It will not come as a surprise to anyone who has ever seen an Esther Williams film that she was a swimming star before a film star.

The caption from our news photo reads:

Time Out To Pose
Los Angeles, Calif. – Photo shows (left to right) Iris Cummings, National 220-yard breaststroke champion: Billie Steitz, Pacific coast backstroke titlist and Esther Williams, freestyle star, as they pose during a practice session. The trio will take place in the Southern California swimming and diving meet within a few days in the Los Angeles Athletic Club pool, as well as the National Championships next month. Credit Acme Photos; March 22, 1938

Williams first major film role was in “Andy Hardy’s Double Life” (1942). Did it really take four years from the time of this photograph to discover Esther Williams?

How did Esther Williams (b. August 8, 1921) get discovered? One story says an MGM talent scout saw her working in a Los Angeles department store. Another story is that MGM executives noticed her at the 1939- 40 Golden Gate International Exposition in San Francisco, while swimming in Billy Rose’s Aquacade show.

Esther Williams won three time United States National Swimming Championships. With her photograph frequently seen in newspapers, you would think some Hollywood casting genius would have noticed Esther by 1938

Of course Esther’s swimming skills and (bathing suits) were highlights in many of the 30 films she would make.

Occasionally, Esther would be given an excellent non-swimming role. For proof see Esther’s films A Guy Named Joe (1943), The Hoodlum Saint (1946) and Take Me Out To The Ballgame (1949). But these were the exceptions. When the public went to an Esther Williams movie they expected to see elaborate choreographed swimming sequences. And that’s what the public generally got.

Esther Williams died at age 91 on June 6, 2013 in Los Angeles of natural causes.

The post Classic Hollywood #196 – Future Movie Star Esther Williams appeared first on Stuff Nobody Cares About.

This magic lantern slide view of the Brooklyn Bridge is from around 1890.

On the right is a train and on the left we can get a glimpse of the Brooklyn Bridge shuttle station. Trolleys and horse drawn vehicles are on the outer roadways as  pedestrians cross the span on the bridge’s central walkway.

At first I was unsure if this image was reversed. The steam engine’s smoke is visible in the foreground. Would a steam engine be pulling into a station on the right side? Unusual. But it is possible.

Looking closer, there is a policeman nearby. His badge is correctly on the left side of his coat. Also I mistakenly thought this was the New York side of the bridge looking towards Brooklyn. But examining other photographs from this period I did not see a station platform on the New York side of the bridge.

In addition, the New York side of the bridge has a much longer approach to the tower and roadway than seen in the view. So, this is definitely the Brooklyn side of the bridge with a somewhat hazy New York in the background.

The post Old New York In Photos #198 – Brooklyn Bridge c.1890 appeared first on Stuff Nobody Cares About.

Originally this illustration appeared in the January 26, 1922 issue of The New York Times Mid-Week Pictorial magazine. We colorized this birdseye view of The Battery showing lower Manhattan crowded with ships and skyscraper buildings.

It also shows something that never came to be.

On the left is a series of uniform buildings stretching along the Hudson River waterfront. Today this area is the site of Battery Park City.

The Times description of the illustration says this view shows “a system of docks proposed in the designs submitted by Joseph Miller Huston, a Philadelphia architect. The docks would really be great loft, factory or office buildings and the ships would thus be at their very doors, saving time, labor and trucking charges.”

Editorializing the Times continued, “There is a crying need for greater dock facilities. In order to take full advantage of the magnificent possibilities of one of the greatest harbors in the world, and while no definite plans have been adopted, the Port of New York Authority is giving earnest attention to the matter of port development.”

Joseph Huston Miller

Joseph Miller Huston (1866-1940) was the architect of the Pennsylvania State Capitol (1902-1906). This grand building would lead to Huston’s downfall. Huston was made the scapegoat and go to prison on a charge of conspiracy to cheat and defraud the Commonwealth, in the “Pennsylvania State Capitol Graft Scandal.”

Huston served a six month sentence at Eastern State Penitentiary in 1911. After Huston’s prison stint his architectural career was essentially over.

How did Huston’s New York dock proposal come to the attention of the Times or Port of New York Authority?

Searching news, architectural and city periodicals of the era, there are no other mentions or details of Huston’s dock plans.

This is a case where not building was certainly the right choice. If Huston’s buildings had been constructed, they would have become outmoded with the decline of Manhattan as a shipping port.

January 26, 1922 New York Times Mid-Week Pictorial Huston Dock original article and illustration

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At the turn-of-the century, New York City had over a million horses serving the public.  That situation was greatly affected by the arrival of automobiles. By the 1920s there were few horse drawn carriages still transporting people to their destinations. Along with the subway and buses, the taxi / auto industry had taken the horse’s place.

So what did these early taxi cabs look like? Below are some examples.

For this 1927 taxi model we can get a glimpse of the interior with the door open.

The fare for a ride was 20 cents for the first quarter mile and a nickel each additional quarter mile. The location of this photograph is somewhere along the waterfront.

This Packard taxi similar to the one shown above it, appears large and commodious.

