nearly twenty years ago I found a set of four Martha Stewart fridge dishes at K-Mart. A large square one, a loaf-pan size, and two small square ones, all with matching glass lids. They're still like new and I use them constantly. Heavy glass, attractive and functional. A fine, ageless concept. 1941 FordThe car appears to be a 1941 Ford Tudor, similar to the car in the repair shop in the prior story. https://www.shorpy.com/node/26750 Really Good LightingCan I just say, as a photographer, getting that lighting is really difficult. Back then, before fast film and even faster digital, lighting the scene required actual forethought. The shadow hits the left wall, so his face is in full illumination. But she is not eclipsed from lighting from behind. She is in a balanced glow of light. The whole scene is well illuminated. I used a flash frequently for a decade, from the mid 1990s through the mid-2000s, and I always had horrible results, no matter how much I tried to off-set or soften or bounce my flash. And I'm a good photographer. But flash photography nearly made me give it up (or just keep my work outdoors, during daytime). Thank goodness for high-speed digital sensors, allowing ambient and natural light to be captured "as is." I congratulate the photographers of the pre-modern era. So should everyone. A bit of black powder humor"Defense workers in boom area around the DuPont Powder Plant." Boom! Staged but sweetAlthough likely staged, I find this photo quite endearing. Harkens to newlyweds or a couple that honestly "has it together." They look like nice people. [You're confusing "posed" and "staged." - Dave] MemorialThis photo is attached to the Smiths' memorial in Find A Grave. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/72017303/janey-fay-smith (The Gallery, John Collier, Kitchens etc., WW2)
Mother's Little Helper: 1942
... What a difference compared to what the wartime defence workers in other countries reportedly had to put up with. Upgraded housing ... get there. Some even haven't arrived there yet. The former workers' paradise still has some kommunalkas ( ... shifts of production requiring thousands of workers, all of whom required adequate housing. Here in San Diego, large old ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/14/2012 - 5:50am -

January 1942. "Bantam, Connecticut. Defense homes. Little Ann Heath is eager to try out all the facilities of her parents' new four-room defense housing unit, after spending most of her life in a single furnished room. Here she pushes her footstool to the sink in order to help her mother clean up the dinner dishes. Mrs. Heath, a native of Winsted, a city some 25 miles away, is delighted with her new kitchen -- the first she's ever had which she actually considers as a kitchen, and is trying out all the recipes she has collected in five years of married life. The Heaths pay $30 monthly for their apartment." Medium format nitrate negative by Howard Hollem for the Office of War Information. View full size. Yeah,I want that kitchen too. It's A MysteryIt's one month after the attack on Pearl Harbor and the "Office of War Information" is taking photos of a private apartment? I wasn't born yet so maybe someone a bit older can explain. All the AmenitiesBy the end of the 1930s, Americans may have enjoyed the highest standard of living in the world, as was often claimed, but it's easy to forget how low that bar was set. It looks to me like Mrs. Heath's wonderful new kitchen includes a new wood- or coal-burning kitchen range and stove and a built-in ice box, the kind with an exterior access door on the side of the house, so the ice man could add more ice without tracking mud onto the linoleum. Try To RememberCan that last base cabinet on the right, withe the 2 snap latches, be an Ice Box? What a differenceWhat a difference compared to what the wartime defence workers in other countries reportedly had to put up with. Upgraded housing was definitely out of the question and unheard of elsewhere in the world, even in places that did not suffer from air raids. And the the jump from a single room to a complete four room apartment, with kitchen, hot and cold running water, and, I should be quite bold enough to guess, its own bathroom and toilet. And the heating would not be based on individual wood and coal stoves, either. Other places in the world took 20 more years to get there. Some even haven't arrived there yet. The former workers' paradise still has some kommunalkas (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kommunalka) going 70 years later. Memories of my childhoodWhere do I start here? The high heels worn with socks was very common as nylons were not available. House dresses and aprons were every mother's uniform. The E-Bay paradise of supplies on the shelves are all familiar, the tin canister sets, breadbox,matching cake keeper, 1940's pyrex ware, the old clock, painted glass apple with lid (we had the identical one), lidded refrigerator storage dishes, the large motor-driven mixing bowl on stand and the vintage patterned china, just about every item in this picture were props in our kitchen. It really does something for a soul to be able to step back in time and go back seventy years to their infancy. I feel lucky to still be here and thank Shorpy for their mental refreshment. This is my favorite spot on the interweb. Likely Mystery ExplanationFrom the very beginning of WW2, all Americans were expected to assist our nation facilitate the production of goods and services necessary for winning the war. Aircraft, shipbuilding and munitions factories were pushed into round-the-clock shifts of production requiring thousands of workers, all of whom required adequate housing. Here in San Diego, large old homes in neighborhoods including North Park, Hillcrest and Golden Hill were subdivided into multiple units for the huge influx of this new military and war production labor force. Local housing projects (for example the community of Linda Vista) rapidly appeared where only indigenous wildlife had lived months before. Affordable housing units were a timely necessity, and often newly constructed ones even as basic as Mrs. Heath's were a genuine improvement over those many had occupied shortly before. Something in the Oven?Seeing the temperature gauge on the stove almost pegging, I thought something was baking. However, I searched Shorpy and sure enough I found Dad fueling the combo stove/boiler ("Coaling the Stove: 1942"). Since it's January in Connecticut, the heat must be on. Worker housingIt's from a series of pictures depicting home/work life of employees at the Warren McArthur plant. They made bomber seats, among other things. Library of Congress site has more. AlarmingIs the size of the alarm clock over the sink. Dime-Store DemographicI'll second everything OTY has written about this 1942 kitchen. The apple-shaped container was made by my favorite glassware company, Hazel-Atlas, and I often stared at one like it in my grandmother's shadowbox in the 1950's. These glass apples didn't fall far from the tree, and can be readily found in antique malls now. Note that the large tumblers just to the right of the Heaths' clock are decorated with Mickey Mouse images, which would make them very collectible today. Fitzgerald Magic Maid The mixer appears to be a Fitzgerald Magic Maid from the 1920s or '30s. Probably a lovely Jadite Green color with bowls to match, a popular color in that era, as well as now among collectors. Cupboard Today we just call these shelves but it is infact where the term cupboard came from and it was two words "Cup and board" meaning a simple board on a wall for the purpose of placing cups or other dishes on. People today often refer to cabinets as cupboards but they are in fact not cupboards at all. I want the kitchen, and the shoesMrs. Heath's kitchen gear is highly desirable right now, but, sadly, her saddle shoes aren't. And that's a shame, because I love saddle shoes and I'd wear 'em with skirts and socks if I could. See Fred Heath fueling the stove/heaterShorpy picture: https://www.shorpy.com/node/2297 The caption has a few additional bits of information. E_R Housewife propagandaTo answer an earlier poster's question about why the OWI was taking photos like this so soon after the US entered the war, I imagine photos like this (and their accompanying captions) were very deliberately intended to appeal to women like Mrs. Heath who were used to living in those one-room apartments. See what you can get if your husband works for the war effort? In other news, I had never seen high-heeled saddle shoes before - love them. The family in the new living room ..can be found right here, enjoying their overstuffed chairs. High heeled saddle shoesThis from a 1937 catalog offering the popular styles of the day, including women's saddle oxfords with the high heels, such as Mrs. Heath is shown wearing. Mystery Solved?(Originally posted 5-13-2015 - corrected spelling on date shown above) The National plunge into the defense industries did not wait until after the "Day of Infamy" on December 7th, 1941. We had been involved in defense production since 1940, with Lend Lease, and with other reasons to be tooling up for war. The industry's rapid expansion created a rapidly expanding need for housing all the workers that these industries would require to run their facilities for the extended period of time required to keep up production. Providing decent housing was essential to alleviate the extreme shortage of housing created by the enticement of good wages these jobs offered. Before the production of housing ever caught up with the need, people were tolerating living in extremely challenging, unsanitary circumstances, in tent camps, roadside shacks, trailer camps, in their cars, in overpriced, underserved, ancient apartments and shared rooms with Victorian era plumbing and kitchen facilities, and any other way they could find to get themselves out of the financial grind the Great Depression had trapped them in for so long. The government housing promised was mostly plain barracks like apartments, with little in the way of ammenities, but the apartment that the Heath family shared was obviously many times more pleasant and livable than the single furnished room they started married life in, likely with the shared bath down the hall. All these apartments were billed as "rooms plus" meaning in this case, four rooms plus the bathroom, as bathroom was never counted in amongst the "rooms" of the house. And all bathrooms were complete, with all three usual fixtures, of tub, sink (or lavatory, in the parlance of the day), with a mirrored medicine cabinet of some type, and toilet (or 'closet,' likewise.) Heat, as seen in another photo linked in another comment, was provided by the combination coal range, heating stove and water heater in the kitchen. There was usually some sort of attached water tank that kept a supply of hot water ready for use. The small size of the apartment, with two small bedrooms, the living room and eat in kitchen made that sort of heating arrangement adequate. I have a considerable collection of American Builder magazines from the early 40's, which contain a great deal of information about the housing industry as it existed during this time, and it's amazing to read about the builders, the developments, and especially the cost and regulations involved in establishing defense housing during this time. FHA regulations under Title VI limited the cost of defense housing after a period in 1942 to $6000, with a 10% downpayment, leaving the balance to mortgage at $5400 over a period of up to about 20 years. Mortgage payments, or "carrying charges" as they were called, ran in the high $20 to mid $30 range per month, including interest, principle, insurance for fire, and in some areas tornado or "wind damage" and local taxes. Can't imagine paying $35 a month for a house! This of course doesn't include utilities, or maintenance, but most utilities were relatively cheap, and the newest focus on adequate insulation of homes brought heating costs down to a minimum each heating season. Since these houses were brand new, maintenance costs were pretty much non-existent. (The Gallery, Howard Hollem, Kitchens etc., WW2)
Catillac: 1903
... where I work. You can really tell the management from the workers in this photo. But everyone (except the two rodent control officers) ... work (too literally) or is safety awareness among the workers a more modern thing? [I don't think common sense was a 21st ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 05/19/2022 - 2:59pm -

