Shorpy Historic Photo Archive - ShorpyBlog

Personality Mapping: 1954

tterrace — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 16:06:18 +0000

It's November in 1954 and you're an 8 year-old boy; given the following options, what do you do?

a) Watch TV;
b) Play with cool toy MG sports car;
c) Unroll giant set of maps and trace the borders of Czechoslovakia.

Made sense to me then. Actually, I still understand it. View full image.

Please on tipping

John.Debold — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 16:04:48 +0000

Appears to be 1920's. I obtained picture at a show in New Jersey about 10 years ago. View full image.

KCLX

John.Debold — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 16:01:51 +0000

No caption provided. View full image.

Two mugs and a fireplace: 1962

Tony W. — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 13:36:38 +0000

This picture was taken after my great grandpa finished building the fireplace in 1962. The house is in Los Angeles. Scanned from a Kodak safety negative. View full image.

Ella and Gladys Woodruff: c. 1914

OhioKat — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 13:27:38 +0000

My Great Grandmother Ella (Jones) Woodruff (seated) and her daughter, my grandmother, Gladys Iola (Woodruff) Farnsworth. Gladys was born in 1897 and died in childbirth in 1925 so I'm guesstimating that this picture is around 1914 since I think she looks about 17. Not sure where they are when this picture was taken. She was born in NY but died in Toledo, Ohio. View full image.

Willow witching

Jacki B — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 13:22:53 +0000

This photo makes me think of divining rods (or witching rods) that are used to find water. It strikes me that the ladies were looking for something other than water - maybe a frog to kiss, or prince charming. I hope they found what they were looking for. View full image.

The good ship Peggy Lou: c. 1960

OhioKat — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 13:13:56 +0000

The Peggy Lou was a 26-foot steel cabin cruiser that my Dad, Bill (standing with his back to the camera), built in our backyard. That is my brother Michael looking back at the camera, and looking forward to some fishing on Lake Erie no doubt. Toledo, Ohio, c. 1960. View full image.

Nosepick, 1920s

burmashave — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 13:03:29 +0000

Taken sometime in late 1920's. The lady is my aunt Pearl. I do not know who the imp is. Notice the Brownie on the ground. All my family photos were taken with a Brownie box camera. It was the only camera we could afford. View full image.

William and Johnny, 1941

burmashave — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 13:00:18 +0000

William Cleveland Woods, 1941, holds my cousin Johnny as my sister looks on. View full image.

Great-great uncles

jaymon — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 12:53:43 +0000

Looking for information about when this photo may have been taken. Three of my great-great uncles are in this photo. Possibly taken in Blytheville, Arkansas. View full image.

Lyle and Leona, 1930s

Okiemax — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 12:50:29 +0000

Uncle Lyle and Aunt Leona, Oklahoma, 1930's. View full image.

Christmas, 1970

FargoMarc — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 14:09:43 +0000

Christmas Eve, 1970, Bismarck, ND. L-R: Yours truly, age 1, sitting on my dad's lap, with my great-aunt Esther (yes, just like in Sanford and Son), my grandma Connie, my grandpa Terrance, my grandpa Aaron, my grandma Katie and my sister. With the exception of my sister, my dad and me, everyone in this photo has "gone west." I miss them all. View full image.

Summer, 1970

FargoMarc — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 14:06:14 +0000

Yours truly, age 1, with my mother at Sertoma Park in Bismarck, ND. View full image.

Mystery castle

Benicek — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 13:50:51 +0000

Photo found in an antique market in Lewes, West Sussex, England. Unidentified building on a beach. Women in late 19th century clothing. Bell tents. Possibly a bathing suit lying on the sand. The core of the building appears to be a cylindrical, flat-topped fort, but the oriental styled extensions suggest a more luxurious residence. The bow windows seem European.

Can anyone identify this location? View full image.

Nort Dakota barbershop, 1928

FargoMarc — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 13:43:16 +0000

This is my grandpa, Aaron Betsch, in his barbershop in Streeter, ND. The date on the calender says 1928, so he would have been 24 and fresh out of barber college.

He is a classic example of an American success story. He was the son of dirt-poor, German-Russian immigrant farmers and only had a 3rd grade education. He decided there was more to life than breaking your back under a hot sun, so he worked his way through barber school (Mohler Barber College, Fargo, North Dakota. It's still there!) and quickly bought his own shop. My grandma did the bookkeeping, and he retired as a very successful businessman. He is proof that you can do anything if you set your mind to it.

He passed away in 1995, and he had some great stories from back in the day. He said he used to keep his barber shop open until 2 a.m. or later on Saturday nights, because the farmers would come to town, get drunk, and then need a shave and haircut for church the next morning. So they'd all leave the bar and come across the street to his shop and wait their turn.

Mom and M1: An Khe, 1969

BorisDaBastid — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 15:55:37 +0000

My mother in Vietnam, 1969. Her hospital was on alert for one reason or another, and she decided to have a picture taken with a soldier's M1 carbine. As a nurse, she of course didn't have her own personal weapon. View full size.

