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Mrs. Baker: 1918
... on her trusty keywind alarm clock. That's some watch That's an unusual wristwatch for a lady. She must work in a test kitchen. The ticker on her wrist That's a regular pocket watch with a leather pouch fitted to it-it's ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/06/2012 - 1:56pm -

Washington, D.C., circa 1918. From a batch of orphaned negatives whose captions are "No caption." Harris & Ewing Collection glass negative. View full size. Bottoms upInteresting that in this woman's neat and tidy kitchen, a bottle opener and corkscrew are hanging on the wall. I'd have thought "Mrs. Baker" would have those gadgets nicely tucked away in a drawer somewhere. Big Time That's not exactly a dainty wristwatch Mrs. Baker is wearing. I wonder if it is some sort of kitchen timer or has other special functions. And, should it fail, Mrs. B can fall back on her trusty keywind alarm clock. That's some watchThat's an unusual wristwatch for a lady. She must work in a test kitchen. The ticker on her wristThat's a regular pocket watch with a leather pouch fitted to it-it's ideal if she has trouble seeing a more dainty piece. Also, it'll probably be able to run longer between servicing, because the tolerances aren't going to be as close as a smaller movement. As for the items hanging on the wall, there looks to be a funnel hanging there too, and it strikes me that maybe it was easier to keep those items in easy reach. Her kitchen may not have much drawer space (mine has three drawers, and none are easy to get to when you are working at the kitchen table.) The timeless Mrs. BakerIf you cropped out the shelves on the right with their circa-1918 packages, it would be hard to pin this woman down to a specific decade. She has a sturdy, sensible countenance. what time is it ?Ok her watch says around 11;15 OR SO THE CLOCK SAYS 10;20 MAYBE THE TIME PIECE ON HER WRIST WAS A TIMER FOR BAKING ? [Redrum! REDRUM! - Dave] 20 Mule-Team20 Mule-Team Borax on the shelf -- only 50 years until Ronald Reagan peddles it on "Death Valley Days." Borax?I wonder why the borax was in the kitchen. It's sometimes used as an insecticide, but it's not something you would usually keep with the tea and spices. [It's soap. - Dave] The door opens toward herHow on earth will she escape that corner? Home EconomicsThis lady is a dead ringer for my former boss, who comes from a long line of home economics teachers. I'm going to have to forward this to her and see if it's her great-grandmother or something. In the meantime, I'll just sit here and silently covet those enameled canisters. BoraxYes they do still make Borax; I couldn't have survived potty training my toddler without it. The laundry portion of it, come on people... WhippersnapperyRonald Reagan didn't take over Death Valley Days hosting until 1965 or so. To us Phase One baby boomers, Death Valley and 20-Mule Team Borax will always mean The Old Ranger, played by Stanley Andrews. Borax and other neat stuff20 Mule Team Borax is now produced by Dial Corp., along with other wonderful household stuff. Dial soap was started by the Armour meatpacking company then sold to Greyhound Bus Lines as a way to diversify business in the 1960's. Right after Dial sold off Greyhound they purchased the Boraxo and 20 Mule Team products. Funny how some things are related. Borax-4-lifeThere's a reason they still make 20-Mule-Team Borax: The stuff is amazing! I mostly use it to scrub counters and clean the bathtub, it removes stains like a dream without bleach. And the box has a ton of other uses for it. It's great if you are trying to have a greener kitchen. Ladies like Mrs. Baker probably knew that the only things you really need to clean properly are borax and white vinegar. ManlyShe has a rather manly look, doesn't she? Even her hands look masculine. Egg Beaters and BoraxI have an egg beater much like the one laying on the pastry board, from my father if you can believe it. And I haven't seen 20 Mule Team Borax in I don't know how long. Do they still make the stuff? Wristwatch fadThe big ticker might have been an early attempt at keeping up with the Joneses, given that wristwatches took off in a major way with WWI, all those dashing fellows in airplanes and submarines found them much easier to use in tight quarters and they rapidly turned into a fashion-statement. What's cookin'?This is a lovely, intriguing photo. I wish I knew what she was making and what the rest of her kitchen looked like. She looks like someone you'd like to have for a neighbor. For ErzsiI think you might have confused boric acid with borax since I do know some people used boric acid sprinkled on the floor as an insecticide. They also used it for washing babies eyes and other uses which are now VERBOTEN as that stuff can be dangerous and poisonous. My mom used it to clean wounds (also NOT recommended). No wonder I turned out all warped and twisted. (The Gallery, D.C., Harris + Ewing, Kitchens etc.)
First Aid: 1919
... Company Collection glass negative. View full size. Watch Out Being that it’s 1919, it’s odd that the guy on the right has a ... only practical way in which they can wear them is on the wrist, where the time can be ascertained readily, an impossibility with the old ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/11/2023 - 6:30pm -

Washington, D.C. (vicinity), circa 1919. "Giving first aid." National Photo Company Collection glass negative. View full size. Watch OutBeing that it’s 1919, it’s odd that the guy on the right has a wristwatch on. [Um, no it's not. - Dave]         “The telephone and signal service, which play important parts in modern warfare, have made the wearing of watches by soldiers obligatory,” the New York Times observed in 1916, two years into World War I. “The only practical way in which they can wear them is on the wrist, where the time can be ascertained readily, an impossibility with the old style pocket watch.” Triplets?The three men look so similar in face and haircuts my first thought is could they be triplets? My second notion is that I would not expect to find in a circa 1919 photo a woman dressed in short shorts and spaghetti strap top. [Indeed. - Dave] Instructions"It says here in the book to push his face in the dirt to absorb the water from his lungs." WatchesMy grandmother was a nurse from late WWI and into the Spanish Flu epidemic. She was given a watch by a doctor so that she could take the pulse of the soldiers that she was taking care of. When she left nursing, she was able to keep it. Forty years later, when I was 12, she gave it to me. I ended up losing it. I didn't understand what a loss it was until many years later. (The Gallery, D.C., Medicine, Natl Photo)
Rockaway Bungalows: 1910
... a few blocks up in a rooming house. It was very sad to watch as these homes burned to the ground. Such a day-gone-by era. Beach ... a neighbor's dog that I wanted to play with, and broke my wrist on broken concrete. Today, one would sue the owner. Back then, we just ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/04/2012 - 3:56am -