Detroit circa 1903. "Foundry and machine shop, Leland & Faulconer Mfg. Co." With bearded proprietors Robert Faulconer (left) and Henry Leland standing at either end, and two shop mascots in the top row. In 1905 the company, which made car engines, merged with Cadillac Automobile Co. Some years after selling Cadillac to General Motors, Leland started the Lincoln Motor Co., which was eventually bought out by Ford. 8x10 inch glass negative. View full size. Beyond Casual FridayTry dressing in torn, faded, and ill-fitting clothes like so many of these fellows have on, and you'd be sent home, even on the most casual of Fridays, where I work. You can really tell the management from the workers in this photo. But everyone (except the two rodent control officers) in the picture has a hat on. Body LanguageCrossed arms. We might eliminate merely feeling cold. The standard protective or separating barrier is possible, but another meaning is that the men are just too tired to pay attention. Pest ControlOut of high school I worked for a short time at a fertilizer plant where they kept a small herd of cats to keep the rats and mice at bay. Fed them just enough so they were still hungry enough to hunt. re: Beyond Casual FridayMaybe you should use the word employed instead of work. I worked in a machine shop for forty-three years and no one was ever sent home for ill fitting or dirty clothes. Everyone knowsReal men love cats. Wonder if they were strays or the lads took them on as their mascots? Either way, what a rich time they lived in. Magnificent work! Masters of Percision Henry Leland was a Connecticut Yankee machinist who brought the skills that allowed Detroit's young auto industry to produce interchangeable parts that require no final adjustments before installing. He also lead Bible readings / discussions at lunch time for his employees who wished to attend. In the summer time these meetings took place outdoors under a shade tree, next to the shop. [Gimme that old-time "percision." -Dave] Casual FridayMost places where I worked (and wasn't just employed) there was nothing casual about any day of the week. Put out or get out and by virtue of doing some work, your clothes would get dirty. Maybe I should change my name to oldgal. re: re: Beyond Casual Friday@oldguy - I agree that in a factory clothes standards were/are not high. Would machinists then roll up their sleeves to guard against getting caught up in their work (too literally) or is safety awareness among the workers a more modern thing? [I don't think common sense was a 21st century invention. - tterrace] A fine selection of whiskersOh, man, I love this photo. Especially the guy next to one of the cats, trying not to laugh. An ObservationDid you notice that not one individual wears a wedding ring? I wonder if that was out of safety, or they just couldn't afford one. Mama catLooks to me like mama cat, on the right, is keeping her eye on her baby kitten, at the left. Back row6th guy from the left, I am sure made a lot of girls weak in the knees, especially when he smiled. Men's wedding ringsThe current common practice of men wearing wedding rings is quite recent. Although not unknown it was very rare for men at the time of this photograph to have a wedding ring - it was deemed something for the wife to do. However, that changed during World War II when it became much more common practice as the men went off to war for them to wear a token reminding them of their loved one back home. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Cats, Detroit Photos, DPC, Factories)
Starry Starry Night: 1940
... [The trailers in these photos were housing for war workers at the Bath shipyard and iron works. - Dave] The sky is falling ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 05/21/2020 - 12:07pm -

December 1940. "Trailer parked near service station. Bath, Maine." Medium format acetate negative by Jack Delano for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. On Route 1, I would guessI lived in Maine for 25 years, and this feels like home to me. Heat it to beat it.I wonder if they move out of the house in the background and into the smaller trailer in the foreground because it's easier and cheaper to heat in the winter? Looks like an "addition" has been added to the trailer to lower the chance of winter claustrophobia. That light in the window sure looks warm and homey. [The trailers in these photos were housing for war workers at the Bath shipyard and iron works. - Dave] The sky is fallingLook at the stars. It must have been a long exposure time and I imagine the photographer would have to be patient in that cold. But the exposure time and the cold air made the image really sharp and bright. War of the Worlds?Either this photo was a long exposure or there was an alien attack. Yikes!My hat is off to anyone who could drive those tall, ungainly, skinny-tired, rear-wheel-drive cars on ice like that! The Real SkinnyHeretical though the idea may seem today, those skinny tires were quite capable in winter traction conditions. Instead of maximizing flotation, as do modern wider tires, they tended to cut through snow and ice and get to the bottom of things. However, that is not a desirable characteristic in deep mud, where it is obviously best to stay on top. Lights, camera ...There is something about incandescent lights that make a scene feel so warm. We have three 1950s-era radial-wave streetlights on our long-ish driveway and I just love the light they cast off. Ever Slower Grinding MoanThis frigid scene reminds me of the pleasures of starting an icy cold carbureted engine with a 6-volt electrical system. Pull out the choke, press the accelerator deeply two or three times, turn on the ignition switch, press the starter peddle with your toe, position your left foot on the accelerator peddle and hope. A cold winter night in MaineI can just hear those 6 volt batteries groaning in the morning trying to turn those engines over. Grinding moanI learned to drive in the seventies on an automatic, in a very cold place (Winnipeg), and my dad always warned me that on the coldest days you had only one crack. Press the gas pedal to the floor and, as you ever-so-slowly eased up on it, turn the key and don’t let up till the motor catches. If it didn’t turn over, you’d get that depressing, fading, dying sound (Phare Pleigh’s grinding moan), which meant you had to give it a few minutes rest so as not to flood it, and even then, good luck with that second try. Hello darknessAs a kid, I marveled at the brilliance of stars in the pitch black night sky. When the mercury vapor lights started showing up on the occasional farm, they were almost like earthbound stars. These days the sky stays a dim gray all night long from all the city lights. I envy those folks who live out west where they can still enjoy the night. (The Gallery, Gas Stations, Jack Delano)
Ruth at Rest: 1943
... 1943. "Turkey Pond, near Concord, New Hampshire. Women workers employed by a Department of Agriculture timber salvage sawmill. Ruth De ... were recruited form (sic) the families of local sawmill workers. It was felt that they would be more reliable and have an ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 03/28/2014 - 11:57am -

June 1943. "Turkey Pond, near Concord, New Hampshire. Women workers employed by a Department of Agriculture timber salvage sawmill. Ruth De Roche, 18-year-old 'pit woman,' resting her head on her lunch pail during the lunch hour." Photo by John Collier for the Office of War Information. View full size. What does the 'pit woman' do?I am really interested to see someone define what this woman's job was. My impression is that a 'pit man' was one who worked in the saw pit, pulling the saw down while a guy above pulled it up while sawing planks from a log. A really dirty job which must have been outmoded by 1943. Labor Shortage During WWIIOur photo subject, Ruth De Roche, is included in this article: "As the United States became more involved in World War II, many of New England's sawmills experienced labor shortages." Women receive equal pay: "Women were recruited form (sic) the families of local sawmill workers. It was felt that they would be more reliable and have an understanding of the work requirements. Three left jobs at the State Hospital to work at Turkey Pond while others were recruited form the US Employment Service in Concord. The starting wage was $4.00 per day, well above the typical women's wage in 1942. At the time, a female worker could expect $1.40 per day as a server or $1.80 as a retail clerk. After a one-month training period, the women at Turkey Pond were paid $4.50 per day - the same as men at other government sawmills." Ruth is also found elsewhere here on Shorpy. Hardest Job Ever My dad was a high school football player in 1943 and naturally though he was quite the tough guy. He then got a summer job in a sawmill "pulling slabs". The first day of work he barely made it to lunch. He said it was the most exhausting job he ever had. He didn't go back after lunch, too embarrassed. Right after that he was drafted into WW2 and then had several careers. He lived to be 85 and until he passed he maintained the sawmill job was the worst he ever had. (The Gallery, John Collier)
Celery Cola: 1908
... background. With the coming of capitalism, workers were forced into long hours of hard and tedious employment. As a ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/10/2011 - 1:37pm -

John Howell, an Indianapolis newsboy. Makes 75 cents some days. Begins at 6 A.M., Sundays. Lives at 215 W. Michigan St. August 1908. View full size. Photograph by Lewis Wickes Hine. This is as close to a Hine self-portrait as we've seen. Who can tell us about Celery Cola? Celery ColaMy guess is that is was similar to Dr. Brown's Cel-Ray, a celery flavored soft drink. http://www.bevnet.com/reviews/drbrowns/ Celery flavored ?Yuk! Celery SodaYou can find it in any deli in New York; I believe it's a regional treat. Dr. Brown's is the most famous. Here's the Wikipedia entry on it: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cel-Ray Celery Colasounds to me like blow cola i found this little paragraph at: http://www.greenparty.org/coke.html The birth of Coca-Cola can not be properly understood without knowledge of its broader historical-pharmacological background. With the coming of capitalism, workers were forced into long hours of hard and tedious employment. As a reaction, various stimulants and narcotics began to find a mass market; tobacco, coffee and tea first and then in the 19th century opium, morphine and cocaine. By the 1880s, many cocaine laced soft drinks had become popular, drinks with names such as Celery Cola, Pillsbury Koke, Kola-Ade, Kos-Kola, Cafe-Cola, and Koke. The reason Coca-Cola rose to national and than international prominence out of this ocean of syrupy stimulation may in part have been due to Pemberton's special "secret recipe, but more likely it was superior marketing; a job done by others who followed him. Another interesting one: http://www.sodamuseum.bigstep.com/generic.jhtml?pid=10 -cheers www.donkeyrunner.com/blog VeggieApparently, like many colas back in the late 1800s, it had cocaine in it. The USDA filed suit against the company because the company did not label that it had both cocaine and caffeine in it. You can read about the USDA's interesting cocaine crackdown in soda (circa 1910) here - http://www.bottlebooks.com/Cocastory/coca_mariani.htm Celery Cola Cont'dA couple CC newspaper ads I found from 1926. Click here and here for the full-size versions. Celery ColaGoogle produced a number of results for " celery cola" "formula" - here are the two most relevant results from the first few pages: www.southernbottles.com/Pages/Mayfield/Mayfield.html (lots of info, but no recipe or formula...) www.sodamuseum.bigstep.com (only a passing reference, in the history of Coca Cola) There may be more but my library time is up. Enjoy! :-) Celery Cola origin...Uh, why not just Google :Celery Cola Bottling Co., Danville, Virginia" and see what comes up? That's what Google is for after all. (You'll find it on the Danville site.) Happy Sunday. E=Mcee-flared...Richard Laurence Baron, www.signalwriter.blogspot.com [The page you're referring to is about Porter Brewing in Danville, and how it switched from beer to Celery Cola. But it doesn't have anything to say about the origins of Celery Cola. This was just the local bottler for that part of Virginia. - Dave] Celery ColaI have nothing to add to the above, but notice how similar the branding (font) is to later Cola-Cola. [True. Although Coca-Cola was earlier, not later. This photo was taken in 1908; Coca-Cola got its start in 1885. - Dave] Celery ColaCelery Cola was invented by James C. Mayfield in the early 1890's and first sold at the Atlanta Cotton States Exposition in 1895 in Hutchinson stoppered bottles. Mayfield was a partner with Coca-Cola inventor John Pemberton in the 1880's and became president of the Pemberton Medicine Company on the old doctor's death. Mayfield was involved with the Wine-Coca Company of Atlanta and Boston in the early 1890's before venturing out solo with Celery Cola and Koke. He opened a factory in Birmingham in 1899 and soon had branches at St. Louis, Nashville, Richmond, Denver, Dallas and Los Angeles. Celery Cola was sold across the US, Canada, Mexico, Cuba, and as far away as Australia by 1906. Mexican General Pancho Villa was a fan of the drink bottled by a local franchisee in Vera Cruz. In 1909 Mayfield formed the Koke Company in Louisiana. By 1911 it was reorganized as the Koke Company of America and Mayfield's Cola was sold extensively under the trade names Koke and Dope. Coca-Cola claimed ownership of both Koke and Dope even though Mayfield owned both registered trademarks. The two rivals wound up in the US Supreme Court in 1920 and Koke was declared an invalid trademark. Mayfield continued to sell Celery=Cola and Dope and introduced other soft drinks throughout the 1920's. I am working on a book on Mayfield and his various enterprises and would appreciate any new information. celerycola@yahoo.com Very nice siteI am the great-grandson of James I. Thanks for your site. Warmest regards, James C. Mayfield IV Celery Cola bottlehello, i cant help you with info about Mr. Mayfield, i was actually hoping you could tell me more about celery-cola bottles, i found one yesterday that says it was bottled in danville, va?.......-brad Celery ColaI too am a great-grandson of James C. Mayfield. If you would be interested in contacting me for further details my e-mail is jrukenbrod@nc.rr.com. Rgds, Joe Koke and DopeNever realized there had been a soda called Dope. When I moved to Tennessee in the 80s, some of the folks there referred to Coke as "dope." The first time the guy at the convenience store asked this kid from Baltimore if he could put my dope in a poke, I was completely confused. Celery ChampagneI have a copy of a circa 1898 photo of the Dr. Pepper Company in Dallas. The picture shows a wagon in front of the building, both the wagon and the building have advertising on for Dr. Pepper, Zuzu Ginger Ale, and something called Celery Champagne. I googled "Celery Champagne" but there was no match. Could the champagne be similar to Celery Cola, and what is celery cola?? This picture sits above my desk at work, so it catches my eye dozens of time a day. I would greatly appreciate it if someone could satisfy my curiosity on the whole celery champagne/celery cola thing I'd appreciate it. Celery Cola CapI was reading the various comments regarding Celery Cola when I remembered I had seen a small newsie wearing a cap with the Celery Cola logo. He is first row, second from right, next to that poor cross eyed boy in this photo. Don't some of these pictures just break your heart? Origins of promotional headgearIt struck me that the most American thing I can think of which nobody ever mentions is the advertising ballcap. This paperboy is a prime example from 1908 and I bet it wasn't new then. You'd think his paper would have outfitted him and his confreres with caps with the paper's name on it, for goodness sake! Celery Cola with a direct ripoff of Coca-Cola font was his lot. In a crowd at going to work or leaving work times, it would seem these diminutive boys would have benefited from having a cap with the paper's name on it. After all, anyone in the police, military or fire services had hats that identified them and had for a good century one way or the other. I grew up in England before my parents took my family to Canada in the late 1950s as immigrants. I was used in the UK to a cap for my school that had a logo sewn into it. Cricket caps, which were not much different, had similar logos, and had origins going back to the 1700s, so the baseball cap as such wasn't an American invention. But using it purely as an advertising vehicle was. Can't say there was a whole bunch of promotional ballcaps in Canada in 1959, but a decade later it all started in earnest when the super-cheapy adjustable holed headband was invented. After a visit to the UK in 1993, I sent a big package of different advertising ballcaps to my grandnieces and nephews. This was met with a dull thud of indifference, and the adults gently told me they regarded advertising hats as a bit crass. Five years later, that opinion had changed as times changed over there, and my by now vintage caps were "just the job". Yes, I searched for the history of promotional headgear, but it seems to be a topic nobody has paid much attention to. Makes you wonder. (The Gallery, Indianapolis, Kids, Lewis Hine)
Edwards Depot: 1936
... Chevrolets. Telltales These were to warn railroad workers on top of the cars (usually brakemen) that the train was approaching a ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 01/12/2023 - 3:07pm -