A DeSoto Sky-View taxi looks to be parked near Central Park’s 60th Street and Fifth Avenue entrance.

This limousine-like taxi is part of the Parmelee System, a large nationwide taxi fleet.

A frontal view of a 1938 Dodge taxi, with a license plate for the upcoming 1939 World’s Fair.

The post New York City Taxis Of The 1920s & 1930s appeared first on Stuff Nobody Cares About.

And You Won’t Believe The Prices Realized

Self-Portrait of the Artist Vincent Van Gogh

The legend is that during his lifetime Vincent Van Gogh (1853-1890) was able to sell just one painting.Van Gogh sold “The Red Vineyard” in 1890 to Anna Boch for 400 francs. The exchange rate in 1890 was five francs to one dollar; the equivalent of $80.

The truth is Van Gogh did sell another painting. The painting was described as a self portrait according to an October 3, 1888 letter from Vincent’s brother, Theo Van Gogh to London art dealers Sulley & Lori. Vincent Van Gogh also sold some drawings to his uncle early in his art career.

Regardless of the lack of sales, Vincent Van Gogh would create about 2,100 works of art. Few dealers, artists, critics or collectors recognized Vincent Van Gogh’s talent. Van Gogh’s ascendancy as a great artist would occur after his suicide at the age of 37. Current prices for Van Gogh’s art have set records.

Perusing a 1922 magazine I came across the fact that several major art works had been auctioned off during a stupendous sale at the Plaza Hotel on January 30 and 31, 1922.

The American Art Association managed the auction of the collection of Dikran Khan Kelekian. Among the artists whose works were available at the auction were: Mary Cassatt; Edgar Degas; Paul Gauguin; Edouard Manet; Henri Matisse; Claude Monet; Camille Pissarro; Georges Seurat; Henri de Toulous- Lautrec and Vincent Van Gogh.

Seeing the prices realized at the auction was a bit of a shock. Not just because of the relatively low prices, but seeing how much these paintings have appreciated in the following hundred years. In 1922 to spend a thousand dollars on a painting was significant, considering that $1,500 was a very good annual salary for a white collar worker.

Sale Prices

Van Gogh’s, “Self-Portrait of the Artist”  seen above, sold for $4,200 to the Detroit Institute of Arts.

Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec Portrait of a Woman a.k.a. Fille à l’accroche-coeur (Girl with Lovelock) 1889

Portrait of A Woman” by Henri de Toulouse Lautrec went for $1,900 to collector Eugene Liston.

Paul Gauguin Maternité II 1899)

Stephan Bourgeois Gallery was the purchaser of Paul Gauguin’s “Maternité II” (Motherhood) for $7,000.

Renoir Portrait of Edmond Maitre – the reader 1871

“Portrait of a Man At Ease on a Sofa” (Portrait of Edmond Maitre) by Pierre Auguste Renoir would sell for $1,700 to Charles Sheeler.

Paul Cezanne Grande Nature Morte

The highest price paid at the auction was for Paul Cezanne’s still life “Grande Nature Morte” selling for $21,000 to Otto Bernet, the agent for a private buyer, Lillie P. Bliss.

The total sale price for 161 pictures in the auction was $254,879.

Where The Paintings Are Now

After Ms. Bliss’ death in 1931, New York’s Museum of Modern Art received Cezanne’s Grand Nature Morte. Unlike many of Lille Bliss’s 150 donations to MOMA which said her collection of works of art could be sold or exchanged for other works of art, Bliss’s will stipulated this was one of three paintings that can never be sold.

Incredibly, Toulouse-Lautrec’s “Portrait of A Woman” is now in Iran, at the Tehran Museum of Contemporary Art.

In the late 1970s the Shah’s wife, Princess Farah bought the painting for the museum for an unknown purchase price.  Farah would assemble over 150 works by such artists as Monet, Van Gogh, Lichtenstein, Gauguin, de Kooning, Pollock, and Kandinsky. The Iranian Revolution of 1979 would force the Shah’s family to flee the country. The terrific museum collection would keep rising in value, despite the anti-west, Revolutionary Guard regime’s antipathy towards the art.

The museum rarely displays any of the paintings. They are locked in the museum’s vault most of the time.

Renoir’s Portrait of a Man At Ease on a Sofa a.k.a. Portrait of Edmond Maitre (The Reader), 1871 was sold to a private buyer on May 15, 2024 by Sotheby’s  for $2.6 million.

After Paul Gauguin’s death in 1903, Maternité II was sold for 150 francs ($30). The $7,000 sale in 1922 was a huge appreciation in value for this painting.

But that is nothing compared with its subsequent sales. Maternité II would continue to be an excellent investment for the succeeding 13 owners. The painting last sold in 2022 for $105.7 million.

The Best of All – Van Gogh

During Detroit’s financial crisis in 2014 the city did contemplate selling many of the museum’s prizes including the Van Gogh Self Portrait. Fortunately for the people of Detroit, they did not. Had they sold the painting it is estimated it would have brought between $80 to $150 million.