Vacation bungalow colony at Rockaway, Queens, c. 1910. View full size. George Grantham Bain Collection. Note "front yards" of sand decorated with seashells. Sand in QueensI wonder if any of the buildings are still standing. Since they are tract of small bungalows, I wonder what company supplied that lot for workers to live in. Sand in...Queens?! Wow. [Never heard of Rockaway Beach? - Dave] BungalowsWere these for living or vacation rentals? They sure are cute. Does anyone know how far from the water they were? Rockaway[Never heard of Rockaway Beach? - Dave] Well I've heard of Rockaway Beach here in Oregon. :) Re: BungalowsThe were seasonal at first. More info at the Beachside Bungalow Preservation Association: By the 1920s, Rockaway Beach was the poor man's Riviera. It had a six-mile long boardwalk lined with amusements, and thousands flocked to the beach every summer weekend. Many families rented tents for the entire season, while those a little more affluent rented small bungalows. The concept of the bungalow in America was well established by this time as they were built for summer communities on both coasts. The plans could be purchased from catalogues and were designed in numerous styles. This last remaining bungalow colony was built by Richard Bainbridge in the 1920s. The one and a half story houses all have front porches and pitched roofs. The design and style vary from street to street. Some of the bungalows are in a Spanish Revival style of stucco with wood trim and green the roofs, and others are in an English Tudor of brick. Lacking heat, they were closed for the winter months. The lanes leading to the beach have permanent easements for common access. As development pressures change the Rockaways, this small district has become endangered. But it would be appropriate to preserve and restore this remnant of past summer amusements. The yards are super.The yards are super. Send the kids down to the beach to bring back sea shells to decorate with! Talk about a family project. Rockaway BungalowsI'm pretty sure these are not there anymore. In fact Rockaway Beach today is quite run-down. If you take the A Train out there, these must have been between the tracks and the water, where there are now streets with no houses. Only weeds. Sadly, most of theseSadly, most of these bungalows are gone, as Doug points out above. There are only a few left, and they face demolition by developers who want to turn the Rockaways into yet another bland housing development. These were vacation homes for folks in Manhattan and the other boros, not company houses for factory workers. How close were they to the beach? How does less than a city block sound? In the Rockaways, as at Coney, Manhattan, Brighton, and other New York City beaches, the streets are set up perpendicular to the beach and are only a few blocks long. The last block actually ends at the boardwalk. Across the boardwalk is the beach. The Ramones were from the Rockaways. Beach 29th streetMy family rented a bungalow on Beach 29th street until I was around 12 years old. As soon as school was over, my parents would pack up a van and off we went until Labor Day. It was the most amazing summers of my life. No locks on doors, showers in the backyard, fireworks Wednesday nights. My parents belonged to a group called FROGS- Far Rockaway Ocean Goers. The Bungalow owners, Mr. and Mrs. Herman, would let my Dad come before the season to fish. The last time I was there was about 36 years ago. It was so sad to see the destruction of these amazing bungalows. Ours was white and green, and all the furniture inside was painted a sticky tacky gray. My Grandma and Nana lived a few blocks up in a rooming house. It was very sad to watch as these homes burned to the ground. Such a day-gone-by era. Beach 29th StreetHi! I am very curious exactly where on 29th Street the bungalow was. I lived on 29th just off Seagirt Blvd. It was a year 'round dwelling. The area was VERY crowded during the summer and VERY empty from after Labor Day until Memorial Day. Do you have any pictures from there? I would love to see them! Thanks, Marc Far Rockaway refugee now living in Bayside, NY Rockaway BungalowsThere was nothing better than spending the summer in Rockaway. Most of your family members rented bungalows in the court. Everyone was out every night. The beach was just a few steps away. Fathers came out only for the weekends, even if you lived in Queens... Beach 107 StreetMy aunts, grandmother and uncle would whisk us away to Rockaway the minute school closed for the summer. We would stop at Weiss's for fish and chips, then drive over the old Cross Bay Boulevard bridge and see the top of the roller coaster and the ocean beyond. In a few minutes we would be at our bungelow in Highland Court, the second one in. We thought we had arrived since we had a hot water heater. It was a great place for kids to grow up. Every day my sister and I would open the window with the sun shining down on us. We would get into our bathing suits and run to the beach, riding the waves until we were dragged out by our relatives. Beach 106 StreetBetween 1951 and 1958 or so I stayed with my good friend Donald Sullivan and his family in bungalows on Beach 106 Street. I don't remember the court name - if it had one. I do seem to remember Highland Court but this was centuries ago and memory may play tricks. Sand in QueensA similar group of bungalows still exists in the Breezy Point Coop and Roxbury in Queens. Many have been expanded and converted to year round use now, though some are still used only for the season. They refer to Breezy Point and Roxbury as the "Irish Riviera" due to the strong Irish presence. B. 29th bungalowsI know EXACTLY where you were. My grandmother too had a bungalow, about 5-6 before the boardwalk ramp. They were on the left side, because on the right side was a parking lot or a building (I can't remember it exactly). But up the block was two hotels - the Regency and another one. They were both owned by the same people - Mr. and Mrs. Hecht, german/lithuanian-jewish folks. If you remember, there was a wooden bridge that connected the two buildings, and the courtyard was shared by the two. The showers were both underneath the front of the buildings behind the, lattice and then common showers/bathrooms in the hallways. There was one public phone on each floor and a television on each floor. When my grandmother could no longer stay in the bungalow (either they were sold, torn down or condemned), she went into the Regency Hotel. She was in the basement which was very cool in the summer. They dodn't need air conditioning. The last party of the season was Mardi Gras. My grandmother, being on the heavy side, loved to wear blackface makeup and put her hair up with a tied kerchief - she was "Aunt Jemima." I only wish I had a place like 29th street to bring up my children in the summers. We ended up renting cabanas in Atlantic Beach from when they were little, then moved to Atlantic Beach, but retained memberships at the beach club. We can't get the sand out of our shoes! Belle Harbor's Bungalows I was searching for a picture of Weiss's Restaurant and stumbled across this site. I found one taken before the war, but was hoping to find one more recently, like late 1950s or early 60s. Looking at the group of bungalows, there were similar ones along the beach 2 rows deep at B129th Street in Belle Harbor, Rockaway. They looked very similar to the ones in the pics if memory serves. I was there last year and although they still occupy the same footprint, most have either been completely reconstructed or torn down and replaced with more modern ones. I recall every summer going to the beach and seeking out the "city" kids here for a few weeks. We made lots of new friends every summer. Then there were the bungalows out on RockyPoint/BreezyPoint. My mother spent her childhood summers, probably right there in that picture. Her parents owned their own bungalow. I have a picture of it from around 1941. Mom's 83 and I'll have to print this off and show it to her. Maple Court, Beach 28th st.I've been searching for info on Far Rockaway. I've been strolling down memory lane thinking about my wonderful summers there. My family rented, and we stayed for a total of five summers. The last two were in Maple Court, which, I believe, was on beach 26th or 28th Street. Before that we were in B Court and A Court on 28th. I agree with the posters who spoke of these summers as paradise! I felt truly free there. And yes, nothing was locked up. There was no schedule to keep. Just pure fun. My last summer there was in 1969. I remember this because of the moon landing. We returned home from the fireworks display on the beach and watched it on TV. My grandparents owned a fruit store on the main street, and they stayed at a wonderful hotel called the Manor. My happiest memories from my childhood are from Far Rockaway. Maple Court bungalowMy family purchased a bungalow at 29 Maple Court in 1969 when I was 9 years old. I too had the greatest memories there. We took so much for granted thinking everyone lived as we did. Now I realize how lucky we were back then. Being able to stroll down the street to the boardwalk, watching the fireworks Wednesday nights, and winning prizes at the arcade games are fond memories. Do you remember the pizza shop on the corner? Because the bungalows were so small and cozy, to this day I prefer smaller spaces. Thanks for letting me relive those memories for just a short time. The EmbassyWe stayed in the Embassy on 29th Street (right next to the ramp to the beach). Many of my friends were in the bungalow courts between 28th and 29th. We stopped going in 1967 but those were the best times -- those summers were magical. My husband and I went back in 1998. There is a school where the Embassy used to be and nothing much else. I went down to the beach and I cried. Who were your grandparents?Carolyn, my parents owned the Manor at 2400 Seagirt Blvd (beach 24st). My last summer on Rockaway Beach was 1967 just before I entered the Army. My parents and I moved to South Florida shortly there after. I was 6 miles from the DMZ in Vietnam when we landed on the moon. Fruit storeCarolyn, if memory serves (pretty fuzzy by now), your grandparents were the Lebowitzes. The fruit store was on Edgemere Avenue just off Beach 24 next to Willy's Market. If I am right, I am amazed. The EmbassyMy family had a bungalow on B29th Street on "the ramp" from the 1950s until around 1970. I got thrown out of the Embassy by the owner because we didn't live there. I bought ice cream at the candy store under the porch of the hotel. I saw the school, it was a bummer. I remember Lenny's, skee ball, Jerry's knishes, Sally & Larry's pizza, movies on the boardwalk, Dugan the baker, softball games, basketball in the parking lot. I used to sell lemonade to the ball players on hot days. Memories ... I remember a girl named Cherie or Sherry. She had a boyfriend, Arnie. I used to hang out with Arnie's brother Marvin. lmc2222@aol.com Far RockawayI also have childhood reminiscences of Far Rockaway. My family lived in a small bungalow rented for a group of Russians in 1970s (yep, I am Russian, living in Moscow now). I was 3 or 4 years old at that time, so I do not remember much. What I know is that these are one of the brightest memories of my early childhood. My pa said the house was really small. I do not know what street it was on, or if it still exists. What matters are the snapshots of my memory: me sitting on a porch on a rocking chair, and the arches of the porches, of the same form and shape, go all the way down to the ocean. Me playing in sand, building garages for toy trucks, with other children running from waves that seemed - wow - so really huge. And above all and around all, the salty smell of Atlantic, which is different from any other seaside smell. Great pity the place is devastated today. Hope that everyone who has ever had good times in Far Rock keeps his own memory snapshots of the place, where it looks as it really should. Fruit StorePeter, you have an incredible memory! My grandparents were the Leibowitzes. That's such a specific memory. Did you know them personally? I would love to hear about any memories you have of them or the store. Were you a child at the time? The EmbassyCheri, I can understand your crying. I went back many years ago and was also upset to see the area so demolished. At that time, it seemed the only bungalow left standing belonged to a lady we were all so afraid of on Maple court. She seemed to hate kids (probably we just annoyed her mercilessly!). But going back as an adult, I saw her situation quite differently. The bungalow was all she had, and so she stayed there while everything around her seemed to be destroyed. Maple Court BungalowLillian, we must have known each other since we were there at the same time, and we were around the same age. I was in the first bungalow on the right, facing the main street. You might remember the pile of junk in front of the house (left by the owner, which we were waiting for them to take away!) Where in the court were you? I remember a girl named Elena, and a boy everybody had a crush on named Eddie. The ManorWow... your parents owned the Manor! What an interesting and exciting experience that must have been. If I recall correctly, there were an eccentric bunch of characters staying there. Carolyn! What a great happening!Hi Carolyn, Glad you found me on Facebook. Your ability to put me together with my earlier Shorpy post was remarkable, so I am posting this for the benefit of "Shorpy page readers." Your recollections and mine from the 1960's certainly attest to how great having the internet and pages like Shorpy's are. (Shorpy..thank you!) The fact that I remembered your grandparents is somewhat unique cause I can't remember anyone else's grandparents from way back then, other then mine. I must have really liked them and was destined to cross your path again. I remember sitting and talking with them on porch of the Manor in one of those green rocking chairs. They were "grandparent" types, had a European accent like most grandparents back then, and easy to be comfortable with. Just to put things into focus, I am now 63. That was back when I was 16 or 17 and younger, but your grandparents returned to the Manor for quite a few summers in the 1960s. How could I have remembered your grandparents' name? I too am amazed and flabbergasted. Memories of Far RockawayYes, this website is truly wonderful for allowing us to stroll down memory lane and recall the sights, smells and feel of Far Rockaway... and what an extra treat for me to find someone who actually knew my grandparents. Thank you Shorpy's for allowing us this exchange of information and memories... and thank you Peter for your kindness and your very sharp memory! Far RockawayMy sister directed me to this site. We stayed in the Jefferson Hotel, right between Beach 29th and 30th, next to the Frontenac. My good friend Faye's grandparents, the Kratkas, owned the Embassy and both Faye and I worked the concession stand which her parents ran. The memories of the boardwalk are still strong. Not only did we have the luxury of a fantastic beach at our doorstep, we also had nighttime fun. Cruising up and down the boardwalk -- eating pizza at Sally & Larry's, or Takee Cup (originally called Tuckee Cup until the owners got disgusted of painting out the alternate name it always received over the winter months) and listening to Eddie, with his ever-present songbook, sing requests. All added up to good, clean fun. I left in 1968, went back from time to time, but haven't been back in years. Unfortunately, you can see enough from Google Earth. My two auntsMy father's two aunts had a bungalow in Rockaway Beach in the late 50's early 60's. It had flowered wallpaper and a musty smell, but it was the most interesting home I have ever been in. I was allowed to leave and explore without my mother's glare. I cannot tell you what food we ate there. I have no memory of meals which is odd. I do remember being bitten by my aunt's dog, which scared me for a long time. I think their names were Bernice and Ruth Cohan. If you have any thing to share please do. thanks, Mary Donaldson neversynvr@aol.com Twin HousesThe houses with the bridge were known as "the twin houses", possibly the Claremore & Edgewater, both owned by the Hechts. I spent the happiest summers of my life there! Like Cheri, I've wanted to return, but haven't as I know how sad it would be. Better to revisit in memory, sometimes in dreams. I probably know Cheri (from Arnie & the Joey days) and Les rings a bell, as does singing Eddie... Marcy Sand in my shoes on Beach 107thMy mother's family went to Beach 107th in the summers of 1917 through 1929. After the Depression hit they couldn't afford it. I still have photos of that period. In 1951 our family went down to the Rockaways and rented a bungalow for the season. The courts I remember were Almeida and Holmenhurst. My dad came only for the weekends, arriving Friday evening. The first thing he did was put on his trunks and head for the beach with me. When he hit the ocean you could see all his cares and worries leave. At night the parents would gather on the porches and play cards, drink a Tom Collins or have a beer and just have a good time. As a 10-year-old I wondered what was so much fun doing this every weekend. It occurred to me many years ago that boy, did they have it made. Sitting on a porch with a nice summer drink, a cool ocean breeze along with good friends to talk with and play cards with. Life was so laid-back and simple then. Does anyone remember the doughnut shop Brindle's or the bakery Dudie's? What about Nat's Ice cream shop, where you could get a walk-away sundae. Bill's Deli had the best salads and cold cuts. Wonderful summers that will always keep me warm in the winters of my aging mind. Beach 28th Street & A B and C CourtsI too remember the pizzaria on the corner of Beach 28th street. I remember my friends Randy, Shmealy, Risa, Brenda and Jody. I don't remember Shmealy's given name, but I remember he was hyperactive and a lot of fun. Made up a song from the commercials of the time for Halo Shampoo. "Halo Sham-poo poo, Ha-a-lo! Jodi's mom didn't want me hanging around Jody because I blinked my eyes too much. Oh well. HEY: Jody from Beach 29th street who wrote a post here on 11/12/2007 - I wonder if you're the Jody I remember!? I hung around with Risa a lot. I still have a photo of us and my dog Suzie on the porch of my Bungalow. I once disappeared into the Courts of Beach 28th street while walking my dog. I ended up talking to a boy for 2 hours, not knowing my parents had called the police and had an all-out search for me. My father finally found me. I was the talk of the town that day! I hope someone remembers these people or IS one of these people, or remembers the lost girl incident and would like to contact me at orangechickens2@aol.com. It would be wonderful to hear from you!! Anyone remember dogball?My dad wrote about playing dogball on the beach at 110th Street on his blog at willhoppe.com. I'm going to show him all of your comments later tonight. The BungalowsI was born in Far Rockaway in 1942. I lived there for 16 summers. My dad owned a small grocery on B 28th street. It was the best time of my life. Maple Court faced 28th. To me it was a very exotic place. The renters/owners vacationed there, my dad was a workman. We lived in roominghouses with a bath on the floor. One year I begged my dad to live in Maple Court and we got a small apartment in the back of a bungalow there. The bungalows were the BEST. Rockaway native from HammelsBorn in Rockaway in 1941 at Rockway Beach Hospital. Went to PS 44, JHS 198, Class of '59 from Far Rock. Worked as a locker boy at Roche's Beach Club in Far Rockaway. For two summers I worked in Rockaway Playland. I lived on 90th, where my parents rented out the bungalow in the back of our house every summer. My father at the end of his years as a waiter worked in Weiss's dining room, and the Breakers restaurant on 116th Street. I met my wife in 1965 at McNulty's on 108th Street. She was from Woodhaven and Breezy Point. We got married in '68. I am writing this on the back deck as we are still enjoying the summer weather here at Breezy. We both still have sand in our shoes. Our 1940s summersA group of Bronx families spent the summers of the early '40s in a few bungalows. Sundays the working fathers would appear for a community breakfast. We celebrated V-J Day with a parade on the boardwalk. Takee Cup was a part of our diet. A noodle cup to be eaten after the chow mein was devoured. The ultimate hand held food treat. Beach 25th StreetI grew up in Far Rockaway in the 1960s and 70s. We lived in the Bronx and rented every summer on Beach 32nd Street (now two big apartment buildings -- Seaview Towers). When I was 9 or 10, we moved to Beach 25th year-round. The summers were great -- we didn't wear shoes most of the time. Every Friday night, "Bingo Al" held a game in the court behind the bungalows, between 25th and 26th. One summmer he had a "Chinese auction" and dressed up in an oriental robe and Fu Manchu mustache and beard. Many of the residents got seltzer water delivered in bottles at their back porch. They would gather in the evenings out in front of the bungalows and talk and joke. I would lie in my bed, with my ear pressed against the window screen, trying to listen, and also trying to stay cool -- no air conditioning. Sol "The Cantor" Gerb would play his little electric organ as people sipped their drinks, chatted or played cards. It was like a different world from the rest of New York. I read where one commenter talked about the bungalows rented for the Russians. This was on Beach 24th Street. They worked at the United Nations and rented a block of bungalows. Every Monday morning passenger vans would show up to take them to work at the UN. We played with the Russian kids. They were a good bunch. I stayed over at one of their bungalows and we had crepes for breakfast. I had no idea what crepes were! I learned to play chess, as the Russians were crazy about it. I recall one time when members of the Jewish Defense League blew up a small BMW belonging to one of the Russians. The news came out and I was in the background, behind the reporter. A sad time for Far Rockaway. One of the amazing things was the backgrounds of the bungalow residents -- former concentration camp prisoners, Russians, Irish, Jews, some Italians and Greeks, but we all got along so well. A great place to grow up! At the FrontenacMy family spent summers at the Frontenac from the late 40s until 1957. When I describe it to my daughter, I have to confess it was really more like a boardinghouse. My mother, father and I shared a room that was also the kitchen. Bathroom on the floor, showers were out back for when you came back from the beach. It was great community. Juke box for dancing, card room for gin and mah jongg and the television on the porch. I loved Jerry's cherry cheese knishes. I remember the movie theater on the boardwalk in the 30's (it could barely be called indoors) I bought the News and Mirror off the delivery trucks for 2 or 3 cents and sold them for a nickel. My parents would pay the guy who ran the first aid station under the boardwalk to hold our beach chairs overnight so we wouldn't have to "schlep" them back and forth. We played softball on the blacktop parking lot on 29th street right off the boardwalk. My wife, who I did not know then, stayed with a friend's family in a bungalow on 29th street. I think her best memory was playing Fascination. Best summers everI used to stay at my grandmother's bungalow on B 28th st. in the mid to late 60s. Those were the very best summers ever! Walking just a few yards to the boardwalk and beach, pizza from the store on the corner, hanging with Howie and the crowd there. Playing Fascination for a dime, huge french fries in those cone cups. If anyone knows the whereabouts of Howie Young I'd love to get in touch with him. My email is belongtoyou@hotmail.com Hugh McNulty Hotel, Rockaway BeachI am trying to learn about Hugh McNulty's Hotel. I am not sure what street it was on, but there was also a bar in it. Hugh was my mum's uncle and her father came to stay with him and work for him. The time period may have been 1924-1930. I know the hotel was still in operation in 1953, as my grandmother visited him at that time. Any help is appreciated. libtech50@comcast.net Edgemere memoriesMy family lived many places in the Edgemere section of Far Rockaway (I don't know the exact boundaries of Edgemere, if there were any), but my memories centered on Beach 48th Way and Beach 48th Street. Fantastic place to spend the summers and escape the hell of the South Bronx. I had wonderful Jewish friends and I worried that they would go to hell because they weren't Catholic. Now I laugh as such perverted theology, but back then it was serious stuff. I loved the beach, the ocean, the starts, the jetties, playing every group game known to humans, going over the the "bay side" to play softball with the "project people" -- those who lived beyond the marshes and spent the winter there. No doubt about it, the best part of my childhood was Rockaway. Too bad it was taken away from us and to my knowledge, still is just a bunch of sand with no houses where we used to live, right near the boardwalk. Beach 48th Way, RockawayIn the early 1960s there were two brothers that were lifeguards when my family was there, Dennis and Tom Fulton. Anyone remember them? Also there was a man named Warren who would feed pigeons at the end of the block every day. My parents would rent a bungalow in the summer months to get us out of Brooklyn for awhile. Great memories. Rockaway, a kid's dreamI remember growing up in Rockaway. We had two boarding houses on Beach 114th Street. When my mom was a kid, Carroll O'Connor, his mom and brother Frank stayed with them. He returned to see my parents back in the mid-eighties and I received one of his last e-mails before he died. I worked my way bartending at Fitzgerald's on Beach 108th and Sullivan's on Beach 116th (1967-1970). You could leave the house at 7 years old, walk to the beach without crossing the street and never had to worry one bit. The neighbors looked out for everone's children. Great memories and thanks to Shorpy for an incredible site. Brilliant job! Cohen's CourtThe picture above is very much how I remember the bungalow court where my parents rented in the summers of the early 1950s. I think my mom said it was Cohen's Court. Ours was at the end of the court on the left. I don't remember too much, I was really little. But I think there was a center row of garden where parents hid treats for us to hunt. I remember a corner candy store we kids could walk to and my mom confiscating a tube of plastic bubbles I bought. I guess she thought the fumes would get me high or something. There was a little girl across the court who would stand on her porch in a towel and flash us once in a while. And I have a memory of being on the beach with my parents, I in the sand and my mom in a beach chair, and my dad taking me into the water. I went back with my parents in the early 60s because they were thinking about renting it again. But it was so musty and dirty and ramshackle that they decided against it. I had a girl friend with me and I have to say I was embarrassed about the way the place looked and smelled. Too bad, that bungalow was a great summer getaway for a working class family from Brooklyn. Elisa on B 29thWas your grandma named Bessie? I lived in the Claremar, one of the twin houses, and I remember her. Did you have a brother too? My sister, parents, grandmother and baby brother and I all lived in two rooms in the basement. I remember Crazy Eddie and his huge black book of songs. Tina and Elise ... Elliot ... Donna ... Jackie ... smiling in memory! Palace HotelThe last place my family stayed at for quite a few years was the Palace Hotel on Beach 30th Street right near the boardwalk. Those were the days my friend. All the arcades and food places on the boardwalk, Cinderella Playland for the little kiddies, the Good Humor man , Ralph was his name. Life was simple. No internet, cell phones or video games yet we had great times and wonderful memories. We played board games and cards and rode our bikes. The guys played baseball in the parking lot adjacent to the Palace Hotel. The team was a mix of every race and ethnicity and everyone managed to get along and looked forward to playing together the next Summer. The beach was the best. Dads could go to work and come back every day rather than only on weekends as they do in the Catskills. Such a shame that this no longer exists. The last summer I went there for a few weekends was in 1976. The JeffersonMy grandparents rented a place in the Jefferson for many years. I have great memories of the place, the back stair cases, the porch, and the beach just a short walk away. Does anyone have relatives who stayed there? Rockaway summersI spent virtually every summer till the age of 22 in Rockaway. We stayed on Beach 49th till they knocked them down, then kept moving to the 20's. Best time of my life. My family was unique -- Italians in the Jewish neighborhood and we came in from Jersey! My mom grew up in Brooklyn and her family started coming in the '40s! Wish I could connect with friends from back then. If I sound familiar please let me know. You would be in your mid to late 50s now. Rockaway Beach Bungalows on PBSI received a message, last night, from my girlfriend who stated that "The Bungalows of Rockaway" was on PBS @ 8PM. I started watching at 8:30 and to my surprise I could not stop watching. I was born at Rockaway Beach Hospital and I am a lifer. I never lived in a Bungalow but I have always wanted to purchase one. I was taken aback by the fact that there were at least 6,000 bungalows and now there are approximately 300 (big difference). I also found out in this documentary that there is hope that the bungalows can be landmarked and I hope that it happens. The bungalows are a unique attraction to this area and I hope that the 300 remaining can be preserved. Elisa on B. 29th Street - the hotelsTo Anonymous Tipster on Fri, 08/13/2010 - 3:15am - YES! My grandmother was Bessie. I do remember your family - your grandmother, parents and the little ones. Your mom wore glasses and had blonde hair. She always wore her hair pulled back and up on her head, curlers in the evening. Also, Harry and Dottie lived in a large room in the corner of the basement of the hotel. I have 3 brothers and one sister. My Aunt Rose and Uncle Leo used to come to the hotel as well to visit with Grandma Bessie. Please e-mail me @ medmalnursing@msn.com Sally's Pizza and the Lemon & Orange Ice StandI spent the best summers of my life on Beach 28th Street. Coming from a Bronx apartment, it felt like our own private house. Our own family doctor came out to Rockaway every summer and stayed on Beach 24th Street. I now wonder what happened to his patients during July and August. How come nobody has mentioned Sally's pizza, on the boardwalk around 32nd Street? You couldn't forget Sally-- with her bleached blond hair, tight pants, and backless highheels. Near Sally's was the fresh lemon and orange ice stand with the fruit stacked against the wall. The ices even contained pits. No artificial coloring or corn syrup in those ices. Grandmother's bungalowsMy grandmother owned 10 bungalows on the beach on 35th Street from the 1930s thru the 1950s. They were the ones nearest the water. I loved going to help her get them ready each spring and clean them up each fall. Playing on that wonderful empty beach at those times of year with no one else in sight. We lived in Far Rockaway at 856 Central Ave., so going to the bungalows was not a long trip. Great memories. Mom's RivieraMy mother loved Rockaway so much that we called it "Mother's Riviera." She couldn't have cared less about the beautiful beaches across the ocean in France or Italy, for Rockaway Beach was her greatest joy. We spent many summers in a bungalow court on 109th Street and my grandmother and her sisters also spent their youthful summer days in Rockaway Beach. So our family goes back generations loving Rockaway. Every Memorial Day the court always had a party to celebrate the beginning of summer and the courtyard inhabitants were usually Irish. The courtyard came alive with Irish songs and jigs and reels. Of course, the people of the courtyard always chipped in for a big keg of beer. It was repeated on Labor Day as we all said our goodbyes to our neighbors and to our beloved Rockaway Beach. Saturday nights in Rockaway were spent at the closest Irish bar and some nights the local boys slept under the boardwalk after having a wild time. They always managed to get themselves together for Sunday Mass or otherwise they would get holy hell from their families. Sands of TimeI spent every summer in the Rockaway bungalows from the fifties until the mid eighties when we were forced to leave because of the deteriorating situation. I was a child on Beach 49th and remember George's candy store where you could get a walkaway sundae for 50 cents. Sue, I remember the Fulton brothers, who were lifeguards. Handsome devils, had a crush on Tom when I was 14. Times were safe. There were a thousand kids to play with. We went from 49th, 40th 39th, 38th, 26th and finally 25th Street with my own kids trying to hold on to that wonderful way of life. Unfortunately it disappeared. Some of the best days of our liveswere spent on Beach 25th. When I was 12 (1936) until I was 17, we stayed every summer at my grandmother's at Beach 66th Street. Those were glorious days on the beach. The boardwalk at night was wonderful, too. We played pinball, and games of skill for 5 cents to collect prizes. Bottled soda and ice cream were 5 cents then, too. We used to run up to the boardwalk to eat the delicious knishes. My summers at Far Rockaway were the most unforgettable of my growing up. Tuna fish and bologna sandwiches on a roll never tasted as good as it did at the waterfront. In 1961, when I was married with children, we rented a bungalow on Beach 25th and loved it! It was a rainy summer and we spent a lot of time in Far Rockaway shopping, eating and going to the movies. Every sunny day, however, we quickly rushed to the beach to enjoy it with family and friends. The Jefferson, Beach 30thI stayed with Grandma and Grandpa every summer for years in a small room at ground level. Grandpa would take me to the beach in the morning, then off to the stores on 24th Street. The back patio was for dancing on Saturday night and the concession inside had bingo. The porch! As I grew up to teenager, I met Ronnie Schenkman and family on the second or third floor (used the back staircase). I don't remember where Eleanor stayed. Crazy Eddie and his songs. Hal and his girl of the night. Warm nights and days. Very sexy! As a working girl I still took the RR to Far Rockaway, then the bus to Edgemere. Took my children to visit Grandma when it was becoming sad looking. Then went to the area years later and found a burnt shell with a wicked fence surrounding it. Took pics and had a good cry. We are all lucky that we were able to experience the wonderful warm sun and sultry nights. Belle Harbor BungalowsI think the two rows of Belle Harbor bungalows on Beach 129th to which another person referred were probably the Ocean Promenade Apartments. I have very happy memories of living there in the mid-i950s in the winter. Beach at 37th streetWhat a trip to see all of the these comments. I grew up and lived year round on Beach 37th until 1950, when we moved to Bayside. Takee Cup was a treat as well as the movie theater on the boardwalk, Italian ices and of course the arcade. For a penny you could get great photos of famous cowboys and movie stars. Rockaway in 1958My family spent the summer in Rockaway in 1958. Most of our friends were in the court, but we were outside it on the main street. I don't remember the street, but I suspect it was around Beach 45th, as the El was right on the corner. We had a bungalow with a porch. I was climbing on the outside of it, fell when I saw a neighbor's dog that I wanted to play with, and broke my wrist on broken concrete. Today, one would sue the owner. Back then, we just made do. Later that same summer, I ran across the street to get Italian ices from the local candy store, but looked the wrong way crossing the one-way street and almost got hit by a car. I didn't think that much of it, but the woman driving was hysterical. I also remember a movie theatre on the Boardwalk. In those days, an 8-year-old (me) could feel safe walking the boardwalk without an adult present. The back of the theater opened up at night so you could sit outside. I saw "The Colossus of New York" there, an incredibly bad "monster" movie. Most of the bungalows in the Rockaways were destroyed by Hurricane Donna in 1960. So-called "urban renewal" took care of the rest. Now some sections of the Rockaways, especially those facing the ocean, are filled with expensive new condos. The Jefferson 1950s I stayed at the Jefferson in the 1950s. It was far far away from the Bronx. Our father worked two, sometimes three jobs, so my brother and I could escape the Bronx and spend each summer --the whole summer-- in Rockaway. Dad took the train to work every day. We turned brown by July 4th; skinny brown kids always running, scheming, cunningly evading the watchful eyes of Jewish mothers. We played softball in the parking lot by the beach in the early mornings before the cars showed up. We played kick the can in the street, ring-o-lerio (sp?), off the stoop. And then there were the long long days on the beach, hopping on hot sand from blanket to shore, waiting the magic 45 minutes to go in the water after eating lim and sandy salami sandwiches, early versions of body-surfing, acting like we couldn't hear our mothers calling that it was time to come in from the water. Crawling into the cool dark sand under the boardwalk. Some kid named Howie always had a piece of fruit in hand, juice dribbling down his chin. And then there was a kid whose own family called him "Fat Jackie" -- at least that's how I remember it. Once in a while we were treated to Takee cups or lemon Italian ices, and chocolate egg creams. Always sneaking off with so much watermelon that your belly ached, and sand -- always sand -- in your bed. Jumping off the wooden steps to the beach, higher and higher, until you dared to jump from the railings along the boardwalk. I think it was Friday nights we would go to the boardwalk to watch the fireworks display from Playland. Flying kites over the surf when the weather cooled, and sneaking out to the Boardwalk to watch, awestruck, huge summer storms -- was it hurricane Carol? Evenings with men playing pinochle, women playing mah jongg. Ping Pong, hide & seek around the Jefferson. Costume parties with fat hairy men wearing grass skirts and coconut shell brassieres, and mothers with painted mustaches and sideburns, wearing huge hipster hats, chewing cold cigars. Then, dreaded September, back to school and insanely diving under your desk to practice for the upcoming atomic war, or wondering whether you were one of the kids who got the fake Polio vaccine. But somehow, during those summers at the Jefferson, there was nothing to fear. Nothing at all. Beach 45thDoes anyone remember Scott Whitehill or Laird Whitehill? If so, please e-mail me at scott@scottwhitehill.com Moe's Grocery Store on Beach 28thBarbara posted a comment earlier about her dad owning a grocery store on Beach 28th Street. The name of the grocery store was Moe's, and they carried lots of things for a small store. I lived in bungalows on Beach 28th and Beach 29th Street. These were the most memorable times of my life. I only wish that I could go back and see and relive these wonderful times. Beach 49thMy family and many of my relatives owned bungalows on Beach 49th and Beach 48th Street. We spent every summer there until the city condemned the properties. My father brought one of the first surfboards there in the early 60s. I have many fond memories of the beach and the friends I made. (The Gallery, G.G. Bain, NYC, Travel & Vacation)
This Won't Hurt a Bit: 1937
... He appears to have electrodes attached to his wrist and ankle. There should be at least one more attached to his chest, under ... It appears that the boy has something strapped to each wrist as well as to his left ankle, though not his right. So it would appear ... Banzai! We're sending him to the 8th Dimension. Watch out for Lectroids. Same Socks? Same Kid? ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/23/2012 - 6:18pm -