February 1936. "View of railroad station. Edwards, Mississippi." 8x10 inch nitrate negative by Walker Evans for the U.S. Resettlement Administration. View full size. Vertical LinesWhat are the Vertical Lines suspended from the Horizontal overheads. I suspect a Curtain Array Antenna of some type (?) [See above. - Dave] Thanks. Interesting TelltalesI spot three of them, one over each track. What a scene.WOW! That's a model railroader's prototype just waiting to be built to scale. Without much to go onI believe this is the area in Walker Evans's 1936 photograph. I could not identify any buildings still there today. The railroad tracks bear right heading west and are straight heading east. [W.E. was shooting from the Magnolia Street bridge. The white building with the brick insert is at far left in his photo. - Dave] Dave, thanks for using a better reference point than I had (I was down by the parked cars at left). Your spot also lets me recommend everyone spin their street view around and appreciate the old homes along Magnolia. Those "Vertical Lines"As delorthlo states, they are telltales, to warn carmen on the roofs of cars of an approaching tunnel or other obstacle. Zero stoplights, three pagesIs how someone might have described Edwards in 1936; the "pages" of course being the Sanborn fire maps (In short, a pretty small place; but a step up from one page, and obviously two steps up from not being mapped at all). The map tells us Edwards seems to have been a more interesting place than it is now: for example the brick buildings beyond the station were but two of a long stretch of such structures -- "Main Street" in both name and fact -- and out of the picture to the right the station fronted on a town square; it doesn't impress much today. One suspects Edwards' opportunity to need a stoplight has passed by. O' Brother, Where Art Thou.From the crossing looking towards the bridge is from the move O' Brother, Where Art Thou? At the end of the movie this shot is used. Larry is correct, a modeler's dream. On my list to include in my layout. Both sides of the tracks... look equally bad. Order BoardThe 2 faced lower quadrant semaphore protruding from the roof of the combined passenger and freight station was not used to control train movements. Instead, it is an "Order Board", controlled by the station agent via vertical rods, used to notify train crews that they needed to pick up train orders, called "flimsies", since they were written on tissue paper to create multiple carbon copies. Depending on the importance of the train order, they could either be picked up on the fly by spearing a thin wooden hoop with your arm, or safety related orders required the crew to stop and sign for the orders. In either case, copies of the orders were delivered to both the engine crew(s) and the conductor in the caboose. The order board indicated which kind of orders they were. A double header with a caboose and pusher would require 4 copies, plus a copy for the agent's records. Train orders are still used, issued to crews by the dispatcher via radio, with mandatory correct readback from the crew, and the radio traffic recorded in case of an incident. The crew writes the orders on a paper form in the cab. Those telltales saved lives. In the days before portable "lunchbox" brakeman radios and diesel dynamic brakes, there were several reasons for brakemen to stand on car tops, to signal the engineer while switching around a curve, and to apply and release handbrakes on a downgrade. Incredibly dangerous to keep your balance, and step to the next car, apart from being knocked off the roof by a bridge or tunnel. Eventually, the roof walks were removed, and the ladders leading up to the roof were shortened to just be something to hold on to when riding on the end of a car while switching. Still dangerous work if you aren't alert. I'm old enough to have seen the tail end of this era, as a kid spent many hours talking with agents in stations and manual "armstrong" interlocking towers, listening to the dispatcher's party line. Knew several crossing watchmen, who spent their days in little towers at major railroad crossings, pumping down the pneumatic crossing gates for each train. I have a small brass 2 lever frame used by the agent to control an order board. Car IDFive Chevrolets. TelltalesThese were to warn railroad workers on top of the cars (usually brakemen) that the train was approaching a low overhead structure, in this case the highway overpass from which the photo was taken. As railroad braking systems improved, the need for "decorating" the cars reduced, until the practice is now forbidden. Phantom StationIn Doug Floor Plan's modern view of the area, it seems that I can see the "ghost" of that long-ago station: lighter patches of grass where buildings used to stand. I guess it's a good example of how quickly human-made constructions can disappear from view and leave no trace, except for some fainter vegetation. (The Gallery, Railroads, Small Towns, Walker Evans)
When the Grocery Looked Like That: 1947
... project was built in the neighborhood which was for workers in the war construction industry. Business was still good while the war ... and other industries were shutting down, and letting off workers, people had less money and took advantage of the credit that he let ... 
 