Airplane

Tony W. — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 01:57:32 +0000

I'm not sure of the year this picture was taken. Was it before WWII, during, or after? If that's my grandpa in the picture then I would guess it's before the war but I can't tell. Unfortunately the film was accidentally exposed on one side so I had to crop it. Scanned from a Kodak safety negative.

Horse drawn parade

mhallack — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 15:14:42 +0000

It looks like an old 4th of July parade, likely in Burley, Idaho, which is my grandmothers birth place. The date is unknown. I feel bad for street sweepers who have to clean up the horse mess after all is said and done. View full image.

Company outing, 1910

kdd1997 — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 15:07:01 +0000

Chase Shawmut Company's 1910 outing at Canobie Lake Park in Salem, New Hampshire. This photo was in a box belonging to my great-grandmother. View full image.

Three kids on a wagon, 1923

slekjr — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 15:03:10 +0000

This photo was taken in California Hollow, East Liverpool, Ohio in 1923. The Y&O Railroad right of way is on the hillside in the background. The girl is my Aunt Betty, the boys her cousins. View full image.

Miss Elizabeth Zolnay, colorized

ban_sidhe — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 14:56:43 +0000

This is one of my favorite pictures on the site (so far). The scruffy dog and Miss Elizabeth's Mona Lisa smile really make the picture. View full image.

Pablum: 1960

tterrace — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 03:20:27 +0000

November 1960. While I restrain Missie the Zombie Dog, my nephew Jimmy is either still stunned by or anticipates the full-face smooch she gave him within moments of this shot (see first comment below). Interesting background details here in my mother's kitchen: upper right on the white table, a bowl of sliced figs fresh from my father's garden, along with an actual box of Pablum (presumably for Jimmy); on the table shelf, some of her recipe cards in a clothespin holder thingie behind a casserole dish; on the back wall, an ironing board cabinet, and under it, I guess, a metal compartment for the old kind of iron you heated on the stove; for some reason, a bamboo cane hangs from the cabinet handle; on the left, a typical accretion of kitchen items clogs the shelf, including an aluminum cake saver, hand-crocheted hot plate mats, wire glassware holder complete with table glassware, and in the corner, recipe boxes and cookbooks (one a Betty Crocker) are piled atop the breadbox, one of Mother's wedding presents from 1932 and which is now in my possession. I'm 14 here, Jimmy 8 months. My sister took the photo. View full size.

Moving Day, 1950 (Number 3)

slekjr — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 12:20:15 +0000

This is another picture of the house moving. The man supervising from behind the tree is my Great Grandfather. View full image.

Moving Day, 1950 (Number 2)

slekjr — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 12:17:33 +0000

Another picture of house moving in 1950. View full image.

Moving Day, 1950 (Number 1)

slekjr — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 12:14:57 +0000

This was taken around 1950. My Grandparents had sold some property with the agreement that my great Aunt's and their home would be moved to the property the developers hadn't purchased. My great Aunt refused to leave the house so she was moved right along with it. (From a 2 1/2 X 3 in negative). View full image.

North Terminal, Boston: 1890s

fwtep — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 10:05:02 +0000

I've seen some colorized pictures here but have never tried one myself. When I saw this picture I thought I'd make an attempt, to see if I could give a feel for what it must have been like to be there. I didn't base my color choices on any actual reference, just what looked OK. It didn't come out as well as I'd have liked, but it's still interesting. View full size.

Sunshine School: 1941

hillie_bolliday — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 06:33:03 +0000

In 1926, the Sunshine Elementary School opened in Pass-A-Grille (St. Petersburg) Beach, with teachers holding classes outdoors under palm-thatched shelters. They used portable blackboards, tables and benches. They ate at the "Sunshine Filling Station", the school cafeteria. They spent at least 45 minutes a day on the beach, and classes included swimming and small boat handling. The school closed in 1975, and was razed in 1983.

My dad, at age 8, is the one who is circled and with his eyes unfortunately shut for all posterity. Taken in March 1941. Dad, now 76, still has fond memories of taking classes in the sand on the beach. Times were simpler then. The local Fish Broil originated in 1930 at Sunshine School as a means of raising funds to pay teachers’ salaries during the Great Depression. Pits were dug on the beach, buttonwood coals were burned and the pits were covered with bedsprings to grill the fish. Local fishermen donated the fish and ladies made side dishes. Fish dinners were sold and money was raised.

Believe it or not, there is now a Facebook group page for any Sunshine School alumni to join. View full image.

Assault: Late 1940's

Lost World — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 16:33:36 +0000

Assault, winner of the 1946 Triple Crown. Owned and bred by King Ranch. Shown here later in his career under America's top jockey Eddie Arcaro. Photographer unknown. View full image.

The Iceman: 1911

Kenny — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 16:27:39 +0000

A frozen Niagara Falls, 1911. View full image.

Frozen Falls: 1911

Kenny — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 16:26:22 +0000

Niagara Falls when frozen, 1911. View full image.