Washington, D.C., circa 1937. "Children's Hospital Rotary." Who can tell us what's going on here? Harris & Ewing Collection glass negative. View full size. Apprehension"Ve hav vays uf making you talk!" This is what happens... to boys who lose their socks. Wild GuessThe closest thing I can think of is that it is a precursor to an EKG. Can hardly wait for what the students of old medical techniques come up with. What's going onAncient dialysis machine? EKGIt's probably an electrocardiograph. He appears to have electrodes attached to his wrist and ankle. There should be at least one more attached to his chest, under his shirt. The part of the device to the nurse's left looks like a film recorder, which would be used to record the waveform. ElectrocardiogramThis is what it might be, although a bit unnerving for a child! Take it from a nurseThis looks like they are checking this child's extent of paralysis due to polio. You actually have a point... with the sock comment. It appears that the boy has something strapped to each wrist as well as to his left ankle, though not his right. So it would appear that his single sock status actually serves some sort of purpose. What this could actually be, however, I have no idea. Early ECGThis is amazing to me... I've never seen a picture like this. The boy looks like he is getting an electrocardiogram. But I can't say for sure because again, I've never seen equipment like this. Diathermy GeneratorMaybe a diathermy generator. Or a myograph. Whatever it is, it's made by Cambridge Instruments. Poor kidLooks like the very definition of "scared stiff." Flux capacitor1.21 gW. Polio testing I had it when I was 5 years (in 1952) old and this is similar, as much as I can recall, of what I went through. Cambridge ElectrocardiographSimilar to the one here. Amazing that last month I walked around for a day with a monitor the size of a pack of cigarettes (probably not the best analogy) that recorded my thousands of heartbeats. [I think we have a winner! The kid may have had rheumatic fever. - Dave] Who wants a drumstick?I saw the caption real quick in my peripheral vision and thought it said Children's Hospital Rotisserie. Talk about a double-take. EKG sounds rightThe machinery is quite a blast from an engineer's perspective. This thing would have been called an oscillograph. The light source is the item at the left end, then some optics to make a small spot, then there must be a galvanometer to move a mirror that moves the spot of light across the slit that the roll of what I assume is photographic paper is exposed through. There's a drive belt with a flywheel to move the paper past the slit at a controlled rate. The Tungar box below is a rectifier to power the electronics (Tungar is a rectifier tube brand that I've heard of - Tung-Sol perhaps?). I assume that there is a vacuum tube amplifier to boost the feeble pulse signal to drive the galvanometer. [Not quite. The "Tungar" box is General Electric battery charger. - Dave] Assault and BatteryI think they're trying to jump-start the poor kid. OperatorIf you'd like to make a call, please hang up and try again... Shocking electrical adventuresAmazing that they would put a boy that large in a crib. He barely fits. But that seems to be the least of his worries. One can hope this boy was a model used in a photo session, to promote the device, and not a real patient. [That's a hospital bed. - Dave] The String Galvanometer ElectrocardiographHere the principle of the device is explained in greater detail: http://www.hrsonline.org/News/ep-history/timeline/1920s.cfm YardstickI noticed the small piece of a yardstick we can see on the floor - looks like it says McDougall-Butler. A search yielded a paint company based out of Buffalo, NY that could be a possibility. Gimme gimme Shock Treatment!Poor kid. An Early ECGThis is a very early ECG machine. The electrodes are strapped to the child's wrists and left ankle in a standard setup. Even earlier (say 30 years before) when electrodes weren't available, there were baths of salt water to put one's hands and foot into. The equipment used a "string galvanometer" which vibrated with the heartbeat; the tracing was recorded on film stock, developed, printed, and pasted onto cardboard. --Retired cardiologist Yes, Nurse RatchedI will never, ever jump on the bed again. Nursing capsNurses no longer wear nursing caps. The nurse in the photo shows why: they got tired of the caps constantly falling off the back of their heads. EKGI am an anesthesiologist and thus I use an EKG every day in my work. Thus I immediately recognized this as an early EKG. It requires an electrode on the right arm, left arm, and the left leg in order to "see" the heart electrical currents from different directions. His sock is off is to be able to put the electrode on the ankle. We know now that they could just as well have put it further up on his leg and left the sock on. Interesting photograph. We know it is not electroconvulsive therapy because ECT is done on the head and not on the limbs, ECT was first done in Italy by Cerletti and Bini in 1938, a year after the photo was made. CappedThat's one reason nurses no longer wear caps- the others are that they always got tangled in the privacy drapes and were ultimately unsanitary because they could never really be cleaned well. Still have my cap, but haven't worn it since graduation! Banzai!We're sending him to the 8th Dimension. Watch out for Lectroids. Same Socks? Same Kid?https://www.shorpy.com/node/6116?size=_original He must have talked dirty to Dr. Eleanor Hunt. [Both kids are wearing striped socks. But with different stripes. Different kids, too. - Dave] Scary!If I saw a contraption as scary looking as this as a kid I'd have leaped off that bed and taken off pronto. Poor kid. Too funnyI had an unfortunate stay at Children's Hospital in the very early 80s and I swear they might have still been using those same cribs. This photo sparked a memory I hadn't recalled in years and years; when I first got there, they'd put me in a crib just like this. I was five years old. A very nice nurse saw me and said, "Oh, you're a big girl, you shouldn't be in a crib. Let's get you into a big girl bed." A minor kindness that made me feel much better in the midst of a very bad illness. (The Gallery, D.C., Harris + Ewing, Medicine)
Ennis the Menace: 1942
... born. His wife She is looking everywhere for her watch. Why is he wearing his mom's watch? Looks pretty tight around his wrist. Mom, can I borrow your watch? Such a delicate men's wrist watch! ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 06/19/2014 - 10:55am -

September 1942. "Civilian defense. Fire prevention. The careless smoker causes more fires each year than any other person in the country. He is to blame for 87,000 separate 1941 fires, which resulted in the loss of many lives and the destruction of 14 million dollars of property. Whether he falls asleep with a lighted smoke or is careless in the disposal of burning cigars, cigarettes, or matches, he is always a menace." Office of War Information. View full size. Not to worry,he has a newspaper under that cigarette. Not a familiar face on the pageThe three comic strips I can make out are (top to bottom): Stony Craig, a Steve Canyon-esque strip (although, as noted, it predated SC by a decade.) Draftie, a "morale-boosting WWII strip". Reg'lar Fellers, a strip about a group of kids. All of them were gone well over a decade before I was born. His wifeShe is looking everywhere for her watch. Why is he wearing his mom's watch?Looks pretty tight around his wrist. Mom, can I borrow your watch?Such a delicate men's wrist watch! Was this style common among men in the 1940s? The pendulum has swung to the other extreme, with very large watches now popular. Happiness, it seems to me, lies in the middle. Multiple Offender Not only is this guy a careless smoker but he has also stolen some old lady's watch! Get it together!He needs to wake up, put that cigarette out, put on a man's watch, and go to bed! Probably an ID BraceletI suspect what we're seeing is the once-popular ID bracelet that was popular into the early 50's. It was a flat bar (much thicker than a Medic-Alert bracelet and would have your name or initials engraved on it. [It's a watch. -tterrace] Pinky RingWhat? Comments on the watch, but no comments on the pinky ring on his right hand? Thin, delicate movementsand watches were very much a trend back then. Have a look at Hamilton or Gruen watch ads back in this era: Hamilton had Thinomatic, Gruen had Veri-Thin, and the physical size across the bezel was quite small by today's standards. Light and thin were "in". I personally hate the nearly alarm clock sized watches that are the thing today. Oh, and get off my lawn. [For instance (click to enlarge). -tterrace] (The Gallery, WW2)
The Young Moderns: 1952
... size. Comparing wristwatches I was looking at the watch on the woman's wrist in the Lil Boomer photo and was wondering if it was the same watch as on ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 01/21/2013 - 8:40pm -