Posted by tterrace - 01/09/2015 - 1:16pm -

My father in his San Francisco store, the De Luxe Groceteria, not exactly the proud, optimistic-looking fellow thirteen years before. The neighborhood was going to the dogs, charge customers were running up three-figure balances and paying a couple bucks on account when the mood struck them, plus riding the bus back home across the bridge every night with a briefcase stuffed with quarts of milk was probably getting old. Three years later, he had the place sold and was continuing in the grocery business in a lower-stress capacity, one that had a pension to boot. View full size. Groceteria artifactUnfortunately, we don't have any of the cool product signage, but here's a page from my father's account pad, showing the kind of balances some of his customers ran up. Too bad he didn't put the real date in, but I suspect this is from the 1940s despite the old "193_" pad. The well done run dryHas tterrace finally run out? He posted this pic two years ago. Way to goGotta tell ya tterrace, your father knew how to display his wares. In both pictures he shows how beautifully he laid out his merchandise. Any new baseball cardsToday, Mr. Terrace? No, well I guess I'll have a candy bar with that cold pop then. Fresh Frozen Fryers??They can be fresh. They can be frozen. They cannot be both. Just sayin'. Reissue"Digitally remastered from archival materials, with new commentary track." On my shopping listNow I know where I may find some Shinola White shoe polish, Nucoa oleomargarine, and Nuchief fruit all in one quick and convenient stop. None of my beeswax BUTdid your father ever get robbed at gunpoint by a thug or have any other "close calls" with bad guys? I currently live in middle America where I always thought people were safer but it seems like convenience store clerks and those who manage small grocery stores get robbed more than taxi drivers and pizza delivery people and often are shot and killed for a paltry sum of cash. To be alone managing a small store these days seems like an invitation for trouble. It probably was not considered a high risk job in 1944. ConfusedStill trying to figure the layout from the earlier picture in relation to this one. Where are the columns from the first photo? Are those the same windows? The state of the neighborhoodFrom the earlier posting of this picture I learned that your father's grocery store, in a neighborhood that went "to the dogs" back around the end of WWII, was just a block away from where I used to live at Valencia & 14th Street. Back when I lived there in the late '80s and early '90s the area was still a little dodgy. But you could see the gentrification coming then, and from the evidence of Google Streetview it seems to have arrived with a vengeance. Your father's old store is now surrounded by new apartment buildings with huge windows. I sure couldn't afford to live around there anymore. The ceilingThe ceiling seems to be flaking, leaking or otherwise displaying signs of damp issues. Hint HuntCould Hint Hunt be a punch card game? Some kind of lottery? Dad's almost-groceryThere was a similar store in my neighborhood in the '50s and '60s. They carried a lot of credit as well, all registered by hand in those little account books. They hung on for years despite a modern supermarket being open since 1958, less than a mile away. I think the owners tried to sell the store more than once. My old man considered buying the place but could not deal with staircases in the building due to a war injury. They finally unloaded the place in the mid-'60s. The new owners (with no prior experience) were out of the grocery business after about four years. They tried selling blue jeans for awhile, but they didn't last long doing that, either. Lights and columns and windows, oh my!Hi! I'm new here... only been lurking the last month or so. I like the contrasts provided by a "before and after" with a ten-year gap. But like someone else noted, the columns look different (they're gone in the later shot). So do the lights (two rows of lights earlier, one row of lights later). And the windows (they switch walls). Many other differences between the shots showing progress (?) and change in the ensuing ten years. The neighborhood outside may have been "going to the dogs" but building maintenance must have become a challenge, too. There are big patches in the ceiling of the later shot. Leaky roof or pipes in the ceiling? Condensation from air conditioning ducts? There's a ceiling vent that's not in the earlier shot. And who could have known back in the day that arch-rival brands Butternut and Wonder Bread would end up stablemates in the same company? http://www.hostessbrands.com/ also http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interstate_Bakeries Very cool! Thanks for sharing. I've been turned on by so many new (well, old) things by tracing the Library on Congress sources for some of your shots. Thanks again! Love all of your picsI have enjoyed all of your pictures. Keep them coming please. I was born in 1967. Love all of your photos. AlterationsThe answer is that the landlord decided to remodel the building, making more room for the middle business in the building, a bar. The new wall is where the columns were. The side windows were closed over, and the ones in back were boarded up, because there had been break-ins, and petty cash was taken. And the back wall to the storeroom was opened at the top, so you can see the two small windows that had wire mesh over them on the back wall. Father was angry at the landlord, because he had less room for his wares, and the rent was the same. During the war a large housing project was built in the neighborhood which was for workers in the war construction industry. Business was still good while the war was going on, but later when the ship yards and other industries were shutting down, and letting off workers, people had less money and took advantage of the credit that he let them have. And then used what cash they had to buy their groceries at the new supermarkets that were coming into the neighborhoods. Milk wasn't the only thing he brought home in his leather valise after work. It had a cloth bag with the contents of the cash register. Thank heaven he was never mugged. As far as robberies, I remember our father talking about the time a "young punk" came in pretending to represent the "Black Hand" and trying to get protection money from him. He said he grabbed the thug by the throat and told him if he ever came back he would get the **** beat out of him. He never did. Quiz Show"Hint Hunt" was a radio game show sponsored by Armour Star Meat Packing. Not sure when it started, but it was canceled in 1949. Excellent pictureMany of our grocers shops still look like this in England (except for the leaking ceiling!) The Layout ExplainedHere's my thoughts on the layout changes from the 1934 picture to the 1944 picture: A new wall was built where the row of columns once stood. In the 1944 picture, you can see the outline of the old counter on the floor in the middle front. You can also verify that this was the right edge of the counter because the row of lights in the earlier picture ran along that right edge. This looks like it's about the same distance from the wall as the original counter was from the row of columns. Using that as a location marker, I would say the two windows in the earlier picture are covered up by the Butter Nut poster and the poster behind it (looks like a wine ad?). I think the wall from the 1934 picture was knocked down, thus making visible the windows in the back of the 1944 picture as well as the ceiling vents. If you follow the floor of the later picture, you can see a slight change in texture that lines up with the wine poster on the right wall, thus further verifying that this was the placement of the back wall in the 1934 picture. [See the definitive answer below, under "alterations." - Dave] A Shorpy educationWow, I learn things on Shorpy I never knew before, even about my own family. Point-of-SaleGazing at the advertising displays lining the walls (Royal Crown, Butter-Nut), I am seized by ephemera-envy. I don't suppose any of those survived? Balance dueThat would be something like a $5,000 balance today! And that's only for a single customer. Glad your dad was able to get out of it. Grandmom's StoreMy grandmother had a neighborhood store. She would let us eat Fudgesicles and drink NuGrape sodas till we were sick. Grandmom had to deal with shoplifters mostly. One attempted armed robbery. The guy ran away when she began to pray out loud. Oh the memories!I remember stores like that. I never really liked the goods behind the grocer. :) Now, I'm not THAT old but I grew up in small towns in Kansas that still had stores like this. I rememberThis looks like the Ed Adkins grocery on Lawrence Ave. in Toledo when I was little. Supermarkets existed then, but were not all that common yet. You told Ed or Larry, his assistant, what you wanted and they went and got it, much like a modern auto parts store today. [This was a self-service store.] (ShorpyBlog, Member Gallery, Stores & Markets, tterrapix)
Plymosaurus Rex: 1964
... guess that these are the personal vehicles of construction workers on the site in the background. In those days, a union construction ... late model cars were parked in such a scuzzy place; the workers had nowhere else to park. Anyone recognize the building in the ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/22/2015 - 2:11pm -

"1960 Plymouth Belvedere hardtop on Boston street, 1964." Along with a gull-winged 1959 Chevrolet wagon, latest specimens in the Shorpy Bestiary of Baroque Barouches. 35mm negative, photographer unknown. View full size. Coupe de VileThis must qualify as one of the worst designs Detroit ever threw at the American public, and the streets are not all that great either. Zoom.They referred to those as "functional tailfins"! [Chrysler Corp. called them "directional stabilizers." - Dave] Late-model cars on a scuzzy streetHere we have three late model vehicles covered with splashed schmutz on a potholed street that looks like it hasn't been swept in a year. I'm going to guess that these are the personal vehicles of construction workers on the site in the background. In those days, a union construction worker had an income which would allow the purchase of a new car from time to time. This guess would also explain why these then-valuable late model cars were parked in such a scuzzy place; the workers had nowhere else to park. Anyone recognize the building in the background? [The van is moving, not parked. - Dave] Prudential CenterThis is likely the Prudential Center, front or back, I'm not certain. This was one of the flagship elements of what was then called the New Boston, which was basically the destruction, oops, urban renewal, of vast sections of the old city - by one count, a third of it. The Prudential Center is now a vibrant, oft-visited section of Boston, with its wide range of shopping and dining options. A new car from time to timeActually, it wasn't uncommon for average income workers to trade for a new car every year back then. Prudential CenterThese lovely cars are either in front of, or behind the Prudential Center, which would have been nearing completion as it was opened in 1965. Christine!You're dirty. Go home and take a bath. The Forward LookI was never a big fan of the later Virgil Exner designs for Chrysler. I thought of them as weird looking, with many clashing themes and drizzled in goopy chrome. Over the years, they have grown on me. They really represent Space Age excess much as the 1959 Cadillac or the 1958 "Chromesmobile" Olds did. One thing is for certain -- we will never see cars like that again. Aberthaw ConstructionStill around, they were already 70 years old when this was taken. http://www.aberthawcc.com/ "Suddenly It's 1960!"That was the advertising theme for the 1957 Plymouth. When 1960 actually came, the styling of the Plymouth was unbelievable. The worst was yet to come in 1961. It is hard to imagine that the same person styled all these cars. RE: "Suddenly It's 1960!"Actually, seeing the 1960 Plymouths, some people made fun of their garish style, reversing the bold 1957 advertising theme : "Suddenly, it's 1957 again!". Tinworm FoodAt four years old, this car is already showing some wet spots on the bottom of the door. Cars of this vintage were notoriously prone to rust, one of the reasons there aren't many of them left these days. PlymouthsI always thought that the 1961 successor to this car was the ugliest automobile ever produced in America. The 1962 was not quite as ugly, but was just plain weird looking. It was not until Pontiac came up with the Aztek that something equally bad came out of Detroit. Early 007One of the rewarding things of very early James Bond films is remembering what American suspensions were like then. Grandfather had a '60 Plymouth His slant six black sedan was a Savoy. They all rusted across the fenders above the headlights eventually. The Forward Look!Chrysler's over-the-top styling peaked just about when this car was new. By 1963, compared to the trim, understated offerings from GM, these cars looked, well, ridiculous. It would take Chrysler another 4 model years to completely shake off Exner's excesses. Yet, in retrospect, the 55-64 Chrysler family cars are perfect illustrations of the era - ground-hugging rocketships to the future! Prudential CenterThe cars are on Belvidere Street, near the intersection of Huntington Ave - roughly the location of the red circle in the photo. The view has changed a lot since the photo was taken - the entrances to the shopping center at the sides of the picture were remodeled when the semi- open air shops were converted into an enclosed mall in the early 1990's. A decade later two more buildings were added to the Prudential Center - 111 Huntington (aka the R2D2 Building) and the luxury condos at 100 Belvidere. The only thing recognizable today would be the Prudential Tower. What a land yacht. A 1960 Plymouth was my first car. It was a former Nebraska highway patrol car which had been ridden hard and put away wet. It had a large v8 with 4 barrel that would really set you back in your seat when the back two barrels opened up. It felt like a rocket taking off and it looked like one too with the huge cloud of blue oil smoke it would leave in its wake. It was all black with very little chrome and small hubcaps. I used to park it at the end of the measured quarter mile kids used for a drag strip in the 60s. Two cars would come screaming down the isolated country road at break neck speeds only to slam on the breaks when they got site of my car. I'd then pull out after them and tail them for awhile. (The Gallery, Boston, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Found Photos)
Squatter Mother: 1936
... Lange's "Migrant Mother" : Migrant agricultural workers in California in 1936. Photographs show squatter camps. Little ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 04/08/2021 - 1:52pm -

November 1936. "Mother and three children in a California squatter camp." 4x5 inch nitrate negative by Dorothea Lange for the Resettlement Administration. View full size.         Photo from this group of 211 images, which includes Lange's "Migrant Mother": Migrant agricultural workers in California in 1936. Photographs show squatter camps. Little Oklahoma. Families and their belongings in automobiles on the road. Car trouble along the road. Families existing in tent camps. Company housing for Mexican cotton pickers. Portraits of destitute migrants and their children. Hitch-hikers. Beet fields. Cotton pickers in the San Joaquin Valley. Lettuce and pea fields. Mini momThe girl is a miniature of her mother, not only in facial features but even down to her body language and the way she attempts to comfort the toddler. SadnessI find it so sad that 86 years later, there are people in our communities that are still homeless and struggling as this brave lady and her young family were in 1936. I hope that her life, and those of her children, became easier. There is a reason that they called it----The Great Depression. Those poor pitiful people trying to get by. This family appears better off than most, with a newer car, clean and nicely dressed. My mom grew up in west Texas during this time and they were desperately poor also. She said that her uncle would drop off government "commodities" once a month and that's how they survived. Usually it was a big bag of pinto beans. She was embarrassed for the rest of her life because as the oldest child it was her job to write a letter to the newspaper for her siblings telling what they would like to get for Christmas and maybe ----- some church or generous soul would deliver the presents to the newspaper for distribution. Hard TimesNot many government programs to assist people back then. Many were left to their own devices to support themselves and their families. Stoic hardworking people. RespectabilityAs usually the case in these Depression era photos, it's always touching to see how people maintain a good appearance despite living in such squalid conditions. This mother is wearing heels (and possibly stockings) to get her picture taken. Her children look loved and well-cared for. Strong womenMy late maternal grandmother had a classic Depression-era profile: a young widow with three children, she worked as a teacher in one-room schoolhouses in a succession of towns across the Canadian prairies in the 30s and 40s. She came out of it ferociously strong. She was extremely resourceful, stern when she had to be, kind when the situation warranted. I feared her a little, and respected her hugely. Throughout my life, I have used her as a standard against which I measure the behaviour and values of other people. Her daughter, my mom, was no slouch in the backbone department, either. Doubly TragicAs sad and tragic a scene presented here, what makes it more so is the incongruity of the (late 20s?) luxury of that car indicating the family struck hard times, really fast and the car a glimpse back to the prosperous life they came from. [This was the kind of car Okie families bought for $100 to make the trip west. - Dave] A timely reminder in these strange and uncertain times to appreciate what we have while we have it and always be ready to take on something not so comforting. (The Gallery, Agriculture, Camping, Dorothea Lange, Great Depression, Kids)
Room for One More: 1918
... of the upper casket, I see a group of well-dressed office workers, circa 1925, at some sort of holiday gathering. One woman has an oil ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 03/24/2022 - 7:36am -

1918. "Federal truck -- San Francisco Casket Co." Makers of the box you'll go in. A sobering scene from the depths of the Spanish Flu epidemic. 5x7 inch glass negative by Christopher Helin. View full size. Covid19 is a pandemic ... not a "pandemic"First of all, mwelch, May 2020 was way early in the pandemic to be taking a poll that you still consider to be valid in March 2022. Just in the United States, nearly a million people have died from Covid19. I probably didn't know anyone who had it in March 2020 either. But today a [unvaccinated] neighbor across the street is dead from it and the brothers of three friends are dead. One friend said her brother's wife and children refused to wear masks at the funeral because "Covid is a hoax". As Dave, I know at least a dozen people, including family and immediate neighbors, who have had Covid. It includes a couple in their 80s who, for some reason decided flying to Chicago was more important than avoiding exposure. The husband spent two months in the hospital after they got back and came home with an oxygen tank. I know two people who suffer from serious long-term effects of Covid; one wakes up with a hangover every morning and cannot concentrate for more than a few minutes at a time. I'll also point out that asking random people in a line about a potentially deadly disease for which there was no treatment is a really bad approach to collecting information about the disease. I imagine some people told you, "No" because they didn't want to answer the follow-up question to a "Yes" answer. It was also a really rude question to be asking strangers. Comfort?Look at that truck's suspension and talk about a hard ride. Not that one would care in the first place. On one's final ride. Mass TransitNot the most luxurious of hearses, but isn't it commodious, though? A simple pine box?The wood used in these caskets appear to be redwood or cedar likely shipped down the coast from Northern California or Seattle. In 1900 a typical casket was made of wood often covered in cloth. Costs were around $16, about $400 in today's dollars. Mass-produced steel caskets didn't show up until 1918 when Batesville Casket introduced them. These appear to be a bit fancy with all the molding, 3 or 4 different styles. Curious what the numbers stamped on the ends indicate. Dept. of Public HealthNOTICE -- something about GARBAGE, MANURE, REFUSE and "premises." They Opened the Door and In Flew EnzaPerhaps the 1918 date is not a coincidence. The worldwide outbreak of Spanish Influenza in 1918 killed more people than WWI, and while San Francisco was spared the worst of it, there were still over 40,000 ill and 3000 dead in the city during the later half of 1918. Considering it killed a disproportionate number of the poor and recent immigrants, a truckload of obviously low end (judging from the unfinished wood and lack of decoration or hardware) would have been a common sight for a few months. OverloadedConsidering there are no brakes on the front and probably mechanical ones on the rear, I sure wouldn't want to try to stop that overloaded truck on a San Francisco Hill! It looks like a scene from a comedy short, where the front of the truck suddenly flies up when they try to start. CoffinThe two top rows are caskets. The bottom three are coffins I believe. More Than Just NumbersIf you increase the resolution size of the photo you will see scenic views either hand painted scenes, lithographs or photos on the ends of the caskets, not numbers. [Amazing. I see "The Last Supper" and "Dogs Playing Poker." What do you see? - Dave] In the high-res blowupIn the lower board of the upper casket, I see a group of well-dressed office workers, circa 1925, at some sort of holiday gathering. One woman has an oil can in front of her. I never would have noticed that without seeing this high-res enlargement. The lower casket just has a typical beach scene in what appears, to me, to be Galveston, Texas. Two people are walking, two are riding horses. Coffins vs CasketsCoffins are where Vampires sleep, Caskets are what they bury dead people in. Pareidolia        A psychological phenomenon involving a stimulus (an image or a sound) wherein the mind perceives a familiar pattern of something where none actually exists.         Common examples are perceived images of animals, faces, or objects in cloud formations.         Pareidolia is the visual or auditory form of apophenia, which is the perception of patterns within random data. Combined with apophenia and hierophany (manifestation of the sacred), pareidolia may have helped ancient Chinese society organize chaos and make the world intelligible. -- Wikipedia [That would explain it. - Dave] How to explain Shorpy.com?!?!??!A couple of weeks ago I was talking to some Kaiser Permanente associates from the California region. Killing time until all the folks were on the line, I asked where they were calling from, and they said,"Oakland." I laughed and said, "I hope you drive better than some of the long-ago Oakland drivers I've seen on Shorpy.com." "What's that?" they asked. "Well, it's mainly a large-format photography site, but the whimsical subject matter and amazing comments of the moderators and readers are what make it a Web addiction. Like the Oakland drivers; for the past couple of months they've had a series of 1950s photos of Oakland traffic accidents. And they have kittens dressed as people and beach scenes from 100 years ago, and . . . and decrepit old buildings . . . and . . . and there are photos of . . ." "Jim, this is another one of your wild stories, right? There's no such thing as Shorpy.com, right?" ------------------------------------------------------- Imagine if I tried explaining it today, with people seeing imagery in the woodgrain of caskets from 100 years ago! The San Francisco Casket CompanyThe sign in the front window indicates this photo was taken in front of the headquarters for the San Francisco Casket Company, Inc. (SFCCI) which was at 621 - 627 Guerrero in 1918. The firm was started about 1900 by George Dillman, and it was originally located at 542 Brannan. Dillman had been working at Samuel Nelson & Co., who were casket manufacturers, immediately before this. About 1903, SFCCI moved to 3120 17th Street for approximately two years, and then to 17th and Shotwell until around 1908. John H. Nuttman (1856 - 1946), who had been the vice-president, became president around 1907. It was circa 1908 that the business address changed to the 627 Guerrero location. The October 9, 1918 issue of Building and Engineering News tell us this building on Guerrero was partially destroyed by fire causing $75,000 worth of damage. With the ongoing influenza epidemic in the fall of 1918 the fire could probably not have come at a worse time for the firm. The company had suffered another fire in February 1917 causing $15,000 in destruction to the four story structure. The SFCCI then built a four story and basement brick factory, along with offices and showrooms, at 14th and Valencia for $75,000. The brick work apparently cost $20,800, and the steam boiler system was $3,479. The new factory address is shown as 325 Valencia in the 1919 Crocker-Langley San Francisco Directory, but later it became 321 Valencia. The building plans, by Etienne A. Garin, were completed in December 1918, White & Gloor's plans for the building brick work were accepted on February 24, 1919, and all construction was completed by April 17, 1919. The building was officially recorded by the city on July 7, 1919. One interesting change is that Garin designed a mill work building, but architect Charles O. Clausen redesigned the plans to be reinforced concrete before the structure was built. The new "L" shaped building still exists, but it has been heavily modified into residences and businesses. Most of the original brick work has been hidden, but some is still visible down an alley way. The company remained at this new location until 1962, but then it seems to have gone out of existence. Eventually the president of the company became one of Nuttman's son, John B. Nuttman (1880 - 1960), and finally a daughter Hannah F. Spammer (1895 - 1980). The snippet from Building & Engineering News below is from October 16, 1918 which tells of the fire. The second piece, from "The Standard," a weekly insurance newspaper from May 17, 1919, relates how the rules of the San Francisco Fire Commission prevented a quick extinguishing of the 1918 blaze. The last article, from the October 20, 1910 San Francisco Call, describes how one of the SFCCI drivers got out of a speeding ticket. The driver is likely William I. Nuttman (1889 - 1973) another one of John H. Nuttman's sons. A tisket, a tasketAll I know is, a coffin is a box with a separate lid that has to be nailed on; hence the expression, nail in your coffin. A casket is a piece of furniture with hinges and handles and padding and a pillow and whatnot. What can I say? I am a bona fide taphophile with thousands of funeral and cemetery photos (taken by me) to prove it, and I have an intense interest in end-of-life issues. Moving along, I cannot explain it but this wonderful photo of fifty wooden coffins/caskets stacked sky-high instantly reminded me of one of the funniest black-humor scenes I have ever seen on television. It was from the Bruce Willis slash Cybill Shepherd farce, Moonlighting, which aired back in the '80s. As I remember it, they (BW and CS) were driving a hearse in a high-speed chase and somehow they ended up smack dab in the middle of a baseball diamond, stopping the hearse so abruptly that the casket flew out of the back and came to rest on home base where naturally the body slid out, whereupon the umpire loudly pronounced him safe, eliciting markedly unladylike and protracted guffaws from me. Truss but verifyI don't think I've ever seen truss rods on a truck before. They were still fairly common on rail cars - tho rapidly becoming obsolete - but those, of course, are typically a lot longer than a truck. (A quick search will turn up a like-bodied family member https://www.shorpy.com/node/18816 ...perhaps this something peculiar to the 'Federal' make) Stacks and Stacksof coffins. An older friend of mine, who was a child at the time, attested to the severity of the flu epidemic. He well remembered coffins stacked 5 high and in several rows in the parking lot alongside an undertaking establishment here. No room inside, of course. In 1918 people knewAbsence of a visual like this made me question the current "pandemic". I had initiated an inquiry in long Covid-lines, ending with cashier or a bank teller. Not a single case, in their family, circle of friends and friends of a friends "had it". I am talking as early as of May of 2020. [Covid-19 is not even half as deadly as the 1918 Spanish flu. On the other hand, there are thousands of "visuals like this." Personally I know around a dozen people who've "had it," including family members. - Dave] Pandemic MemoriesI remember Mom saying "they couldn't make coffins fast enough." She was born in 1908. Why it's The USA@mwelch, really enraging comment but I guess it's OK because my father fought in WWII and was wounded to the day he passed at 90yrs old so you can speak. I guess you had no loved ones you couldn't be with as they died alone from covid. Grow up. Eat, drink and be merryCovid has driven that home, at least a little. Remember, the last shirt does not have any pockets. But it is also available in 5XL. Picking nits, the Spanish flu should rightfully be called the Kansas flu. That's where it reportedly first popped up. Then neutral Spain was just the first country where it was being officially reported from. With the US and much of the rest of Europe being under wartime censorship and the censors not wanting to hamper their respective war efforts by reports about a pandemic. I second Doug Floor Plan about COVID supposedly just being a glorified cold - not. 1918-1920 they did not have the medical knowledge we have. Or the medical means. Or our general health and wealth. We do not have the starved-out war-worn population they had after WWI. Send COVID back to 1918, and presto, it would do the Spanish flu thing in no time flat. Just think - no masks, no shutdowns, no remote schooling, no home office, no vaccines, no tests, no quarantine, no oxygen supplements, no anitbiotics against opportunistic pneumonia, no ICUs, no ECMO, no antithrombics, no nothing. Under 1918-1920 conditions Covid would do the Spanish flu thing in 2020-2022 all right. A "rude" question for doug floor plan. You seriously believe a "pandemic" with a survival rate of %98.6 is comparable to the spanish flu of '18? The BS you spewed about family and friends dropping like flies tells me ALL your dead friends and family were morbidly obese and or elderly. Also, that 1 MILLION covid deaths is also BS. People who believe MSM propaganda are useful idiots, nothing more. Appreciate ya outting yourself. [I was going to say something here but golly, it looks like I'm due back on Planet Earth for this week's MSM Conspiracy Workshop! - Dave] Hey, folksIt’s depressing to see this covid scrap break out under the coffin photo, but I suppose it had to happen sooner or later. There is plenty of room for discussion about the measures and responses (It’s a social, political, and ethical discussion), but there’s really no room to question whether it actually happened. My family of six is double-vaxxed but we all got omicron over the holidays, ranging from nasty aches and pains to a runny nose for davidk, the oldest of the bunch. No one went to the hospital, no one died, but we all tested positive on the home test kit. After the passage of a few months, we then all got the booster shot. Please let’s not pretend this isn’t a thing. And please let’s be civil and rational – this is a huge test for us as a community and as a society. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Chris Helin, San Francisco)
Break Time: 1909
January 1909. Augusta, Georgia. "Noon Hour. Workers in Enterprise Cotton Mill. The wheels are kept running through noon ... with having to tackle more work because of layoffs of co-workers. As with PC? If my co-worker doesn't like me enjoying my lunch break, ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/21/2009 - 1:32am -