Alfresco dining on the patio circa 1952 in this unlabeled Kodachrome. Do I hear Brubeck on the hi-fi? Third in the "Linda" series of 35mm slides. View full size. Comparing wristwatchesI was looking at the watch on the woman's wrist in the Lil Boomer photo and was wondering if it was the same watch as on the wrist of the woman on the right in this photo. Difficult to tell. https://www.shorpy.com/node/14453 Mid-century masters of good livingSlay me now -- this is gorgeous. Atomic wire end tables, Dansk salad bowl (on its own wire stand "for tossing" beautifully patinaed!!) The hand-painted earthenware, paired with silverware, a silver salver and condiment set; and to top it off, crystal wine glasses. It's a casual meal though, given that the Heinz ketchup bottle is actually on the table. What a setting. Love it! [Also note the wine bottles and caddy on the end table at right. -Dave] ProofThat there was color back in the black and white 1950s. Style notesThe roman brick on the house suggests a modern design, long and low, possibly with overhanging eaves. I hope we get to see it later in the "Linda" series. Also, the couple across the table illustrates that, unless you're on the same bowling team, it has never been a good idea for spouses to dress alike. Upscale crowdWine, suit & tie for an outdoor meal, real silverware, nice china instead of paper plates, well groomed all around, jazz would seem more likely than pop music. Give it about four more years and they'll be talking about how perfectly dreadful that Elvis guy is. MissingI had assumed that the photographer is the husband of the woman in the light green dress and that the young wine drinker in the plaid shirt is the unattached guest invited to dinner. By the way, I do appreciate the individual components listed by Deborah, but I’m not as enthusiastic about how it all comes together. I find the wineglasses especially clunky and under-sized. But then the US was not a heavy-duty wine-drinking nation back in the fifties. A+ for effort, though. [Those "wineglasses" are goblets. - Dave] That Red Plaid ShirtI had one just like it a few years after this photo was taken. It scared away most girls and all but the toughest dogs. Slay me now, indeed!Slay me now -- this is gorgeous. Atomic wire end tables... Absolutely! I was two years old then, but - even if my assessments are too rosy and not really true - I see these folks and envy their confidence, the lives they would have in the coming decade (1957 Chevy Nomads!!!), technological devleopments like stereo and color TV. And let me pretend the gent on the close end of the table was an amateur radio operator and was about to buy an E.F. Johnson single sideband transmitter and Viking Desktop Kilowatt!!! In Good HandsI believe the gentleman in the suit and tie is trying to sell them insurance. Missing persons.I see that there are two empty places -- one might be the photographer, so who is the odd one out? If it were two couples hosting a visitor, fine, but is it two women or a man and a woman who are away from the table? I'm guessing the man of the house has his back to us, his wife was sitting to his left, serving the wine and taking the photo, and the other missing person could be the woman on the right's husband, or the wife of the newly arrived guest who still has his travel suit on. [There are six people in this photo -- three men and three women, with one Missing Person. - Dave] Won't hurt a bitIs that a vaccination scar on her left arm? Dress codeI'm nostalgic for the days when men wore coats and ties even for informal gatherings. I've been doing it lately myself; I'm trying to start a revolution. It's not working. All that happens is that I get assailed with sarcastic comments. Comments from people who are wearing their pajamas in public, or who look like an unmade bed. RelationshipsI think we have in-laws and newlyweds. Red shirt guy is unmarried brother-in-law. Home is probably that of the photographer; unless he was a particularly obsessive camera-bug, he wouldn't have lugged the Leica along to a casual dinner party, but just went inside to grab it for the shot. Wine: What it is, how to use itThese people were not just on a patio but on the cusp of a trend. Ad from 1953. Click to embiggen. Three Couples and a SalesmanI am guessing that the "photographer is the husband of one of the two ladies on the right side of the table, probably the woman in the green dress. The woman hidden behind her is either her daughter or the husband or sister of the fellow in the red shirt. As someone mentioned earlier the odd man out in the suit and tie is probably a salesman, most likely selling insurance. Within ReachIt's a testament to the enduring power of midcentury style, or at least its resurgence in popularity, that very little in this 60-year-old photograph would be out of place in a contemporary design magazine--although the young man with the buzz cut is missing de rigueur wispy facial hair. The lowly Heinz bottle has earned its place as a kind of Platonic ideal. Another yarn.The missing person is a professor--of physics maybe?--who is taking the shot. The woman in the green dress is his wife. The man in the suit is a visiting foreign professor, escaped from Hungary maybe? The other four at the table are graduate students and their wives/fiancee's. The brick work and the maple/beech woods say this is a new modern subdivision in East Lansing Michigan. The professor and his wife were originally from New York City, he got his PhD at Columbia, and they continue to vacation on Cape Cod every summer. It all makes sense. Family tree and other thoughts, WatsonIt is funny that we're all trying to figure this group out. These are part of the "Linda Kodachromes" (So only Dave knows for sure) But I'm going to have at it anyway. Look back again at the little girl's birthday. She's related in looks particularly to the older woman in the green dress and the younger woman in blue denim. So I think that's mother and daughter/granddaughter (little baby girl). I think the woman in the green dress is the wife/mother of the house. She's also on the lounge in the picture with the baby (re: watch on wrist). The father would then be (age-wise) the man in the suit. Dinnertime in the summer, he'd be coming home from his city job just in time for an evening meal outside. I think his older son has his back to us (hair color, hairline, size). The other woman hidden from our view may be a mother-in-law or married to the son. I see a touch of lighter hair and it's frizzier. The two at the end may be siblings or friends, but not married (he's not wearing a ring, she's young) plus they have the same nose as the lady in green. The table setting speaks to some depth, time and money in the household. Modern artistic dishes, real silver from the '30s (family pieces or wedding gifts?) and the goblets are older as well. Two bottles of wine with dinner, which for some reason I keep thinking is fish. Perhaps the whites been drunk already and the red is a dessert wine. The whole setting speaks to an established style infused with modern. Now to the photographer. This person's place is the only one with a glass of water. Suggesting someone too young to drink. The photo also suggests someone who is not adept at photography at all. No one is ready for this shot, all are turned away. It's definitely a quick snap. Also, he/she is not that tall. One more thing: This is a rooftop "patio," a found space. It's up at least atop a first story (above a garage at the back of the building. See tree height). It's quite tight (table angle, position of photographer). The building's windows & "roman" brick style suggest an urban/city home environment. That's all I got. Will we ever know? Patio space, sunken rec room and trees down the hillMy guess is that it isn't rooftop space but a small patio against the back of the house in a small suburban backyard. The edge of the cement/concrete "floor" beyond the wine bottles has a few sprigs of grass and a sandy space between the concrete and the top of a retaining wall. On the retaining wall is a railing; but there is a break in the railing between Dad and The Daughter in Blue. Perhaps a walk-through to the yard or steps down to the yard? There's another sandy space in the yard beyond the railing then there seems to be a break off to a darker area. My guess is there's an embankment or depression or wooded hillside where the trees are rooted below the level of the patio. That might explain why they give the appearance of the patio being higher than it is. The trees are actually lower. Oh, and the windows are probably to a rec room or basement that is also lower than the patio level. Reminds me of my aunt & uncle's yard in Cincinnati near Ault Park. Mom doesn't seem to have touched her wine, nor has her bench mate to her right. And I found the juxtaposition of ketchup on the table with wine, silverware and decent china to be less than de rigueur. Ah, well. (Linda Kodachromes)
Dr. Buzzkill: 1925
... the Barber. Bling Bling! Call me a cynic, but that watch looks very gold, very thin, very stylish and very expensive to be on the wrist of a humble public servant in 1925. I confess! I confess! Just stop ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/13/2011 - 6:30pm -

September 5, 1925. Washington, D.C. "W.A. Green, Chief Prohibition Inspector." National Photo Company Collection glass negative. View full size. Major GreenThis is Maj. Walton Atwater Green, former Army officer who seems to have had some role in the formation of the military police in France during World War I. You can find quite a few references to him in the news and society pages of the mid-20s and 1930s. The male MedusaA formidable gaze, to be sure. Who knows? He might have been a real sweetheart, but I'm not sure I would get close enough to find out. The Double Stink-Eye!Snidely Whiplash believed he had gotten away with his little ruse with a simple mustache trim. Not for long. Serious, yesBut the bowtie says "party!" Marty Feldman EyesCould they both be glass? "Hey Wally, you've got some snew there on your right shoulder." "What's snew?" "Not too much Wally, what's snew with you?" A little off the top, Andy?Floyd the Barber. Bling Bling!Call me a cynic, but that watch looks very gold, very thin, very stylish and very expensive to be on the wrist of a humble public servant in 1925. I confess! I confess! Just stop staring at me!He can smash an entire roomful of bootleg hootch WITH HIS MIND. Emulsion gremlins telling us the truthI think some smart mold spores tagged this plate. The first few dots across the desk spell in Morse: DTs Eh, he ain't so badjust the way his face is put together, everybody has to make a living. Great title, Dave, you've set the bar high for Twenty Ten. Previous jobAuditor for the I.R.S. This guybeats out the Franciscan brothers from eighth grade as scaring me the most! What? What did I do?As I looked at this photo, I had an immediate and overwhelming sense of guilt - like I must have done something very wrong, and Mr. Green knows about it. Those eyes... burning ... my ... soul! (slump) Hey Lucy!We've found the Anti-Gale Gordon! I WonderIf the good Doctor could be a distant relative of Tom Selleck; or the inspiration for that mustache (but with a smile!) He does look like the perfect man for the perfect job! The Evils of the Demon RumHe looks like he could use a drink! This guylooks like he needs a beer. Seriously. Now. Before something bad happens. There's a man who could use a good stiff drink!Good thing he can get into the evidence locker! Future father-in-lawImagine dating this mans daughter... VERY serious, strict, about as fun as a funeral. Oh, and no liquid sunshine either. This man needs... a drink. ScaryTalk about a look that could kill at a thousand paces. A toastI hope Mr. Green will join me in saluting the XXI Amendment to the Constitution. Cheers! The G-ManIf looks could kill! Mean looking dudeYou would have to be to take charge of that agency. The most corrupt US government department ever. Looks like he's got a bear of a hangoverHand so unsteady he got ink all over his paper. "Seen the papers today, Williams?"I wonder whether Mr. Green had been reading articles in the nation's papers the day before the photo was taken, regarding an extraordinary case. These three extracts are lengthy, but worth reading because of the story itself, and for the editorial comment on prohibition laws. * * * WON LOVE OF GIRL AND THEN ARRESTED HER Dry Officer Is Rebuked For Securing Evidence in Such a Manner Washington, Sept. 4. - Should dry agents woo and win the love of pretty daughters to get evidence against their mothers? Lincoln C. Andrews, prohibition generalissimo, today puckered his brow over that perplexing problem. He gave no information of his decision. The question grew out of the case of John T. Williams, married rum sleuth, who won the love of Miss Sally Canada, 19, daughter of the postmistress at Glen Echo, Md., then arrested her and raided her mother's store. U. S. Commissioner Supplee in Baltimore yesterday dismissed the case against Miss Canada with a withering denunciation of Williams and his methods of enforcing prohibition. Harry M. Luckett, chief of Washington dry agents, came to the defense of Williams today, but did not defend his novel scheme for securing evidence. He denied that he told Williams to get evidence "at any cost." Prohibition Commissioner Haynes declined to make any verbal comment on the case, but his gestures were eloquent. Asked if he were interested in love-making methods to get evidence, Haynes threw up his arms and walked away. "It was the dirtiest trick a man ever played on a girl," was the comment of Sally Canada. The pretty girl then described how Williams dropped into the little store and finally succeeded in making a date. He was a fast worked and gave Sally such a good time that she fell in love with him. One night, Williams asked her to buy some liquor for him and took her to a place near her home, she said. Williams drank most of the liquor on the spot, she added. Later, she added, he asked her to get more liquor which she did and hid it in her ward. Williams called for the liquor with his wife and when it was delivered arrested the girl and raided her store. In flaying Williams, Commissioner Supplee said it cost $500 to get a $3 pint of liquor. * * * A MODERN INSTANCE A story of real life down in Baltimore is worth telling in tabloid form. Told with the usual circumstantiality in a 1925 novel, it would bld mark the utmost extreme of fantasticality. Flashed on the cinema screen it would be called the grotesque hallucination of some poor scenario writer. But it is a true story none the less, and the essential part of it appears in the records of a United States Commissioner's office. Our readers can draw from the narrative what moral they please. At any rate, it is worth repeated as—well, as a modern instance. Down in a Maryland town bearing the romantic name of Glen Echo lives a nineteen-year-old girl and a High School graduate, one Sally Canada, with ehr mother, who keeps a country store and the post office. For some reason not fully disclosed, Mrs. Canada's little store incurred the suspicions of the Prohibition agent in the district. He accordingly summoned an official trysty on his staff whose name is John T. Williams. It is Williams who figures as the hero of the story, for want of a better one - a melancholy want in this romance. The regional Prohibition chief, as it appears from the records, ordered Williams "to go the limit on making a case against the Canadas," mother and daughter. How well Williams obeyed this injunction will appear below, though we may anticipate by saying that he must have had in mind this passage from the "Merchant of Venice": "The villainy you teach me I will execute, and it shall go hard, but I will better the instruction." We shall see that even the "limit" may be paradoxically exceeded. To make a long story short, let it be stated at once that Williams, after introducing himself as an acquaintance of a friend of the Canada family, began courting the girl, motoring with her to various summer resorts and entertaining her in the customary ways. We continue this narrative by slicing the following extract from the special Baltimore despatch: "I told her I loved her and asked her to marry me," testified Williams, who said the courtship lasted from June 28 to July 28. The girl, he said, on the night of July 27, sold him a pint of liquor for $3. It was then that he made the complaint and caused the postoffice to be raided. After hearing the stories of Williams, Miss Canada, and her mother, Commissioner Supplee declared: "This girl was taken on automobile trips and taken to dinner and parties. Williams made love to her and won his way into her confidence. I consider this a plain case of trapping. If the Volstead act depends on such methods as this for enforcement, I think it is a pity that we have it and similar laws on the statute books. "I do not believe Miss Canada or her mother ever sold liquor or possessed liquor. The pint used as evidence was secured by Miss Canada for Williams after he won her confidence." The story, though not occupying very much space, is a pretty complete one as it stands. On the whole, it does not call for extended comment in any decent community, even in this new and wonderful era of Volsteadian enterprise. It seems necessary, however, after repeating the main details, to substitute for Williams, as the hero of the story, that United States Commissioner with the unromantic name of Supplee. More power to his strong elbow and his honorable manhood! This example of rascality and treachery in the name of law enforcement is exceptional only in the almost unbelievable measure of its turpitude. Less shameful methods of the same general stamp are employed every day. The effect of the new dispensation is to put a sort of official premium upon practices which every right-minded man and woman detested before the Eighteenth Amendment was adopted. One can imagine nothing more contemptible than officers of the law who, not content with snooping and spying, glory in their successful stratagems to tempt people to violate the law. We do not believe that the decent public opinion of the United States, which is still presumably predominant, will permanently endure that particular kind of official knavery. * * * ... "It was the dirtiest trick a man ever played on a girl," she said. And it is. And Williams should be forced to pay some sort of a penalty for that trick, and if it was a man "higher up" in the dry force, he, too, should pay. A girl's love should not be tampered with. The trouble with divorce courts today lies in the fact that love is being taken entirely too lightly, not always by the man, of course, because both are to blame in many cases. But for the mere matter of adding a few hundred dollars to the United States treasury, no man should be permitted to mask a misdemeanor of the sort committed by this dry agent under the cloak of his official duties. In the first place, the daughter was not committing the crime. It was her mother. Yet she was the subject of an unjust farce, the unhappy medium of an unscrupulous man's deception and trickery. Possibly her entire life has been blighted for the sake of procuring a little bootleg liquor. Is that justice? The sooner all justice is carried out for the sake of justice, the better the citizens of this nation will come to regard the countless number of statutes which have been enacted. But it should always be remembered, that the happiness and rights of every man and every woman and every child should not be tampered with or distorted in order to gain some petty objective. Best Kicker EVER!This kicker "Dr. Buzzkill" is one of the funniest things I have EVER read! Thanks for the laugh. Also, does anyone else think actor Hugh Laurie ('House') is *made* for this role? Inspector Hard StareOne would probably need a couple of drinks after being inspected by this guy. Mr. NiceguyUnasked-for advice: Lighten up. Shoveling against the tideNothing like trying to put a Genie back in the bottle! 8 more years of trying... Tough audience hereI wonder how many of them would survive being exhibited in 85 years time in today's environment and fashions. I certainly know my family has some pictures of me from the 1970s tucked away which would result in instant retribution if they were publicly shown. Walton Atwater GreenThis is indeed Maj. Walton Atwater Green, an Army officer in WWI who subsequently had several interesting careers -- publisher of the Boston Journal, a novelist, and for a time Chief Prohibition Inspector. He was also my grandfather, though we never met. Nice to see his face here. (The Gallery, D.C., Natl Photo, Portraits)
A Face in the Crowd: 1920
... 1920. "Selinger window, 820 F Street N.W., sale of Army wrist watches." Wristwatches, which saw widespread use during the First World ... were entering the mainstream as the era of the pocket watch began to wind down. National Photo glass negative. View full size. ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/13/2011 - 8:11pm -