January 1909. Augusta, Georgia. "Noon Hour. Workers in Enterprise Cotton Mill. The wheels are kept running through noon hour (which is only 40 minutes) so employees may be tempted to put in part of this time at machine if they wish." Photograph and caption by Lewis Wickes Hine. View full size. Temptation"In this hardscrabble life I live, I only get 40 minutes in a long hard day to relax and eat my lunch, but the wheels are running! I can't get enough of that wheel! I must man the wheel!" I don't get it. I am impressed by the sheer size of the bouffant the girl on the right is sporting. Her hair, when out of its holster, must have been very long and luxurious. Noon HourThe Enterprise Cotton Mill must employ some sort of evil sorcery to make the noon hour equal only 40 minutes. Now if they could ADD on 20 extra minutes, I might be more likely to submit a resume. Kids these daysIf I had kids today, I'd be decorating the walls with pictures like this. When the kids whined about chores I'd tap the pictures and remind them how lucky they are. Lunch time?Ha! Very interesting, since in 2009 it is now politically incorrect to take a lunch break when there is work to be done. Even now, my lunch is at my elbow and my fingers are on the keyboard. I was tempted! I take lunch breaks every day!>> It's politically incorrect to take a lunch break when there is work to be done How is that? I don't think it has anything to do with PC but more with having to tackle more work because of layoffs of co-workers. As with PC? If my co-worker doesn't like me enjoying my lunch break, too bad for him or her. I could not care less what anyone thinks. If someone feels it is PC, then I would suggest a therapist to overcome the sense of feeling inadequate as a pushover at work. It's all how you see life. The real lesson hereThe hardest thing for today's young people to "get" about these photos might be that, as Lewis Hine frequently noted, these kids chose work over a free education. IronicI'm from Augusta and now Enterprise Mills is upscale loft-style apartments. Family TreeI'm from the section of Augusta that is called Harrisburg. It was mainly a mill town. Many of my ancestors, Great Grandfather, Grandfather and numerous aunts, uncles and cousins were working the Augusta mills at that time. My Great Grandfather started at 11 years old. Now we don't even have an active mill in Augusta. (The Gallery, Factories, Lewis Hine)
Ensley Furnace: 1936
... View full size. Long timers? Did steel workers of that day live in the company houses for very long or were they able ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 01/04/2023 - 12:46pm -

March 1936. "Steel mill and company houses -- Birmingham, Alabama." The Ensley works of the Tennessee Coal, Iron & Railroad Company, along with the skeleton of a snagged kite. 8x10 inch nitrate negative by Walker Evans for the U.S. Resettlement Administration. View full size. Long timers?Did steel workers of that day live in the company houses for very long or were they able to save up enough to buy a place outside the mill area? The factory would have been up to maximum capacity in a few years. What to do with 600 acres nowMost of the Ensley plant has been demolished, but the smokestacks, below, still stand. Here is a history of the plant and property, still owned by U.S. Steel's USS Real Estate division. The last listed redevelopment proposal was in 2011. Click to embiggen
A Walk in the Park: 1900
... easily move a bench to visit or whatever, then the City workers would be stuck moving them back in the morning. Bench Security ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/20/2012 - 3:37pm -

Chicago circa 1900. "A walk in Lincoln Park." We spy a hazard for any tots inclined to run behind park benches. 8x10 glass negative. View full size. Busy Knitter She's knitting! The younger woman in the foreground at left -- those hands are busy working on a sock or a baby bonnet. Something small. After enlarging the photo and poking around a bit, I almost forgot about her. Then I returned to Our Fair Knitter, looking for the yarn. There it is, trailing down to the ground. Hmm. Getting a bit soiled? From her relaxed and yet focused posture, she's an experienced knitter and unconcerned about Grandma's stern demeanor. Kids those daysBack then, you looked where you were running. Benches and branchesDoes the bench hold up the tree or does the tree keep the bench from being moved? Neither one sounds plausible. WhoaA hazard indeed. I wonder if that was considered simpler then putting bolts through the legs into the pathway. A set of circa 1900 wire cutters and you own a new bench. I Spy TooOkay, I see the hazard for tots lurking behind each bench. What I don't see is the point of tethering each bench to a tree. Was there a clandestine market for stolen park benches in 1900? Dive! Dive!Aoooogah ... Ahooogha. Battleaxe sighted on port side! Bench tethersClearly an attempt to thwart the evil bench thieves. Home AloneLooks like the only one enjoying that mister is Macaulay Culkin's scary-but-nice neighbor. No missing treesFastening the trees to the park benches is clearly an effort to keep people from walking away with the shade trees. And it appears to have worked. Good thing there's a policeman nearbySo, do you think the cables are there to prevent bench theft or to ensure that there is only one bench every 20 feet and everything stays neat and orderly? Local rule -Women sat on one side of the path and men on the other and the policeman to keep them all in order or is he watching for the pesky bench thieves? Only a hazard the first timeOnce you've been clotheslined, you never forget it. I Spywith my little eye (between the closest ladies & tree on the left, in the distance) either a stroller or cart half-hidden by a tree; and beyond that, a hammock? ObservationsI love those makeshift planters in between each tree. Wish I could see it in color. Yes, the elder woman on the left does bear a strong resemblance to Large Marge from Pee Wee's Big Adventure! There is a slight optical illusion, at least to my feeble mind. Look at the 3rd bench down on the left. At first glance, I thought the little girl was standing on it. But I see now she's way back behind the 4th. Guys didn't have a chanceWhat an amazing photograph -- so much here. Interesting that each young girl has a chaperone (mom perhaps) sitting beside her, and a policeman as well (what an amazing uniform). Love the previously mentioned wires running to the trees. And the sprinkler, obviously buried pipes. The art of subtletyGee, do you thinl anyone noticed the guy taking pictures? Is there a law against it? More importantly, who will attack first, the officer or the lady? Nobody looks happy to be posing. A Bridge Too FarLooks like this bridge at the far end of concourse. Pre WiFiClearly what we have here is Lincoln Park before wifi. The cables are obviously tapping in to the local network and allowing for connection via the benches. You can see by the blur that the young lady on the left must be updating her Facebook account - you can even see her data cable, which must plug in to the bench, by her leg. Keep Off the GrassPerhaps the cables were intended to prevent people from walking on the grass if the path was crowded? Tethering Clearly It appears that the benches are tethered to prevent moving them. Four men might easily move a bench to visit or whatever, then the City workers would be stuck moving them back in the morning. Bench SecurityPerhaps, to keep the benches there, and allow freedom of movement to where the shade resides. I would love to step right into this scene. Park DangersHazard? If I were a tot, the risk of decapitation from obstacles might well seem less of a hazard than the lantern-jawed matriarch guarding the left and the cop with tickets already in hand guarding the right of the path. It is pretty clear than romping and frolicking are not on the approved activities list in that park! That Policeman... will give you a conk on your noggin with his billy club if you even think of disrespecting his attire with a chuckle. PlantersWhat first appears to be smaller trees or bushes actually seems to be some sort of planter. I'd love to see that in color! Looks almost like the main part of the planter is a piece of tree trunk? odd. The sprinkler does not appear to be bothering the officer or man on the right. The hat on the leftI think it's growing! Windy citySince Chicago is the windy city, is it possible that the cables are there to keep the benches from blowing away from a strong gust. With the cable it was easy maybe to remove the benches in the wintertime during heavy snows. Joe from LI, NY Bench ties. I doubt people back then even thought about stealing these benches. First, they are heavy, and second, you just didn't do those kind of things back then. You were actually shamed and ridiculed for being thief. It wasn't just a career choice like today. My guess is the wires are there to keep the benches in order. Lastly, something tells me the photographer isn't much appreciated by the crowd at hand, And it looks like officer O'Brian is about to see what's going on here. [A check of most any big-city newspaper circa 1900 will confirm that there was plenty of thievery around the turn of the century. - Dave] Windy CityChicago being called the windy city had nothing to do with the weather but rather the blow hard politicians and their bragging about how great the city was. Funny how little that has changed. To Protect and ServeI think the cop is protecting the bearded old guy from further assaults (physical or verbal) from the battleaxe across the walkway. Re: Kids those daysI could see myself running through that park; getting myself caught on one of those wires, and falling down. Here's the learning process I would have gone through, after my experience: 1. Fall down and start crying. 2. Mother picks me up and dusts me off. 3. Mother then promptly slaps the back of my head, and also my butt, and says "Next time, watch where you're going." And thus we would have reached the conclusion of the learning process. Identified!That's obviously Alfred Nobel on the bench. And the cop is keeping an eye on him to make sure he doesn't blow something up. A Walk in the Park: 2011The spot was easy to find, because, as lesle points points out here in comments, the South Pond bridge is visible at the vanishing point. Chicago, August 28, 2011 Pickpockets and Purse SnatchersIn Chicago and everywhere at this time, pickpockets were rampant at any public gathering. Jane Addams, a famous and wealthy woman who worked with the poor at the time, had her purse snatched at the opening ceremonies for the World's Columbian Exposition in 1893! The cop is there to see that they aren't working the park on a fine day when many people are out and about. (The Gallery, Chicago, DPC)
Wilmerding, O Wilmerding: 1905
... We should indeed celebrate those hard working blue collar workers. And shame on GMH for calling Wilmerding an "ugly" name! Without ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/14/2012 - 12:31pm -

Wilmerding, Pennsylvania, circa 1905. "Plant of the Westinghouse Air Brake Co." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. Three Cheers for "Wilmerding"Thanks to Jano and Dave for recognizing that America is hardly bereft of good manufacturing jobs today, in spite of the rough economy! We should indeed celebrate those hard working blue collar workers. And shame on GMH for calling Wilmerding an "ugly" name! Without doing any research I am sure the town was named in great honor of a founder or "first father" of the town. And I'm sure those who carry the family name Wilmerding today are quite proud of it and are pleased to know there is a town named "for them". Wilmerding sounds like it was probably was carried across the pond with European immigrants... good, strong, old-school Germanic stock. It reminds me of the many Germanic names I heard as a boy visiting Cincinnati with my family. So three cheers for Wilmerding! Don't know whyBut the word embiggen pleases me no end. It has a nice Saxon ring to it, perhaps. Wilmerding is rather nice, as well, but it doesn't activate the pleasure centers in quite the same fashion. Wabtec CorpAs noted in the previous post, the factory is still there. Westinghouse Air Brake has morphed into something called Wabtec. View Larger Map Beauty is in the Ear of the Beholder?How can such a beautiful little town have such an ugly sounding name? (No offense to any persons who might bear that name and frequent Shorpy.) I wonder if life there was as beautiful as we imagine it 100 years later? If I could time travel, Wilmerding certainly seems a worthy place to visit. Beautiful buildingsThis would make a great jigsaw puzzle. Someone CaredSomeone cared enough to preserve these adorable houses. Current viewIs there a current - "today"- view of this same vantage point? The detail these old cameras captured is quite amazing. Good Paying JobsWhen the US had men and women working hard at good paying manufacturing jobs, people could afford to live like decent human beings. Today, the US hardly builds anything anymore, ergo poverty, ignorance, crime, dissolution of the family, and eventually the disintegration of society. All so a relative few offshore robber barons can get fabulously rich draining the accumulated wealth of the US. Very nice. ["Hardly builds anything anymore"? The United States is still the world's largest manufacturer. China, with four times the population, is a close second. The factory in our photo still exists, btw. The average person in the United States today enjoys living conditions vastly better than those of most people in 1905. The $15 trillion economy of the United States is, by far, still the world's largest. - Dave] Wilmerdinglooks like a bustling little community. Love that this photo was taken during the height of activity. Schloss WestinghouseDo you have any photos of the front side of the George Westinghouse Castle (that big pile with the clock tower)? [Click to embiggen. - Dave] It's MondayThe traditional laundry day. Every clothsline you can see is loaded! Re: Good Paying JobsThanks, Dave. I appreciate your succinct response regarding the manufacturing status and standard of living in the U.S. The woeful lack of understanding of basic economics and industrial history is evident in so many conversations I have, and not exclusively with those younger than my 50 years. When commenting on this site, I am more inclined to (attempts at) humor but I am also tremendously moved by the images of industrial settings that affirm how far we have come in terms of working conditions, yet the celebrate ingenuity, creativity, drive and work ethic of our forebears. I wish more people would look around to see that kind of vision and vigor today, and stop damning industry, whether soft or heavy, as a whole for the sins of a relative few. And, sorry to disagree with another commenter but "Wilmerding" has a certain ring to it! Marguerite Avenue & Frank St Clock TowerPresent day view of the clock tower on the far right of the photo. Amazing. View Larger Map Now we know!Now we know where the previouse Westinghouse Air Brake Co. picture was taken from! The viaduct that the Pittsburgh Railways streetcar line once ran on. You can see one of the B&O gondola cars and part of the WABCO house car in this photo as well. It kind of looks like a company town with all the townhouse style housing. And by-the-way I like the sound of "Wilmerding" after pouring poring through so many ancient air brake catalogs, parts lists and manuals. "Wilmerding" the name known around the world! Wilmerding, the VideoExploringI Love this picture - makes me wish I could go back and wander the streets exploring! Such a pretty looking city, even if it's an industrial one! Air Brake AvenueThat first row of houses in the distance is on Air Brake Avenue. Pretty girls all in a rowAs seen in the video, pretty girls worked for Westinghouse, and doing mechanical work. I thought they would be doing clerical chores. The soundtrack is very imaginative. I hear the squeal of Westinghouse air brakes and steel wheels on rails. Not to be overlookedWe would be remiss not to take note of the early beginnings of the "traveling American carnival" as seen in the photo center. The traveling carnival as we know it was but 12 years young in 1905 when there were 46 recorded traveling carnivals. These early shows traveled mostly by rail in unmarked box cars. Visible by the railroad tracks is the merry-go-round or "flying jenny" which was the heart of all carnivals at the time. It is possibly a Gustav Dentzel Philadelphia Toboggan Co. "Philadelphia Style Carousel" made in Germantown, PA. The side curtains are yet down but one set of wooden horses can be seen under the one rolled flap. There are at least visible four show tents set up on the street following the outline of the town square. The James E. Strates Shows is the only remaining railroad carnival today with all others traveling by truck. Wilmerding, and Wabco vs. WabtecWhen George Westinghouse wanted to relocate his factories to a new, larger site in the mid-1880s, he purchased land in the area of a new Pennsylvania Railroad "flagstop" that had already been named "Wilmerding" for Joanna Wilmerding Bruce Negley, the wife of one of the original landowners (I believe her mother's maiden name was Wilmerding). I doubt whether much thought was given to how it sounded, provided it sounded distinctive. Westinghouse Air Brake has not "morphed into something called Wabtec". WABCO was simply the initials of the Westinghouse Air Brake Company, but this trademark was retained by American Standard when WAB became independent again in 1990; to avoid paying a license fee to AmStand, the company's name was changed slightly, to Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies Corporation, abbreviated Wabtec. The company's headquarters is still located in Wilmerding, although some of the manufacturing has been moved to other sites (in the USA, not overseas). Wikmerding is still a "bustling little place", and a very pretty one; it has not changed hugely from the way it is shown in the photo, and visitors are welcomed at the "Castle", where they can visit the Westinghouse Valley Museum, and get a guided tour of the building also. Check www.wilmerdingrenewed.org/ for details. You Can Be Sure if It's WestinghouseIt's amazing how quickly America has forgotten the importance of some of its most illustrious inventors and corporate manufacturing titans. Men like George Westinghouse affected so much of our life and times -- his air brakes began powerfully slowing and stopping trains as early as the end of the 1860s in an era when the famed "Golden Spike" was driven at Promontory Summit. Brand new passenger cars shipped over the Union and Central Pacific railroads the following month came fitted with the latest Westinghouse Air Brakes. The Golden Spike alone was equal to the Wright Brothers' flight in terms of how it amazed the general public and sparked revolutions in transportation and commerce. The there's George Westinghouse the electric systems entrepreneur. We can thank him and his technicians (and lawyers, like it or not) for securing many patents on extremely strong and fast electrical motors so that fantastic wonders like high-rise "skyscrapers" fitted with elevators (powered by Westinghouse cable-winding motors!) could be put up in cities all across North America if not the world. Westinghouse motors also powered a wide array of electric streetcars, locomotives and simpler small things like electric cooling fans and bedside alarm clocks. How about we all join hands and summon the spirits of James Burke ("Connections") and maybe even ol' George Westinghouse? 3 Cheers for ShorpyA wonderful photograph and oh so much you could muse about. But just as wonderful is the many informative comments with added media as well as the casual reflections. I'm so glad I stumbled across this gem of a photo blog. Thank you Dave. My family history in WilmerdingMy Grandfather William Pugsley was the groundskeeper/gardener for the WABCO. He emigrated from England in 1903 and was hired by the company. In an enlarged photo you can see the house and greenhouse the family was given for their use. It is on the lower side of the hill just above the viaduct crossing to the town which went by the factory and over the railroad . There were eventually 8 children and their families who enjoyed reunions at this house. William was active in local politics as well and lived in the house until his death in 1954. When we children arrived at the reunion the first thing we did was climb the hill to the summit. the hill, Maple avenue, and all the development was removed for a freeway in the 70's I believe .Many happy memories of Wilmerding. Depression-Era WilmerdingMy mother was born and raised in Wilmerding. One of her girlhood memories of the Depression was out-of-work men going door to door looking for odd jobs to earn a few pennies for a meal. She recalled that her mother never turned anyone away; there was always a plate of food for anyone who asked. She said her parents were very frugal, and because of that they never went hungry and still had enough to share. Mother also recalled that government officials came to the high school to recruit graduating seniors into various government jobs that would support the war effort. Graduating in June 1944, mother signed up, and three weeks later was whisked away by train to Washington D.C. where she was placed as a secretary in the Pentagon. A Prized PossessionWilmerding is a fascinating town with an amazing history. The country's first planned community it did not take long to become a turn of the century hub for the railroad. I am the proud owner of the first photo of the town taken by the Wilmerding Development Company before a person or car or animal had stepped on its street. (The Gallery, DPC, Factories, Railroads)
Oysterboy: 1909
... notation from a different oystering photo: "Mostly negro workers. The boss said, 'We keep only enough whites so we can control the ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/03/2012 - 3:04pm -