Washington, D.C., circa 1920. "Selinger window, 820 F Street N.W., sale of Army wrist watches." Wristwatches, which saw widespread use during the First World War as "trench watches," were entering the mainstream as the era of the pocket watch began to wind down. National Photo glass negative. View full size. Self-portraitI'm sure there are others here on Shorpy, but finally, a reflection of the photographer and his camera (and onlookers). Ick!This looks more like a compost heap than a window display. If these were used watches and bands, I bet it smelled like one too. Bring it backThe old pocket watch that is. My granddad carried one into the 60's at least. When I lived with my grands for a year I always liked to see him lift it out of his vest and open it up. "Watch" the Birdie!Looks like about an 8x10 view camera, reflected in the window, just to our right of the $4 sign. Maybe that's the photographer in the straw boater. The rest of the crowd seems much more interested in the picture-taking action than in the pile of watches. I'd like to have a shoebox full today. Here is my Grandfather in 1918, second from right, at a training camp in New Jersey. All his buddies have their new-fangled wristwatches showing-- maybe his is hiding up his sleeve. It's possible he was carrying his own pocket watch, which we still have, and which is ultimately responsible for the first part of my screen name. Cheese!Check out Missus Glam-o-rama. " 'Watch' me!" Spy MuseumApparently, Selinger was located in the Warder Building on the corner of 9th Street. The reflection of the columns and wall of the 9th Street side of the Patent Office Building can be seen in the window. The Warder Building is now occupied by the Spy Museum. The Old Patent Office Building is now occupied by the Smithsonian American Art Museum and the National Portrait Gallery. Block PreservedThat's the old Patent Office, now the National Portrait Gallery, reflected behind the group. Seen here previously on Shorpy. The National Park Service maintains this page on the entire block. I'll take the one at the bottomNo not that one, the one under the other side of the pile. "A face in the crowd"Oho. Nice wordplay. Rugged Little Timepieces Display Ad, Washington Post, May 1920 Taking into consideration that there were more than one thousand dealers after this lot of watches, much credit is due to Mr. S.M. Selinger, of this firm, for his untiring efforts in securing them, which number many thousands and give to us the exclusive sale for Washington. During the war these rugged little timepieces could not be made fast enough to supply men going into service at $25.00 each. Mail orders will be filled if accompanied by remittance for any number until our stock is exhausted. Do not forget that these Watches are Solid Silver through and through. All have luminous faces that can be seen at night. They are also fitted with nonbreakable glasses. Still in FashionSeeing the trend today is very large watches, these watches would not look out of place now. The movements used were originally made for small ladies fob watches with cases 38-40mm diameter. Also a lot of these trench watches had radium dials. Be interesting to walk past that window with a Geiger counter. Fancy Window ValanceAs in many of the shopfront windows seen on Shorpy, Selinger's window is dressed up with an ornate machine-embroidered cotton valance of appliqued scrollwork with cam-embroidered details and applied fringe. What's special about this photo is that one can see the embroidery details clearly in the valance's back-lit reflection in the mirror on the back wall of the display window. Mass-produced cam-embroidered fabric trims and laces were used for furnishing trims like this valance and even more for women's dresses and shirtwaists. Although these trims were machine-made, most of their finishing and assembly was accomplished by hand by piece-workers in sweatshops and tenements, as recorded by Lewis Hine and other photographers also seen on Shorpy. You'll wind up with this one.No one uses these anymore. You can't get batteries for them. Hurry!Time Left: 90y 3d 12h; reserve price NOT met; Buy It Now or Bid. Seller Location: Washington, D.C. Current Bid: $1,252.00. (The Gallery, D.C., Natl Photo, Stores & Markets)
Splash: 1905
... This guy is ripped for 1905! And what's that on his wrist, looks like one of those wide 1960's watch bands. [He's also seen here . - Dave] Cookie cutter ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/05/2012 - 1:41pm -

Coney Island, New York, circa 1905. "Surf bathing." Splashing around in the ocean -- the latest fad. 8x10 inch glass negative, Detroit Publishing Co. View full size. ObservationMostly Women. Hubba Hubba! 24 Hour FitnessThis guy is ripped for 1905! And what's that on his wrist, looks like one of those wide 1960's watch bands. [He's also seen here. - Dave] Cookie cutter swimsuitsThat old adage "You are each unique" (just like everybody else) really shows up here. How monotonous the beachwear and the hairstyles were. With all the similar girls holding the rope, it reminds me of those cut-out paperdolls which are all connected by the hands, which they show in many movies but which I have never seen or created in real life. Have fun kids, in 106 years we will all be dead. Outstanding The clarity of this photo is amazing. I look at the faces and almost expect them to start speaking. ConeheadBehind the two women in the foreground, is that a woman wearing a hat resembling a lamp shade? If I Could Turn Back TimeI would do everything in my power to date the doll holding the sunhat looking at the camera. I could be my own Grandpa! SweetI love the way the splash is caught right behind the two laughing girls. Why We Love These TimesHis dreams were of a paradise that is only because it has always been. The waves of the surf will breathe theirs lives as the Earth's heartbeat and in each rush of in or out is rebirth. He was dreaming nothing that has not been already dreamed by the sage as well as the student. The truth of the overlying immutable is in the experience of these things that hold us with that immutability. Reality is like the palms of the Creator holding each & everyone of us: at the back, by the head, in the guts & by the groin. Reality is not a thought at this level so we must comprehend the essence of the concentration of respiration to understand & then better experience the reality; this respiration, because of it very nature of repetitive concentration becomes the object that always has wear & tear. Not to be DIY or Home Depot crazy, but a little rehab & fix & re-fix is called for at every turn. He knew that the wave was the wear and that the wear was the fun. Go to the beach & go to Home Depot: fix or re-fix that broken thing. Attempt the repair for it is good & for everyone & everything, request the ease of the waves of the sea. Perfect Picture for a day with a heat index over 105. More of the same, please. On the RopesIn many of these photographs there is a rope or a number of ropes going from the shore out into the water. I've never seen these in real life. What is their purpose? [To hold onto. - Dave] This guy is ripped for 1905??People had muscles in 1905. People worked in 1905. In fact I would suspect that a young man was more likely to be in good physical shape in 1905 because there were so many more manual labor jobs. We look at these old pictures and the scenes look so foreign to us that sometimes we forget these are real people just like us, with the same desires and the same problems. Revenge of the swimsuit clonesContributing to the uniformity of the swim suits is that probably most are wearing rentals. See the two young men in the foreground with "BALMERS" across their chests. Balmer's Bathing Pavilion rented lockers and suits and provided showers as well as the rope guides. They also appear to have controlled at least a chunk of beach access. Effective UV Protection Without ChemicalsI predict a big comeback for wool "beach stockings" next summer. Strapping guyYes you are right about that wrist band on the muscle man vintagetv. In Dave's other photo it really looks like a watch band with two straps and buckles. Wonder if he lifted weights in the days before instructions and trainers and developed some carpal tunnel. Maybe that's what they used before velcro wraps. (The Gallery, Coney Island, DPC, Swimming)
I Am the Egg Girl: 1940
... negative by Jack Delano, Farm Security Administration. Watch? Another great Delano image -- his photos of people are as good as those of trains! Is the child wearing a watch on her left wrist? If so, how odd. The Work Ethic Washing raw eggs is extremely ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/16/2012 - 8:00pm -

August 1940. Little girl at the Reitz farm near Falls Creek, Pennsylvania, washing eggs to be sold at Tri-County Farmers Co-op Market at Du Bois. View full size. 3¼ inch safety negative by Jack Delano, Farm Security Administration. Watch?Another great Delano image -- his photos of people are as good as those of trains! Is the child wearing a watch on her left wrist? If so, how odd. The Work EthicWashing raw eggs is extremely tedious for anyone and especially such a young girl. But think what it taught her ... something I don't think our children are learning. Bobbed hair in 1940?Such a beautiful, clean crisp, - and moving - photo. Thank you. One thing I find interesting is her bobbed hair. I would have thought that style was completely over by 1940. an educated guess..While bobbed hair was no longer stylish by 1940, it is relatively low maintenance and inexpensive for kids. Okay,,,...I'll toss in an(other?) obligatory Beatles reference: "Koo koo ka-choo." :P Farm girlsOne of my first jobs on the farm was gathering eggs, the next one was washing them, a job that I detested. I was probably her age when I was assigned that job. (The Gallery, Jack Delano, Kids, Rural America)
Hope on the Water: 1954
... right hip for the bottles and a depth gauge on the right wrist. A pair of Duck Feet fins on some nicely manicured feet and a handy dive knife tool. I am concerned about her watch, leather band and no bezel to mark her dive time and I doubt it is even ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 05/27/2022 - 4:50pm -

February 2, 1954. "Actress Hope Lange and diving instructor Chuck Diercksmeier diving off the Florida coast; Lange posed on seawall with an assortment of scuba equipment." 35mm negative from the Look magazine assignment "Everybody's Going Underwater." View full size. Look Ma: no heels !!What was the reason 'Look' lost the battle against 'Life', again?? I'm guessing photos like this wasn't it. What lungs!SCUBA is an acronym for Self Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus. TUBA is an acronym for Terrible Underwater Breathing Apparatus. Strange but trueAccording to her obituary, Hope was hired by Eleanor Roosevelt to walk her dog Fala. One thing led to another, and Hope was nominated for an Academy Award for her role in “Peyton Place.” Also strange but trueWhen this Shorpy photo dropped, I was on my way to view a restored print of David Lynch's 'Blue Velvet'. Here is Hope with Laura Dern. In a movie notorious for overacting, Hope is a paragon of skeptical restraint. An attractive frogwomanThis is a great photo of a very beautiful woman. It's interesting to look at the gear spread out on the quay. The compressor looks like it requires shore power and since the air hose from it looks really short, I wonder if back then, they'd refilled the bottles right then and there? I know when I've been with folks getting bottles filled, and that was maybe once or twice, they did it with the bottle in a tank of water. I'm not sure if that was only to check for leaks while filling or for safety. The waterproof camera looks very rugged compared to ones used today. I wonder what the small box with the round dial is? Would it be for measuring water pressure? Great gear!My, she has fabulous equipment! Just get all that hardware out of the picture. Is that the instructor down in the water? [That's a pelican. - Dave] She was somethin’All I can say is va va va voom! FrogWomanShe has a full-face free-flow mask which works for surface supplied air but can also work as a demand regulator with the bottles she has on. 2250 psi is max pressure for the steel 50's cu ft bottles she's wearing, however 1850 psi is the usual capacity when filling to allow for expansion. The bottles are immersed in water when charging with air as Charles Law (Chargin' Charlie's) tells you that when a gas is compressed it generates heat and when it is rapidly released it cools. So to avoid the max bursting pressure of a 2250 psi bottle immerse it, and fill it to 1850. The sun can heat the 1850 to well over 2250 if the diver leaves it exposed to long - that's why it's painted white. The compressor has too short of an air hose for surface supplied use, and without a close look at the pressure gauge I can't tell if it's capable of filling the tanks to 1850 psi. A similar one online is rated to 1500 psi. She has a pressure gauge on her right hip for the bottles and a depth gauge on the right wrist. A pair of Duck Feet fins on some nicely manicured feet and a handy dive knife tool. I am concerned about her watch, leather band and no bezel to mark her dive time and I doubt it is even waterproof. Even worse she does not have her buoyancy compensator and she's wearing dive weights! Oh yes, the photographer is more concerned with presenting her fine figure, how foolish of me. Save the Sinking SHORPYThe small, pressure-proof box contains a light meter (possibly a Gossen Luna-Pro) to measure the ambient light for exposure time or aperture settings. Ms. Lange is wearing a Jantzen bathing suit – my mom’s favorite brand. I don’t recognize the mask/regulator combo. This is 9 years before I became a certified SCUBA diver. That compressor looks a little too small to fill those twin 50(?) cubic foot tanks as they are rated for between 1850 and 2250 PSI. Compressors of that size are generally used as surface supplied air directly to the regulator for shallower (30 to 45 feet) and longer bottom time. The tanks provide a source of air in a “bailout” situation. No modern safety equipment such as a buoyancy compensator, dive computer, tank pressure gauge. B-17 Air CompressorThats a WWII Cornelius 32-R-300 three stage air compressor used in B-17s. They would do 3000 psi on 27 volts. Many were converted to 120V and used in dive operations to refill tanks. I used one to refill the air tanks on Yak aircraft. http://skindivinghistory.com/mfg_retailers/a/A_A_Wolf/index.html Uh, whatis Chuck's last name again? Va-VoomFirst of all, wow. Second, it looks like she might have time-traveled into the past to rescue Captain Gregg in a can't-miss senses-shattering season finale. Don't watch alone! Where's Shorpy?Dave, I love when you include the Shorpy logo, as part of the picture! In a strange kind of way, it reminds me of back in the day, when the Playboy Bunny logo, was hidden somewhere on the cover of the magazine! (The Gallery, Florida, LOOK, Miami, Pretty Girls, Swimming)
The Billboard Jungle: 1907
... to. A folded newspaper, a man appearing to look at a wrist watch, a man carrying a child, the streetcar and interurban operators -- and a ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/18/2012 - 6:58pm -

The Brooklyn Bridge Promenade and Manhattan Terminal in 1907 -- a view glimpsed earlier on Shorpy, with the addition of a train. Here we have a better view of the signs. 8x10 inch glass negative, Detroit Publishing Co. View full size. Tweed CourthouseI believe just about everything in this picture is gone now (except of course for the Brooklyn Bridge). One exception is that hexagonal dome in the middle distance. That belongs to the infamous New York County Courthouse. In the 1870s William Macy "Boss" Tweed managed to charge the taxpayers of New York a total of about $12 million for building that actually wound up costing $476,000. Now that's BIG TIME graft. The courthouse stood for a century, an embarrassing reminder of New York's Gilded Age heyday of corruption. It finally got a beautiful restoration over that last few years, and has had a new lease on life. Quite a grand structure, after all. Cerotypesce·ro·type (sîr-tp, sr-) n. The process of preparing a printing surface for electrotyping by first engraving on a wax-coated metal plate. [Greek kros, wax + type.] I wasn't familiar with this term. Francis Wilson (1854–1935)The Philadelphia‐born comedian began performing while still a youngster and spent time in minstrelsy before acting in plays. Most notable among his later successes were his Sir Guy De Vere in "When Knights Were Bold" (1907) and Thomas Beach in his own play, "The Bachelor's Baby" (1909). Marie LloydInteresting to see the name of Marie Lloyd above the Francis Wilson sign. She was the most famous and highest paid entertainer on the British "music hall" at the time as well. In 1907 she was in a major confrontation between performers and theatre owners in the UK. Not exactly highbrowIn addition to Francis Wilson, we have Marie Lloyd, known for her suggestive lyrics. Sign!"Sign, Sign everywhere a sign, blocking out the scenery breaking my mind, do this, don't do that, can't you read the sign? Fletcher's CastoriaGod forbid you were a constipated child when your mom kept a bottle of this in the house. YECH! Annnd - they still make it. "Root Beer Flavor" my aunt Fanny! Phew!I lost you after you said "Orpheumorpheum" ! I'm intrigued by the dates? on the right foreground such as "Feb 26 05" and the others on the lidded box "19-8-15 and 18-16-25". Any Shorpologists that can appease my curiosity? Either that's a negative scratchor Rapunzel is living in the tall building! Sign paintingI would have loved being a sign painter back then. People put so much effort into their lettering. Even the most mundane signs used fancy lettering, drop shadows, gold leafing, etc. CartersI think the Carters sign refers to "Carter's Little Liver Pills", a nostrum even available in my youth. They were major radio program sponsors in the the 1930s and 40s. In later years the dropped the "Little" from their name and the medicine was known as "Carters Liver Pills". Milton Berle told of an Uncle that had taken those pills most of his life. He died at age 90, and two weeks later they had to beat his liver to death with a stick. Close ClearanceBoy! A Teamster really had to trust his horse or team of horses! Look at that wagon or carriage near the center of the picture! That carriage is right against the curb, and with that train passing by, it would seem that if the horse or team were to drift slightly toward the track, another 10 o'clock "news item" would occur! (Or whatever form of "news item" there would have been in those days!) NumbersIs this neat graffiti or does it have an official purpose? Is it a date, maybe Feb 26 (19)05? There are some other neatly painted numbers a little further to the right: 19-8-15 and 18-16-25. CerotypesThis is where (Rank) Xerox came from, it's the same origin. A day in the life of . . . . . . so many people! People in the photos always fascinate me. Who were they, what were they doing and talking about and coming from or going to. A folded newspaper, a man appearing to look at a wrist watch, a man carrying a child, the streetcar and interurban operators -- and a borken and missing stanchion on a railing. Best of all, what appears to be graffiti "Feb 26 '05" -- of importance to someone who put it there, but the significance of which escapes me. So, so much in every photo -- like signage that has long faded even in 1907. This photo is particularly nice! No fattiesLook, people walking! And not a single one of them is overweight! Another survivoris 31 Chambers, the old Hall of Records now known as the Surrogates Courthouse. It is nestled between the German Herold and the Technical Press buildings. ProxemicsI have noticed in several of these photos that some people's personal interaction space seems much more intimate than we would be comfortable with today. Have Americans' intimate zones changed over time? If so, is it somehow related to having spent more generations away from Europe, where they have similarly close comfort zones? Does anyone have any thoughts about this? Neuralgine Meyer Brothers Druggist, Vol. 26, 1905. Neuralgine Mfg. Co., 24 and 26 Vandewater St., New York. Special offer to the trade: Save 10% now by ordering 3 doz. or more Neuralgine from your jobber. With every order for 3 doz. of either the 25¢ or 50¢ size, we will instruct your jobber to deliver to you 10% extra in Neuralgine. Neuralgine is an old-time remedy, has been on the market over 25 years. It is a reliable remedy for neuralgia, headache, sore throat, rheumatism, sprains, bruises, etc. It comes in two sizes, 25¢ and 50¢ a bottle. Order from your jobber at once 3 doz. as a trial lot, and take advantage of the above generous offer. The Newer Remedies, The Apothecary Publishing Co., 1908. Neuralgine. (a) a mixture of antipyrin, caffein and citric acid (migranin). (b) a mixture of acetanilid, sodium salicylate and caffein. The Elevated trainsWhile both of the El trains are purely electric and also have trolley poles on the roofs for use on ground level tracks at the ends of the lines in Coney Island, Canarsie Shore, and Fresh Pond, there are still cables between the rails. For one more year, the rush hour shuttle El trains that just ran across the Bridge were cable powered, although by now they also had electric motors so a steam engine was no longer needed in the terminals or for emergencies! The cables and the rails are in duplicate. There is no switch where the two tracks from the Park Row Terminal come "together"; the rails are just next to each other, interlaced. The Library of Congress website has an older movie of this, search for "New Brooklyn to New York." One of the trolleys on the right from the Myrtle Avenue line survives, search the collection at BERA.org for "1792." (The Gallery, Boats & Bridges, DPC, NYC, Railroads)
King of the Road: 1920
... acetylene headlamps and that old coach lamp up top. And watch out for that muffler as you're getting in and out. That's not a ... the wrong time the crank could come around and break your wrist if you were holding it wrong. King dies a pauper This is Edward ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/07/2012 - 10:24pm -

Washington, D.C., banker and bon vivant Eddie Voigt in a pimped-out Abbott-Detroit roadster circa 1920. View full size. Thanks to PER for unearthing the story of his rise and fall. National Photo Company Collection glass negative. Acetylene Headlamps?Looks like acetylene headlamps and that old coach lamp up top. And watch out for that muffler as you're getting in and out. That's not a leer.....Poor Eddie, as would any man of that era, is merely putting on his best stage smile to hide his terror at actually having to drive that thing home. Some Car!Wow! Eddie must have had some dough. That was the 1920 version of a hot rod sports car. New FavoriteJust when I think Shorpy can't get any better, it gets twice as good. Incredible shot that has all the architecture and automotive art that I come here for, and in spades. What a great photo! Thank you so much! Amazing!Proof that people love mainly what they know....while everyone is gushing on about commonplace Mustangs in the next post, no one has yet commented on this amazing vehicle. Look at the thing. It's incredible. Obviously meant for high speed, this car, I'm sure, weighs as much as a locomotive. It's almost as big as one (But with a lot less seating) and probably costs as much. The amount of metal in this machine probably threw off the compasses in ships in the Potomac. And piloting it was probably not for the faint of heart either. The brakes, if they were typical of the times, would have been negligible. I'm betting that making all that mass change direction was like steering an aircraft carrier. And safety devices? They were for sissies only! Look - no retraints, no protection and...best of all...the guy's seatback is the gas tank! Ah...men were men back then. PerspectiveThe thing that grabbed me is the combination of a wide-angle, semi-fisheye perspective of the vehicle in the foreground with perfectly straight lines and parallel uprights of the buildings in the back. Eddie And His CruiserYep, Eddie was a manly man, alright! Look at his leering expression! Yikes. I guess if you are going to have the hottest (only?) car in town it might as well be actually hot! Someone should hunt him down in the census, and see if he survived his volatile machine. Yes, people do love what they know. But the Mustangs didn't get me too much. We still have a couple on every street in my town to this day, although most are not convertibles. But the Lark was awesome. Kathleen A Retrofit Here...a retrofit there, and this cream puff could have looked exactly like Chitty-Chitty Bang-Bang! Crank ItI've never had the pleasure, but guys my grandpa's age tell me you needed the right technique, if the engine fired at the wrong time the crank could come around and break your wrist if you were holding it wrong. King dies a pauperThis is Edward Voigt Jr. during his finer days. He lived a high life but died lonely and poor. This story is one of the saddest I have researched for Shorpy. -PER The Washington Post, Apr 17, 1959 Former Well-to-Do District Banker is Buried by Welfare Department. Edward Voigt Jr., 75, once a bank president who had a swimming pool in his basement, was buried by the Welfare Department yesterday after his death in a one-room apartment among the relics of his past. Voigt had lived alone at 1117 Vermont ave. nw. for four years. One day last month, he died alone in the kitchen. His body had rested there until April 6, when the caretaker, Joseph Meade, called police. The police found a neat apartment furnished with old and faded tapestries. They saw pictures of handsome women and a large Wyoming ave. house identified as costing $50,000 with a swimming pool in the basement. They saw a liveried chauffeur beside a limousine with a woman and two small girls on the porch. Welfare records showed that Voigt had been divorced in Las Vegas in 1928 by his wife who had borne him two daughters. The record also shows that Voigt had since lived with his late mother on Massachusetts ave. and later in a small apartment on that street. But when he moved to his last home he closed the door on his past, instructing Meade not to let anyone know he lived there. Meade recalls that a well-dressed woman once came to see him but he turned her away. Meade says that Voigt never wore any clothes while in the apartment, but he always dressed up whenever he went out - once or twice a week for groceries or a stroll. Old business associates remember Voigt as being a dapper dresser during his days as president of the old American Commercial and Savings Bank at 7th and sts. nw. The bank failed in 1924 when it was taken over by the present Security Bank. Voigt's father, Edward Sr., sold jewelry and religious articles in a shop at 7th st. between G and H sts. The younger Voigt was a partner in this business for about 30 years. A lifelong resident of Washington, Voigt was buried at a cost of $200 to the taxpayers. He now rests along side his mother and father in Prospect Hill Cemetery. A few other factoids gleaned from the pages of the Post. He participated in dirt track racing at Benning. His car in 1915 was listed as a Warren. In 1918 he was the director of events for the Labor Day racing at Benning track. He joined the District Automobile Club in 1915. Was involved in an automobile accident with Representative John Langley of Kentucky in 1921. Declared Bankruptcy in 1928 with debts exceeding $47,000. The Washington Post, Jul 4, 1915 The Washington Post, Sep 5, 1915 The Washington Post, Sep 1, 1918 The Washington Post, Oct 14, 1921 The Washington Post, Aug 26, 1928 Front-end Harpoon?Alas poor Eddie, sic transit gloria. Eddie's fate aside, what is that thing on the roadster's right front spring hanger? It's too small to be a gladiatorial tire piercer (and the tires probably were solid?) or cattle skewer, and bumpers and suchlike clearly were for sissies anyway. It's got a cord or cable, so is it part of the electrical system, some lethal device involving a magneto? An alligator clip from hell? Great image, and thanks for not retouching the shots very much, if at all. [It's the crank for starting the engine. And these photos as you see them all owe a lot to Photoshop. - Dave] Hundred-Dollar FuneralIt's as if he were the inspiration behind the old Porter Wagoner song "Hundred Dollar Funeral": With one nickel in his pocket and a pack of cigarettes There were no tears of sorrow no tears of regrets In a plain wooden casket the county laid him away Just a hundred dollar funeral with no loved ones to pray There must be a mother who loves him somewhere Perhaps she had gone home and was waiting up there Where there`s no disappointments around God`s great throne No hundred dollar funerals unloved and unknown No pretty marble headstone not one friend came He was lowered by four strangers that didn`t know his name A loser on this earth a death so many must pay Just a hundred dollar funeral with no loved ones to pray. Engine CrankThe crank end is inserted into a crank holder, probably canvas or leather, attached to the leaf spring. Keeps the crank from rattling around or falling out. Hand CrankThe crank holder kept the crank from swinging back and forth as you drove about. On Ford Model T's it was buckled to the stand for the headlights. I guess the spring hanger was a better choice on this custom rig. This car did not have an electric starter. It was a strongarm starter. Electric starter were not common for another ten years. So you would bend down engage hand crank and give it a spin. If is was a cold day or the fuel mixture was set wrong you would get tired before it started. So I guess head back in the house for a cup of joe and when your arm was rested head back out and start cranking. Abbott-Detroit racecarThe photo is of an Abbott-Detroit car of 1911, it looks like and probably is one of the four ex Vanderbilt Cup and American Grand Prize cars that were given to their drivers after the races and then sold on and used subsequently at speed events. The radiators were streamlined after being sold and wheel discs covered the wooden wheels. The photo is about 1913. I have a car exactly like this and race it at speed events today, I was radar checked at 87mph at the Nurburgring, marvellous photos please keep them coming. A Warren rather than an Abbott and almost certainly the race car campaigned by Irving Barber and modified for him by Carter Bros. Washington Motor Car Co. Carter Bros built it's successor the "Eye See Bee" to Barber's distinctive design around 1914. The design appearance is remarkably similar to that of the famous DC area Kline-Kar racers "Jimmy" and "Jimmy Jr." Barber often raced his 1911/12 Warren with. This picture appears to be the Warren in this guise sans fenders, headlamps and muffler in a starting lineup (5th from left) at Benning 1915... http://www.loc.gov/pictures/collection/npco/item/npc2008008361/ Irving Barber in his Warren Laurel Md 29-30 June 1912... http://lcweb2.loc.gov/service/pnp/npcc/27800/27852v.jpg 'Eye See Bee' Benning 1915, Barber sold this car to William Weightman in 1916 and acquired the 1914 Indy 8th finisher 'Beaver Bullet' http://www.loc.gov/pictures/collection/npco/item/npc2008008366/ Jimmy and Jimmy Jr Laurel Md 29-30 June 1912... http://www.loc.gov/pictures/collection/npco/item/npc2008008302/ Jimmy Jr Laurel Md 29-30 June 1912 (Bob Burman, Cutting #15)... http://www.loc.gov/pictures/collection/npco/item/npc2008008306/ (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, D.C., Natl Photo)
Family Dinner: 1952
... 'combover' on his bald spot. Bet any money that Mother's wrist watch is a Bulova. Mother ironed and 'starched' the tablecloth, so it must be ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 10/29/2015 - 10:31am -

1952. "Photo for U.S. Information Agency propaganda poster titled 'I Choose to Be a Miner,' distributed in Asia; poster includes photographs of coal miner Walter Ward and family in David, Kentucky." Gelatin silver print. View full size. The most used utensilin my grandma's kitchen was the soup ladle hanging above the stove. Having come from a Pennsylvania coal miner grandfather, my 'take' on this picture is that it was staged, posed and fully planned in advance (unless this was on a Sunday when they would have their best meal of the week). The other six week-night suppers were mostly home-made soup and bread, every kind of soup imaginable, more than Campbells could ever come up with. Having a large family, my mom said there was nothing else that could satisfy seven or eight hungry, hard-working people as a filling, hot and inexpensive meal like soup and fresh bread & butter. She was a master soup cook too, taught by her mother, and I was pretty much raised on soup, some heartier than others, but never disappointing. It can be time-consuming to prepare but I've never felt deprived and it really stretches your meat to feed any number of people. (If someone got a big chunk of chicken or beef in their soup, or too many clams in their clam chowder, we used to say "the string must have broke"). ... and look! Cake!I do love this photo. It's all shiny and full of bounty. Once you look closely you'll see the financial constraints this family must have faced. I'm left to wonder if she normally served cake at dinner. Need a new washer on that faucet?If they're under financial constraints, they could help their water bill by either a) turning the faucet off, or b) putting a new washer in it. MixerIt looks like a '40s Kitchen Aid stand mixer. [Looks like a Sumbeam Mixmaster to me. -tterrace] It still works...I bought this Sunbeam Mixmaster for $25 on a trip to Tacoma, Washington, over 20 years ago. So 1950sThe Mixmaster, the teapot from the Jewel Tea Company, the General Electric range, and all the gleaming surfaces that wipe clean with a damp sponge. Why can't I have a kitchen like that? Miners at tableNo miners I grew up with ever lived that well, dressed that well nor ate that well. With all the fresh haircuts, clothes, appliances, etc, this was nothing but a stage production. Folks my age will recognize it as such. [The worn-out stool for a chair and the T-shirt with holes are probably props, too. - Dave] I'll Second ThatIt looks like the second-hand one in my kitchen--a Sunbeam Mixmaster, which gets frequent use and works perfectly 60+ years on. I bought it minus beaters and must have bought about 50 pairs of beaters before I found the right ones. I have a drawer-full. Maybe they fit tterrace's "Sumbeam". Miners' HousesThe Wards' house (at right, with the tree), and their neighbors. Click to enlarge. MixmasterMy mom had one of those. It was an ergonomic beauty: you operated the speeds by rotating the black dome-shaped knob at the far end, and you released the beaters by swiveling the black handle 90 degrees. Ah, and the glass bowls. Seeing that Sunbeam in use on the kitchen counter meant something aromatic and yummy was on the way. P.S. A place named David! I’m okay with that. Which?OK everyone, would you like dessert first or these lovely string beans? Just as I RememberA typical middle class family dinner, as I remember it, from the early 50's, although: Cake wasn't a normal feature and the kids always had milk (Starlac as I remember and it was terrible) instead of water. Older sis looks a bit peeved at the main course (it was always someone's least favorite). Dinner was always in the dining room. Breakfast was always in the kitchen. Mom was always in a dress but no high heels. Another vote for the MixmasterThat Mixmaster brings back some pleasant childhood memories for me. My mother had one very similar to the one in the image. I was about the same age range as the boys in the photo in 1952 and I always lobbied to lick the bowl and the beaters after the cake was finished. they even had a swimming pool...Put in circa 1949...whoda thunk? A Not-Christmas StoryAm I the only one who looks at this kitchen and sees the "eat like a pig, Ralphie" scene from A Christmas Story in the making? (Of course I also have one of those Sunbeam mixers, and so does my mother. They are/were indestructible). Jelly GlassesLove those bird themed water glasses on the table. I have the same glasses my Dad used as a kid. They came from the grocery with jam or jelly in them and then you used the glass later. Running WaterThe faucet water flow may be intentional, if the supply is by gravity through an uninsulated pipe from a mountain side spring. Otherwise, it could be too hot in Summer, and frozen solid in Winter. I recognize the sink/counter!Unfortunately, it's because I see it every day in the kitchen of the house I rent. I love the style, but those cupboards are mighty small. Youngstown KitchensThe logo in front of the sink is from Youngstown Kitchens. Yup, I grew up with them. Here's what I see….Mother's Swiss-dot curtains are torn on the left panel; her drain rack for her dishes is in its place by the drainboard. She normally uses her table for her counter space, but since the table is set for dinner, she's using her sink drainboard for her Sunbeam Mixmaster which whipped up the frosting. Ah, yes, that tiny black spray nozzle on the sink. Is that grated cheese in the cheese shaker or do they use a lot of salt? The younger daughter has her eyes on the boiled frosting cake, as would be mine as well. Father and the boy are eying the fried chicken. Deviled eggs on a side plate with lettuce? There are sweater 'pills' on the older daughter's sweater, at the farthest point West. Nice white bread, hard to find nowadays with all the nutritious breads forced on us in our stores. Father's hair is combed in a 'combover' on his bald spot. Bet any money that Mother's wrist watch is a Bulova. Mother ironed and 'starched' the tablecloth, so it must be Sunday. Father's shirt is ironed, older daughter's sweater is ironed, younger daughter's dress is ironed, younger son's t-shirt is ripped with holes. The plant at the window is a 'Wandering Jew.' The tin pots and pans are surely much lighter to lift than my All-Clad set today. All in all, the scene resembled by own childhood in 1952, right down to the floral design on the linoleum on the floor. MenuI'm trying to figure out what they were eating that night. I can distinguish the green beans and bread and the consensus on the lumpy main course is that it's fried chicken. I'm curious what's in the bowl underneath the chicken. Potatoes? The side plates look like they have salad on them and that's maybe pickles next to the bread? I have to assume the cake on the table was for the benefit of the photo. No mother then or now would put dessert out first! I also have to wonder if the ice in the water was there to indicate prosperity, along with the mixer and the frig. (The Gallery, Kitchens etc., Mining)
Bad Example: 1942
... the number of trips. She was right. It's a watch fob Attached by a leather strap to a pocket watch. It was a ... he might have thought it safer than having a strap on his wrist, asking to get caught in whatever he was working on. My wife still ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 05/24/2015 - 1:52pm -