January 1909. Apalachicola, Florida. "A young oyster fisher. Randsey Summerford says he starts out at 4 a.m. one day, is out all night in the little oyster boat and back next day some time. Gets a share of the proceeds. Said he was 16 years old and been at it four years. Lives in Georgia and is here six months a year." Glass negative and caption by Lewis Wickes Hine. View full size. His Left FootI wonder what happened to his other shoe. Oyster BoyJoe Manning, from the Lewis Hine Project. This young man died in 1971. I have requested his obit, and I have the address of one of his relatives. I'll let you know what happens. Randsey Summerford...seems to be listed in the 1910 U.S. Census as Lounzo Summerford / Semmerfort, home Apalachicola, Franklin, Florida, occupation oysterman, age 18 born about 1892 in Georgia, father born in Louisiana but not listed, mother Margaret, 56, born in Georgia, one sister, Gena, same age and birthplace. Photoshop footWhy doesn't his left foot cast a shadow like his right? [It does. - Dave] Smells FishyWhy is this kid the only white person in the frame? In this part of the country, (where I currently live) oystering was usually a family enterprise and it is very odd that a Negro crew would have a white employee (although, not vice-versa). I hope we find out more of backstory because I suspect, the census not withstanding, that Hines [sic] was either mislead [sic] or artfully arranged these people to fit his crusade against child labor. [Hine's caption notation from a different oystering photo: "Mostly negro workers. The boss said, 'We keep only enough whites so we can control the negroes and keep them a-going!' " Below: Another mostly black Apalachicola oyster crew from January 1909. - Dave] Oyster TongsOne thing I can tell you about oyster tonging is it takes a real man to do it all day. When I lived on the Chesapeake Bay in the 60's and 70's I had the opportunity to try my hand at using oyster tongs to harvest oysters....it ain't easy!!! The heavy tongs hinge about where his right hand is and when dropped straight down to the bottom the jaws open about one foot for a spread at the surface of about four feet. After closing the jaws to scrape oysters from the bed the rig is hauled back up and opened to release the oysters on deck. For pussies like you and I it is hard just to do it a few times much less all day. Oystermen have fantastic arm and chest muscles and one thing for sure, don't ever get in a brawl with them...they are as tough as they come. When I went out with friends who were from oystering families they had quite a good-natured laugh at my pathetic attempts to oyster, though I worked out and was fairly active....after a few trips to the bottom and back I was pooped. So think about that when you look at these guys in the picture who had arguably one of the toughest jobs ever. "Oyster Boy" indeed! OysterboyThis is Joe Manning, of the Lewis Hine Project. You can see my story of this boy at this link: http://morningsonmaplestreet.com/2015/01/18/ramsey-summerford/ Tough OystermenTo further Anonymous Tipster's point from 2008, the young men who worked the oyster boats in Apalachicola, Florida, were indeed tough. I lived in that wonderful town for about five years in the mid-1960s and Chapman High's football team was consistently much better than others in their class. Considering how small that school was, it was remarkable. I always chalked that up to the work many of those young men did on oyster boats. Their upper-body strength was uncanny. --Jim (The Gallery, Boats & Bridges, Florida, Kids, Lewis Hine)
Pullman Palace: 1901
... most contentious labor events in American history, when workers, led by Eugene V. Debs, went on strike against George Pullman and his ... national commission that criticized Pullman's treatment of workers as "un-American." Labor Day was established the same year. It was ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 06/14/2022 - 11:27am -

Circa 1901. "Water tower and shops entrance -- Pullman Palace Car Co., Pullman, Ill's." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Photographic Company. View full size. Pullman strikeIt's ironic that this shot of a major industrial center shows just one lonely person peering from a high-up window. Seven years earlier, this spot was the center of one of the most contentious labor events in American history, when workers, led by Eugene V. Debs, went on strike against George Pullman and his company town. Boycotts and violence spread, federal troops were called in, and Debs went to prison. President Grover Cleveland, who sent the troops, later appointed a national commission that criticized Pullman's treatment of workers as "un-American." Labor Day was established the same year. It was set in September to try to distance American labor from more radical movements that in 1889 had designated May 1 as International Workers' Day. This preceded by a few years --the "Pullman Finger" gag. Hold the ornamentSolon Spencer Beman, with his relatively unadorned (for the time) designs, might have seemed an unlikely architectural partner, for Pullman - whose lavish car interiors were likened to cuckoo clocks - but nevertheless a favorite he was ... obtaining not only the commission for the townsite shown here, but also the office/apartment building in the Loop. All have gone the way of the Pullman car itself. (Note: the building on the right - with the ginormous double-hung windows! - appears to have been the home of the famous Corliss Engine) Water and smokeWe see a lot of water towers in vintage photos. I presume their purpose is to supply pressurized water. However why would smoke be coming out of the top of the tower? [It's not. - Dave] re: Water and smokeThe water tower is the tall building in the center. (The Gallery, DPC, Factories, Railroads)
Rosie Takes a Break: 1942
... - every time you run one of these pictures of women war workers I end up falling in love with women who were born before my 78-year-old ... "every time you run one of these pictures of women war workers I end up falling in love with women who were born before my 78-year-old ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/27/2012 - 12:26pm -

October 1942. "Noontime rest for an assembly worker at the Long Beach, Calif., plant of Douglas Aircraft Company. Nacelle parts for a heavy bomber form the background." View full size. 4x5 Kodachrome transparency by Alfred Palmer. Is that...the same girl as in the picture titled "Madonna of the sandbags"? [It is indeed. - Dave] The SocksAnd I love the red socks! The perfect touch for the photo, just like Nat'l Geographic used to do (still does?), a bit of red in every image. WowAfter all the comments on differing ideas of feminine beauty, this picture is a stunner! You ought to put it in the pretty girls gallery. The coloursThe vibrancy of the colours in this picture are an advertisement for Kodachrome, even if there's been work done on them. The vibrancy of the blues and the reds, not to mention the colour of her blouse - absolutely stunning. And she ain't bad either - every time you run one of these pictures of women war workers I end up falling in love with women who were born before my 78-year-old mother. I'll second that"every time you run one of these pictures of women war workers I end up falling in love with women who were born before my 78-year-old mother." Absolutely. These womenfolk are examples of true, timeless beauty. Amazing ClarityAlthough everyone rightly raves about the colors from these old Kodachromes, what amazes me is the absolute clarity of the pictures even when viewed full size. This is an aspect of the large format (4x5) combined with, I'm sure, some very expensive glass. I can't even imagine what the megapixel equivalent would be, if you could even get this clarity with a digital camera. (The Gallery, Kodachromes, Alfred Palmer, Pretty Girls, WW2)
The Enormous Radio Factory: 1925
... There doesn't appear to be any heavy machinery. Were the workers allowed to talk to each other? Probably not. Is there any written or ... an hour. - Dave] Factory work Factory workers seem to get themselves into a routine and they work and talk to each ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/31/2012 - 3:42am -

The Atwater Kent radio factory in Philadelphia circa 1925. 8x10 glass negative, National Photo Company Collection, Library of Congress. View full size. The Enormous RadioFascinating! The Enormous RadioGood title. And one of my favorite short stories. Enormous Is RightThat is one big room, and it engenders a lot of questions. I haven't got the patience to do it, but maybe someone can attempt to count the number of people in there. Who can estimate the square footage and the height? What were the noise levels? There doesn't appear to be any heavy machinery. Were the workers allowed to talk to each other? Probably not. Is there any written or spoken history of this place? [Plenty of history if you Google Atwater Kent factory. The company's 32-acre plant at 5000 Wissahickon Avenue in North Philadelphia was sold to Philco in 1936. One of its gigantic buildings still stands (below). - Dave] PerspectiveWhile my wife gripes a lot about her job (runs a museum), these kind of photos really make me appreciate my comparatively cushy job (software developer). The Hine photos even more so. I just can’t imagine doing this kind of work all day every day. They do existOMG. A plus-sized woman! I don't know where some people get the notion that everyone was thin back in those days. Sure obesity might not have been as rampant, but there have always been fat people. What's on the Schedule?Can anyone zoom in and see what that sign says? I'd like to see what they had planned for the day's quota! [The goal seems to have been 440 (radios?) an hour. - Dave] Factory work Factory workers seem to get themselves into a routine and they work and talk to each other. I notice that most of these women do not appear to be unhappy. I worked in a electronics factory (maintenance supervisor) and my wife worked on the line. The women had a good time together and could do their jobs without thinking too much about it.They talked and passed the time with gossip etc. I still work in a factory that makes automotive parts and the workers are much the same even today. Factory work is not so bad and it generally pays a little better than retail. AK AssemblyThe women are making air-core inductors, basically a big roll of copper wire. Still used in electronics. (Technology, The Gallery, Factories, Natl Photo, Philadelphia)
Sulphur Kisses: 1907
... the oculus window. Then we have two rowdy office workers. We can only imagine what sort of things they're yelling down at ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 11/18/2022 - 1:49pm -

Hartford, Connecticut, 1907. "Hartford Life Insurance Co." Home to Duggan & Co. Druggists, purveyors of Moxie, and Sulphur & Molasses Kisses. 8x10 inch glass negative. View full size. Sulphur and molasses was the dose. At least, that's what the song says. Everyone knows that Moxie cures paralysis, softening of the brain, nervousness, and insomnia. That's what the label once claimed. What are the benefits of sulphur and molasses? New titleThis photo should be titled (you've got to sing it), "Standing on the corner, watching all the ghosts walk by". Sounds grossI'll have to wash that kiss down with a slug or two of Moxie. Meanwhile I spy with my little eye, my maiden name on one of the signs ... although my people hail from Louisiana and not Connecticut, so, no relation. Hint: it's near Spear. Made you look. XL Center The Hartford Life building is long gone, formerly residing on the block now occupied by the XL Center (formerly Hartford Civic Center) built in 1975. The building was on the corner of Asylum and Ann Streets. Ann Street was renamed Ann Uccello Street in 2008 after Hartford's (and Connecticut's) first woman mayor, who took office in 1967. Mayor Uccello is still with us having celebrated her 100th birthday last May. Their "A" gameAs in the corner of Asylum (foreground) and Ann Streets. The cars don't stop at this corner anymore. (Well, they've stopped everywhere in Hartford, actually.) The building was a member of the class of '95 - voted "best looking", perhaps? - but didn't quite make it to the 70th reunion: by then known as the Lincoln Building, it was destroyed by a fire in 1963. (Ironic? Perhaps, but note it was the home of Hartford Life, not the Hartford Fire Insurance company.) At ten cents per boxI'll try (almost) anything once. Well,"What are the benefits of sulphur and molasses?" -- of the two, molasses smells better. Spears are from Kentwood but McManuses are everywhere To Miss McManus: There are a few McManuses down here. I was friends with "Mackie" McManus in Ponchatoula. She'd be 68 but I believe she's passed on. And my 3rd grade teacher in 1963 was a Mrs. McManus in Metairie! A dime ain’t what it used to beIf you bought something for 10 cents in 1913 (earliest data in the inflation calculator), it would cost three bucks today. Sulphur & Molasses for a long life.Growing up in the 1960's, our neighbors the Surette sisters lived well into their 90s. They attributed their longevity to eating sulphured molasses on bread. Smile!Instead of being at their assigned workstations, we have two young lasses achieving an early photobomb. The action is up topThis beaux-arts beauty was not lacking embellishment. My eye is drawn to all the detail in and under the cornice. The date of construction is up there, 189 ... I'm guessing the last digit is 4. Each garland swag is occupied by two cherubs. My favorite piece is the lion's mouth straining to hold up the ornament around the oculus window. Then we have two rowdy office workers. We can only imagine what sort of things they're yelling down at pedestrians. (The Gallery, DPC, Stores & Markets)
« first‹ prev…3 [4]5…next ›last »
Syndicate content  Shorpy.com is a vintage photography site featuring thousands of high-definition images. The site is named after Shorpy Higginbotham, a teenage coal miner who lived 100 years ago. Contact us | Privacy policy | Accessibility Statement | Site © 2024 Shorpy Inc.