June 1942. "Industrial safety. Accident prevention. The employee who carries in such a way as to obscure his vision is not saving time -- he is endangering himself and his fellow workers. A few extra trips, or the use of a truck when necessary, eliminates possible man-hour loss from this hazard." Photo by Howard Liberman for the Office of War Information. View full size. Is that you, Sach?This guy looks a lot like Huntz Hall, who played Horace Debussy "Sach" Jones in the Bowery Boys comedies back in the '40s and '50s. Look what you did to my shirt...A ringer for Peter Lorre! Safety!What about the poor fellow's back?? Medallion?Any idea what that medallion is hanging from his belt? Lazy man's loadMy grandmother would have called that a lazy man's load, where a caution against accidental breakage of the box content is outweighed by desire to minimize the number of trips. She was right. It's a watch fobAttached by a leather strap to a pocket watch. It was a convenient way to keep your watch safe and accessible. By this time the wristwatch had largely supplanted the pocket watch but some men held to them and not just as a fashion accessory. My wife's grandfather was a plumber and his hands were always grimy, so he used a fob to save wear and tear on his pockets. I suspect he might have thought it safer than having a strap on his wrist, asking to get caught in whatever he was working on. My wife still has his fob, old and worn, but when new much like the one in the picture. That medallionappears to be a watch fob, for a pocket watch. Its other end would be in the watch pocket, once a common feature of men's trousers. As for the medallion, that appears to show the Great Seal of the United States, as seen on the right side of the reverse of our one dollar bill, and also used on military cap devices and other military and government applications. Would be nice to have sufficient resolution to read whatever is around the outside. FrankensteinFace of a boy. Arms of a man. Trousers of an accountant. (The Gallery, Howard Liberman)
Lunch With Lynn and Hugh: 1943
... at the time. - Dave] Lynn Massman I watch comments on this website on a daily basis. My father was in the Army Air ... Appears to be an archer or a bird. The watch on his right wrist suggests he was a lefty. Mom & Dad I never knew how pretty my ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 10/17/2018 - 1:22pm -

December 1943. Washington, D.C. "Hugh and Lynn Massman eating lunch at a cafeteria after a day of sightseeing. Their eight-week-old son is being taken care of at the United Nations service center nursery." Medium-format safety negative by Esther Bubley for the Office of War Information. View full size. WashingtonI imagine that the city of Washington in particular would probably have had a lot of facilities labeled as "United Nations" simply because you had military missions from just about every allied country present. Lynn is a babeAm I the only one viewing this series of pics who thinks Hugh was one lucky guy? re: LynnFar from it... Wasn't the United Nations founded in 1945?Hey, do Hugh and Lynn know their 8 week old son is being cared for in a non-existent organization's Nursery? [United Nations refers to the countries allied against the Axis powers during the war. Kind of a generic expression at the time. - Dave] Lynn MassmanI watch comments on this website on a daily basis. My father was in the Army Air Corps. You can find the link if you google Logan Southfield. He flew a P-61 Black Widow. My mother was a model for Anita Dress Shops and Zukors during WW2. Lynn Massman was not only nice looking, but a great mother. Since when do we base our comments on looks? We don't. No offense...Of course we comment on looks - there's a whole Shorpy category on Pretty Girls, and Lynn ranks as that. As you yourself point out, she was a model. All I was saying was that Hugh was a lucky guy - Lynn was very pretty, in a way that transcends decades. Classic good looks. HotLove the bottle of Tabasco on the table. Some things never change. Wow! That is a substantial meal!Solid food; I love the separate servings of mashed potatoes "on the side" with the impressions filled with gravy. They also have a nice fruit plate as well as cake and apple pie(cobbler?) for dessert. Looks like the previous patron did not finish his meal. See the tray with the tip. Such a waste. [That's probably change, not a tip. Esther had to put down her tray to take the picture. - Dave] Milky memoriesI *love* the individual serving milk bottles. I vaguely recall those from my childhood. Not Foster Grants, but better, I thinkLooks like Hugh has in his pocket a pair of those WW II Government Issue (GI for you acronym acolytes) aviator shades with the serious wrap-around-the-ear wire frames. My father-in-law, a WW II vet, gave me his and they were beautifully manufactured. I wish I could discern the design on his pinky ring. Appears to be an archer or a bird. The watch on his right wrist suggests he was a lefty. Mom & DadI never knew how pretty my mom was. But then, I was born in 1958, and she was older then, and had my three older siblings. Plus my two younger siblings by 1962. I never knew how lovely Lynn was until I saw these photos online and realized how much my daughter Alexis, now 30 and a mother of two, looks like her. Navy RatingFrom his Navy insignia, it would seem that Hugh was either an Aviation Radioman or Aviation Radio Technician, 2nd Class (ARM2 or ART2, respectively). A radioman operated radios, while a technician maintained them. The ratings and roles were different, but the insignia was the same. What war?I was born in England shortly after the war, and was seven before food ration cards were withdrawn. Not a soul in everyday Britain even had access to a meal so grand during the war, as my parents constantly told me and my siblings. We were not allowed from the table until everything was eaten from our plates, and no excuses were entertained. We were taught to be grateful for what we received and no waste was allowed. There weren't many fat kids when I was a youngster. When we emigrated to Canada in the late '50s, the quantity of food people ate was a wonder to us, as was the constant guzzling of sugary soda pop. Within a year we had visited the US and there the portion sizes were even greater. This photograph shows that if there was food rationing in the US during the war, it was minor. Printing this photo in a British newspaper during the war after four long years of it would have caused a riot; the deprivations were real. Just another perspective to consider when most of the comments focus on the woman's looks. But then most Americans only count the war from December 1941, when it had already been going on for well over two years. (The Gallery, D.C., Eateries & Bars, Esther Bubley, Massman, WW2)
Kellogg's Chorus Line: 1952
... the camera had almost no weight. He just had to apply his wrist strength to the pan and tilt bars to push or lift in the desired ... With Peter O'Toole, one of my all time faves. I like to watch movies and think to myself what would I change to make it a better movie. ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 05/06/2013 - 9:56am -

New York, 1952. NBC's All Star Revue, hosted by Martha Raye, and its dancing cereal boxes. Photo by Charlotte Brooks for Look magazine. View full size. Vinten DolliesI believe those are the earliest models on Vinten camera dollies to be used in the US, probably imported from the UK Vinten factory. A pleasure to use, a cameraman could easily move one in any direction including up and down as if the camera had almost no weight. He just had to apply his wrist strength to the pan and tilt bars to push or lift in the desired direction. The well balanced motion was always smooth and noiseless. One's first use of one of those dollies was kind of surreal, a very unusual experience to move a huge camera so easily. It's hard to tell there are wheels attached, the low-riding "cattle guard" pushed cables and other obstacles out of the way. Definitely a creature of smooth floored TV studios, most motion picture studios at the time had rough plank floors that required a lot of preparation to get any kind of camera dolly movement. The current models are not too different, and you often run into 50+ year old models still in use. Channel 1When WNBT went on the air in 1941 it was on Channel 1 until 1946, when it was assigned to Channel 4. May be a Houston Fearless dollyLooks more like a Houston Fearless TD-1 dolly. a salesman is an it that stinksTap-dancing All-Bran may seem impossibly banal to our "modern" sensibilities, but it is far less insidious than the contemporary dancing Old Gold cigarette packs (regular and king size) also polluting the ether back then -- and the product far less insalubrious as well. [an it that stinks: e.e. cummings reference. - Dave] Top of the RockWNBT was the flagship TV station of the National Broadcasting Company. It went on the air July 1, 1941, broadcasting on Channel 4 from NBC's iconic 30 Rockefeller Plaza headquarters. The transmitter was a mere seven blocks away atop the Empire State Building. In 1954 the call letters were changed to WRCA, reflecting the parent company and the RCA building which was what 30 Rock was known as way before the TV show aired. It became WNBC in 1960. My Favorite YearThis could have been a still from that wonderful movie. A neat 'peek behind the curtain' with Peter O'Toole. Most definitely TD-1 dollies, with RCA TK-10s mounted. I used those dollies and TK-11s when I taught studio television production at Iowa State University over a third of a century ago. It was great since the campus television station, WOI-TV, was also the Des Moines ABC affiliate. My students would leave my class and go produce that day's local edition of PM Magazine, before that show migrated to WHO-TV, as well as produce the local newscast at 10 PM. Examining the Raisin BranIs that Dave Garroway? [No. -tterrace] My Favorite YearWith Peter O'Toole, one of my all time faves. I like to watch movies and think to myself what would I change to make it a better movie. With My Favorite Year the answer is nothing. Time to fix some Meatloaf Mindanao for tonight -- need to find a parrot. Look alive, people.You seem to be missing your Pep today. Definitely RCA pedestalsBill--No, those are definitely RCA-badged, Houston-Fearless TD-1A camera pedestals. I worked for a San Francisco station that used identical units into the mid 1990's. They were practically indestructible. William--Actually, the two cameras nearest the performers are TK-30's, the field version of the TK-10. The obvious difference is in the viewfinders--the TK-30 finders have top handles for easy transport. The TK-10 viewfinder at the bottom does not. I believe the electronics of the camera heads were identical. The other major difference is that the power supplies and control units for TK-10's were rack-mounted, but for the TK-30's were in much smaller, transportable cases. Many stations did that in the 1950's, so that studio equipment could be knocked down and loaded into mobile units. In this case, it makes sense because the photo appears to have been taken in one of the many theaters that NBC leased for studio space in the 1950's. Also, I don't know when WOI-TV acquired TK-11's, but I know that they went on-air originally with DuMont cameras. I have the instruction manual from one of them. It's possible that WOI might have received used TK-11's, as by the 1960's I'm sure that parts specific to the DuMont's were hard to find. Insidious or NotThe Old Golds had better legs. I remember those TK-11sat the former WOI-TV studio, when it was ISU's Telecommunicative Arts Dept. Unfortunately, by the time I took TV production in summer school 10 years later, they were gonesville. Those pantson the guy at top center are way slim cut for the early '50s, unless you were very up on the Mr. T look as shown in Esquire. I assume he's a dance director or something similarly fashion-conscious. (LOOK, TV)
Biometrics: 1918
... worn only by women. It took the development of the "trench watch," designed to be worn on the wrist so that a soldier could more readily tell the time (important for those ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/05/2012 - 7:56pm -

Washington, D.C., 1918. Sailor Noonan's ordeal in Room 403 continues: "Navy department, intelligence bureau, finger-print department clerks: Blanche Donahue, James A. Noonan, Marie S. Dahm, Blanche G. Stansbury, Mrs. G.G. Boswell." Harris & Ewing Collection glass negative. View full size. Let's hear it for James Noonan I'm sure this picture will bring out more Boswell admirers. As a member of the opposite sex, let me just say that Sailor Noonan is one nice hunk of Irish-American naval flesh himself! And I love Miss Dahm's boots! And the coats and hats on the hatrack! Conniving SailorSeems to me that this Navy whippersnapper is making a career out of having his fingerprints taken by the two best looking girls in the office. Or perhaps they are being trained and he is the volunteer subject, just to help them out. (Yeah, thats the ticket). The ladies really did wear very interesting and flattering clothes and shoes in 1918, very flattering too. All the other women...All the other women secretly wished they were as attractive as Mrs. Boswell. Look at the timeMrs. Boswell is wearing one of the early examples of the wristwatch -- which used to be worn only by women. It took the development of the "trench watch," designed to be worn on the wrist so that a soldier could more readily tell the time (important for those synchronized attacks across no-man's land), to start the trend away from pocket watches. You might also note that Mrs. B's watch has the crown at the 12 o'clock position -- most early versions of the wristwatch were so designed. The Gruesome Things of WarLogansport (Indiana) Pharos-Reporter, May 24, 1918. Four Pretty Girls in Washington Literally Have Every Jackie In U. S. Navy by the Hand By Edna Huber Church         WASHINGTON, May 24. — Once upon a time — this is not a fairy tale — it was said that a sailor had a girl in every port. Things have changed, however, since the days of Farragut. Now, four girls, four very pretty little girls—-have every jackie in Uncle Sam's navy "by the hand." That is literally true. The four girls who have the jackies by the hand are most important factors in Secretary Daniels' organization. Recently the Navy Department adopted a new method of identification, at least new in navy circles, the finger print method. Today, in a rather unimposing room in the Navy Department, these girls have the finger prints and the hand marks of every member of the Navy. All are tabulated and carefully filed. So when the gruesome things of war happen, it is possible for these four girls to relieve the minds of anxious mothers, for they are able to identify badly mutilated bodies by the finger prints. It is perhaps as an unhappy task for girls, but war is unhappy and these four young ladies have sat to the work with a spirit that will win the war if every woman in America adopts it. The four girls who are doing this very important war work are Blanche Donohue and Marie Dahm, of New York, and Blanche Stansbury and Julia Boswell, of Alexandria, Va. Don't you envy them, girls? The Panic ButtonIt springs a trapdoor for those with dodgy fingerprints or anyone who tries to put the moves on Mrs. Boswell. Panic buttonWhat do you suppose the button to the left of the drawer was used for? The Beautiful Miss BoswellIt looks like my research that indicated that Mrs. Boswell might be named Julia Boswell is correct (see my comment under her other photo). The 3-9-09 comment under this photo that showed the article called "Four Pretty Girls In Washington" does, indeed, refer to her as Julia Boswell. But the question still remains: What happened to her? There are no records for her with that name after 1900. The G. G. SpotMaybe Mrs. G. G. Boswell decamped with G. G. Bain so as to maintain continuity of monogramming! Put a ring on itMrs. Boswell is wearing a beautiful ring, which suits her well. (The Gallery, D.C., Harris + Ewing, WWI)
G-Man: 1940
... Correct A dapper guy right down to that tank watch on his wrist.. Wow! Never seen a picture of him smiling before! Re: ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/09/2012 - 11:40am -

April 5, 1940. Washington, D.C. "Informal photo of J. Edgar Hoover, Director of FBI, Department of Justice." Harris & Ewing glass negative. View full size. CommentsI also was expecting the usual drivel about the man. But the day is young. I consider Hoover a true patriot who fit in perfectly as head of the FBI. Wrongfully Smeared?He was a titanic hypocrite. If he suspected any prominent American of being what he himself was, there would have been a nice, thick file and probably a follow-up with either painful or sensational consequences. The man wasn't wrongfully smeared post-mortem. Personally, I regret it didn't happen pre-mortem. All his good was balanced, for better or worse, by his unchecked powers, the results of that, and the big, fat elephant in the room that he successfully concealed for all of his life. What crosses my mind, and obviously many other, is the possibility of what else he's wearing under that expensive suit. Smeared? Certainly. Wronfully? Not in the opinion of this humble correspondent. I'm with TomDefinitely not criticized without perfectly good reason. The head of our top law enforcement agency kept files on his politcal enemies and would blackmail them without thinking twice in order to keep his job. He should have been put out to pasture long before he was. It's amazing who, in this day in age, is considered a "patriot." The word has been marginalized to the point of meaninglessness. DangI was looking forward to a dozen or so predictably inane comments. Yet ... zilch! [They've been sent off to Headquarters for analysis. - Dave] Sartorially CorrectA dapper guy right down to that tank watch on his wrist.. Wow!Never seen a picture of him smiling before! Re: Wrongfully Smeared?Well, the major smear referred to in the referenced comment has long since been debunked. Quite reasonably, given that the sole source for it was a gangster's wife, quoted in a bio (classy title: "The Secret Life of J. Edgar Hoover") released more than 20 years after Hoover's death. But once these things are in the air, people do seem to want to believe them. The point about Hoover's "unchecked powers" is at least rationally debatable. J.E.H. R.I.P.A good man who ran a tight ship, made a lot of enemies and got wrongfully smeared after his death. There are smiles that make you happyHe's smiling because he's been reading the secret files he kept on the peccadillos of anyone and everyone who might have threatened his position. The odd thing is that he managed to get himself identified with patriotism, when he really wasn't very effective in his job--as proved by his denial of the existence of the Mafia, his attempts to subvert the civil rights movement, his undermining of Melvin Purvis, etc. etc. Say what?Mr. Hoover awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. Thats as beliveable as the person who was awarded it today. [J. Edgar Hoover was never awarded the Nobel. Where do you people come up with this stuff? - Dave] Should have retired in 1960The definitive example of a man who outlived whatever usefulness he might have had in the first place by at least 25 years. It could be argued that in the 1930s, he played an important role in bringing down such felons as John Dillinger, Machine Gun Kelly and Baby Face Nelson, but the last ten years of his life were a complete farce. Instead of focusing on organized crime, he became absurdly obsessed with left-leaning but largely benign singers like Pete Seeger, Phil Ochs and John Lennon. No credibility at all!Hopefully, the FBI has changed since Hoover's death. However, his legacy is still present through the various laws the FBI has managed to circumvent since 9/11. Hoover is smiling in that photo because he knows he's above the law. He absolutely has no credibility in my eyes. Hoover is an example of what happens when you have too much power. (The Gallery, D.C., Harris + Ewing, Public Figures)
And Then This Time at Scout Camp: 1917
... the knife first from each finger tip, then progressed to wrist, elbow, shoulder, chin, nose, etc. It got progressively more difficult. ... pinned onto children and a tip given to the porter to "watch" them ... Swimming in the river (or gravel pit) ... "Kick-the-can" at ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 01/26/2008 - 2:00am -

July 16, 1917. An exciting game of "mumble-the-peg" at scout camp outside New York City. George Grantham Bain Collection. View full size. Mumbly-PegWe knew this as Mumbly-Peg. The trick is to get the pocket knife to land blade in-ground from different starting points, with different flips and fancy twists or even bouncing the handle end off a body part. My grandfather taught me this when I was about 7 or 8. My mother stopped it promptly. Just as well, I wasn't any good at it. On the Nature of the MumbleAccording to the American Heritage dictionary: From the phrase mumble the peg, from the fact that originally the loser had to pull up with the teeth a peg driven into the ground. I suppose it doesn't really need to make sense. Mumble, MumblyI used to play Mumbly-Peg as a child. Never heard it called "Mumble the Peg." Hadn't thought of that game in over 50 years. I'm trying to remember all the starting points. If memory serves, you flipped the knife first from each finger tip, then progressed to wrist, elbow, shoulder, chin, nose, etc. It got progressively more difficult. Signet ringSeen the boy wearing a signet ring? Not that normal for a Boy Scout of his age I would think. [I had one when I was a kid. Family heirloom from the 1860s. - Dave] Mumblety-PegWe still played this unsafe game when I was a scout not more than 25 years ago. Of course we had to do it away from camp, otherwise the Scoutmaster would take away the knife, take a corner off of your "totin' chip" and give the knife back to your father when you got home and tell him what you had been caught doing. Me too!We used to play it as well being kids. I'm from Russia. Surely boys are not that much obsessed with "health and safety" even now. Thank you for all these great images of old time that bring a lot of memories and make me sad in some way... OK, not too much sad - I'm only forty. Mumblety-pegWow, I also used to play that game as a Scout when I was a kid! That picture just brought back so many memories. Now that I am a Scoutmaster though I'm afraid there is no way I could allow my kids to play that game... (I guess I'll just have to play with my fellow leaders away from the kids at the next camp!!!) I love how their leader is probably looking at them play (leg of tall figure visible on the extreme right). Pat What were our parents thinking?"Jarts," Mumbly-Peg" ... Train tickets pinned onto children and a tip given to the porter to "watch" them ... Swimming in the river (or gravel pit) ... "Kick-the-can" at dusk on the city's streets ... Walking to school in the snow and rain. It's a wonder any of us survived! I'm just kidding of course, but our children seem to be "connected" (via TV, computers, etc) and time-programmed waay to much nowadays! Funny, I never claimed I was "bored." Probably because I knew that Mum or Dad would find chores for me to do! Chevrons?I see one boy wearing what looks like the chevrons of a corporal, and another with those of a sergeant. Was this used as some sort of scout insignia at the time? I am unfamiliar with that. (The Gallery, G.G. Bain, Kids, Sports)
The Bunny Chair: 1935
... that watchmakers even made toddler wristwatches, as the watch seems proportional to a 2-year-old's wrist. The Wristwatch ...is a TOY! Plastic band, tin watch with plastic ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/02/2009 - 4:36am -

"Donald R. Johnson, portrait, 1935." Harris & Ewing glass neg. View full size. Such a well scrubbed little laddie!What a cutie! Seeing his shining face compared with poor little Shorpy all covered with soot tells the story of two Americas, one for the wealthy, another for the poor -- of course these two fellows were at least, what 25 years apart, but still, what a difference! Still, despite those shiny shoes, the plaster step he was seated on is cracked and broken in places. That stair and the stark lone (scary) bunny chair seem to belie the little boy's tidy costume. Sure he's cuteBut can he sing and dance? Buster BrownsI was not a child of privilege as this portrait might suggest -- quite the opposite. But I can't help but wince at the clumsy leather shoes my mother also made me wear, making me a klutz among my sneaker-shorn peers. Re: Miami ViceNot sure if you are referring to Don Johnson or Donald Duck BUT D.D. does not wear pants and I believe Don Johnson does although I don't know for sure. I was not really aware of the pantless cartoon characters until my sons would say things like "are you Porky Piggin' it today?" and being slow on the uptake it took me a minute to comprehend since Porky did not wear pants either. I'll try harder to stay 'on topic' in the future, sorry for rattling on. Picture PerfectCould this child be anymore perfect? Funny BunnyThat chair looks like a cat to me. Miami ViceHis friends noticed a change after little Donald moved to Florida. A little on the leftWhat I don't understand, since this is a posed studio shot, with the posed toy trains, posed boy, staged lighting, and made-for-photography background wall, why didn't the photographer crop out the distracting fabric on the left? I am guessing that he never expected anyone to see his negative 79 years later, only his prints. And his prints cropped the boy tighter. So why bother to swivel the camera an inch to the right? [That's a person over on the left. Maybe Mommy. - Dave] So well behavedMy twins are just about the same age as this little chap seems to be and I don't think I could get either of them to sit so nicely for a portrait. RecyclingThose buttons would make GREAT sock monkey eyes! Class PhotoI don't know anything about the circumstances of the Johnson family, but why does everyone assume that because this lad is clean, happy, and dressed up in his finest duds, that he is somehow a child of privilege and wealth? Photographs of this type didn't cost all that much. And even during the depression, they were commonly done - especially of children. His could be an ordinary middle-class family. I have a portrait of myself at that age, posed sitting in a similar looking chair, and we were certainly not rich folks. This class envy is getting old. Rock Island LineWhat a handsome kid! And the train is the famous Rock Island Line! If you're so happy, why ain't you rich?You didn't have to be rich to get scrubbed, combed, dressed up, plunked down in front of a professional photograper and hand-colored, to boot, viz., middle-class me. What do I look here, two maybe? That would make it 1948. tterrace toddler timeRegarding tterrace's photo below, a wristwatch on a 2-year-old? I don't know of any 2-year-old that can count much less tell time. You really musta been way ahead of your "time" so to speak. I find it equally perplexing that watchmakers even made toddler wristwatches, as the watch seems proportional to a 2-year-old's wrist. The Wristwatch...is a TOY! Plastic band, tin watch with plastic cover. I guess they don't make these any more -- "small parts may choke small children," etc. They were very common when we were kids. I even had a couple of girls watches myself. (The Gallery, Harris + Ewing, Kids, Portraits)
Hello Fada: 1929
... size grandfather clock on your back instead of wearing a wrist watch. Re: Unwanted consoles I'll gladly pay for shipping!!! ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/19/2012 - 6:49pm -

Washington, D.C., circa 1929. "Loomis Radio School." A display of Fada radio sets. National Photo Company Collection glass negative. View full size. Reply to DbellToo late. It was 15 yrs. ago and we ended up donating them to a charity's thrift store (who really did not seem too excited to accept them) along with lots of other items I thought would have been snapped up by collectors. It was before E-Bay. Famous caseHere's a bit of trivia about Fada: the 1927 Supreme Court of Canada decision in Fada Radio v Canadian General Electric is frequently cited in Canadian patent law. Fada challenged the validity of CGE's 1920 Canadian patent 196390 on Irving Langmuir's "current amplifying system" - and lost. (The court ruled a false statement to the examiner does not invalidate a patent if there is no fraud.) The patent, as I understand it, was for a 2-stage radio with an RF amplifier/detector first stage and an audio amplifier second stage. FA.D'A.FADA was an acronym for Frank A. D'Andrea, the radio company's founder and CEO. Fada Flash-O-GraphThe "flashograph" on the models shown here was a strictly mechanical arrangement of notches in the tuning dial and a switch actuated by the notches which lit a pilot lamp when the corresponding station was tuned in. It was more of a novelty than a true tuning indicator, as it relied on accurate dial calibration which would slip over time as components aged. Later on Fada added a true tuning indicator which was activated by the automatic volume control signal of the radio circuit that would both tell the operator when the station was tuned in for maximum signal strength, and the call (name) of the station being tuned by the mechanical dial indicator illuminated by the pilot lamp. The dials had to be customized for the area where the radio was to be used. Here's a link to an article that outlines early tuning indicators. http://ow.ly/dRRBA Top of the range MaThese must have been the real top of the range radios back then, some models cost $228 which is equal to about $3200 today. Advert from Spokane Daily Chronicle 1930 here. No doubt a Shorpyite will explain just what a flashograph is. Re: Top of the range MaAnd those prices did not include the tubes! Unwanted ConsolesWhen my mom passed and we were emptying our her Ct. home of 55 years, we found three beautiful condition full size wooden with bakelite knobs, console radios from the 30's & 40's in her attic. One was a Crosley, one a G.E., can't remember the third brand, but we put them in the estate sale for $35 each (2 still worked). After four days of crowds buying her stuff, we still had not had a single offer on any of the radios, so we put "free" on them. Still no takers. Seems nobody has the space to store them and prefer their pocket size Ipods. I suppose it's like strapping a full size grandfather clock on your back instead of wearing a wrist watch. Re: Unwanted consolesI'll gladly pay for shipping!!! Those radios were very expensiveSecond from left with an antenna mounted on the side is the Fada model 70 that was available in 1928 and 1929. According to the Fada dealer price list from December 1, 1928, the Z version of that model cost the dealer $204 and carried a recommended retail price of $340. Ford's least expensive model A roadster cost only $385 at the time. 1929 Radio CabinetryLike most other radio companies of the day, FADA used beautiful mahogany/walnut veneers & hardwoods to make their cases. Seeing this display makes me recall the scent of the brown paste wax we used on our pre WW2 radio to keep it looking beautiful well into the 1950s. After we got our first TV, the big console radio gradually received less attention. (Technology, The Gallery, D.C., Natl Photo)
Home at Last: 1945
... reveal that this image is reversed. Wedding ring and watch on grandpa's right hand/wrist. Grandpa's service ribbons belong on the left side of his jumper, not ... 
 
Posted by BornTooLate - 01/17/2012 - 12:55pm -

This photo was taken in California right after my grandfather got back from the WW II Pacific campaign. He was a Sargent At Arms in the 47th SeaBees. Going from right to left, my grandfather James Frederick Lawrence (and his ever present cigar cupped in his hand), my paternal grandmother Mildred, my great-uncle Doug, and my great-aunt Emerald. James entered the service on Armistice Day, Nov 11, 1942. He was gone from home (Tulsa) for 3 straight years with no leave. He had been a police officer in Tulsa, and would later go on to be Police and Fire Commissioner as well (1948-1950). He looks pretty good for having survived a severe case of malaria overseas. He could be a bruiser, but he had a soft heart too. He passed away February 7, 2001. My grandmother passed on April 23, 2002. View full size. U. S. Navy titleI believe the correct term is "Master-at-Arms", meaning an enlisted person responsible for physical security. The U. S. Navy has no "Sargents". [Nor do they have sergeants.] Nice looking coupleYou Grandparents was an attractive couple. I hope he realized how much his work overseas was appreciated. You were blessed to have had them so long. Reversed imageCertain clues reveal that this image is reversed. Wedding ring and watch on grandpa's right hand/wrist. Grandpa's service ribbons belong on the left side of his jumper, not on the right. Uncle Doug's suit coat buttons the wrong way. The placket on Aunt Emerald's buttons the wrong way (she is a stunner, though!). Polka DotsI like how the man's polka dotted tie matches the woman's dress. Right Arm RatesOn first glance it appears that the rating insignia is on the correct arm (left) by today's standards. However prior to April 2, 1949 members of the Seaman branch (Boatswains Mate, Turret Captain, Signalman, Gunners Mate, Fire Controlman, Quartermaster, Mineman, and Torpedomans Mate) wore their rate on their right sleeve and were called "Right Arm Rates". After April 1949 all rates were worn on the left sleeve. The BM1 (Boatswains Mate 1st Class) pictured is wearing his rate on the correct sleeve for 1945, but as noted the negative is definitely reversed and it thus appears to be on his left sleeve. (ShorpyBlog, Member Gallery)
Mathletes: 1943
... agree, time-wise, this one is difficult, however being a watch collector, I can tell you that the wrist watch was popular from around 1938 to 1946. However, that still does ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 12/09/2013 - 12:49pm -

October 1943. Washington, D.C. "A mechanical drawing class at Woodrow Wilson High School." The Popular Girls making themselves scarce. Photo by Esther Bubley for the Office of War Information. View full size. Timeless photoUsually I'm pretty good at guessing the approximate date of a photo (within a year or two), based on clothing and hair styles, cars, and other background info. But this photo seems particularly timeless to me -- it could have been taken anytime between the early 1940s and the early to mid-'60s. (Or possibly even later than that during times when boys wore their hair very short, and wore classic, preppy clothes.) Glad to see there was at least one girl in this mechanical drawing class! Timeless tools of the trade.It would be difficult to judge the date of this photo by looking at the drafting tools. The same tools used during the depression were still fine to use into the late 1970's. Then, with the advent of CAD, suddenly we drafting teachers had to find money to fund the latest version of the software, and increasingly better computers to run the software. The drafting board, T-square, and triangles really do take me back to a simpler, and often happier, time. Time Clue (small)I have to agree, time-wise, this one is difficult, however being a watch collector, I can tell you that the wrist watch was popular from around 1938 to 1946. However, that still does not pinpoint the date either. My grandsons are MATHLETES so they should really enjoy this one! (The Gallery, D.C., Education, Schools, Esther Bubley)
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