How much does the art world covet Van Gogh? Today the price for the self portrait would be over $200 million.

The post The 1922 Auction Prices Of Paintings By Van Gogh, Gauguin and Toulouse-Lautrec appeared first on Stuff Nobody Cares About.

This Detroit Publishing Company photograph is from 1900. We are looking east along 23rd Street.  The corner of Madison Avenue and Madison Square Park is visible on the left.

The 11-story building completed in 1893 is the home office of The Metropolitan Life Insurance Company.

To the left of Metropolitan Life is the Madison Square Presbyterian Church. The church was led from 1880-1918 by Dr. Charles Parkhurst, a vocal foe of municipal corruption, vice and human suffering. The Metropolitan Life Building would be expanded (1906-1909) by constructing a tower north of the original building.. The tower portion of the Metropolitan Life Building was built upon the site of Parkhurst’s church. The congregation would hire the architectural firm of McKim, Mead and White to  build a new church in 1906 on the adjacent corner of 24th Street and Madison Avenue.

But with land being so valuable in the Madison square area, the new church was sold and demolished in 1919.

There are a few things in this photograph that might escape your notice with just a quick glance.

Some Details

In the background, a large banner stretches across 23rd Street.

The sign promotes the headquarters of the Republican National Committee. The ticket of President William McKinley and New York Governor Theodore Roosevelt would prevail in the 1900 election.

In the foreground is a street clock with advertising. Written atop the clock is “Dorlon’s” and the bottom reads “6 & 7.”

Dorlon’s was a popular oyster restaurant at 6 & 7 East 23rd Street with wholesale operations at Fulton Market as well as mobile oyster stands operating throughout the city. Barely visible on the clock’s face instead of numbers it spells out – OYSTERS.

Dorlon’s menu from January 10, 1900 gives an idea of the fare served. The prices for oysters are by the dozen,

There are a number of vendors along the curb near the clock and several more vendors in front of the Metropolitan Life Building. The corner of Metropolitan Life houses the Madison Square Station of the New York Post Office, insuring a steady flow of potential customers.

Similar to modern street vendors these manual pushcarts are offering various food items. Clearly one man is selling peanuts.

Finally, a delivery cart and hansom cab wait in front of the main entrance of Metropolitan Life.

Crossing the street is a man dressed all in white with a pith helmet. Believe it or not he is a member of New York’s Sanitation Department. The “White Wings” as they were called because of the distinctive uniform, was the creation of Colonel George Waring (1833-1898). a sanitary engineer, who in 1896 would establish a modern street cleaning department for the city. The White Wings efforts dramatically improved the city’s cleanliness.

The post Old New York In Photos #197 – 23rd Street Before The Metropolitan Life Tower appeared first on Stuff Nobody Cares About.

“Loyalists” Were Merely On The Losing Side Of History Says John Hyde Preston

We all know the saying that history is written by the victors. But, as the United States celebrates America 250 on July 4, we don’t acknowledge an overlooked fact.

There were a great number of colonists that did not want to be free of England. These were the  Loyalists; those remaining faithful subjects of King George III. And the Loyalists were the losers.

Many colonists had grievances with the King of England. But they did not necessarily wish to dissolve ties with Great Britain.  As far as government, a great number of the colonists did not wish to “alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government,” as the Declaration of Independence states.

Most Americans today assume the revolution was inevitable due to British oppression. They assume most colonists were rabid patriots starving for liberty and those loyal to the King were a small minority.

That is not the truth.

John Hyde Preston’s dynamic, yet forgotten history of the Revolutionary War, Revolution 1776, Harcourt, Brace and Company (1933), delves into the topic of the numbers when it comes to “Patriots” during the rebellion.

In two short passages, Preston lays out a fascinating analysis, parsing out which side the colonists were on. Revolution 1776 is long out of print. That is a shame because Preston’s writing is highly entertaining with its short, snappy prose.

Preston’s final words on the subject of “which side would you choose” are prescient, with the rise of today’s  socialist / communist “revolutionaries.”

From Revolution 1776:

Part IX

It is rather breath-taking now—after all the bunk about unanimous resistance that our school histories choked down our young throats—to realize that 40 per cent of the population of the colonies was flamingly pro-British. Let us pause a moment for figures.

The total population of America on the day that Washington took command of the army at Cambridge was approximately 2,500,000. Let us say, generously, that half this total were women. That leaves 1,250,000 males. In the Revolution there was no age limit.

Men from sixteen to sixty fought side by side in the rebel army. Consequently—considering the appalling child mortality, which cut down most children before they reached sixteen—about five out of every seven males were within the limits of a draft. That leaves perhaps 892,850 effectives, But from this we must subtract the 40 per cent who were loyalists. 535,700 remain.

Now we must remember the element that were neither loyalist nor patriot. We must remember the lukewarm, the neutrals who trembled between the two extremes, vacantly waiting to see which side would win out. When the war was over and America triumphant, these people claimed to have been as patriotic as the rest. But during those seven soul-harrowing years these lukewarmers numbered about 25 per cent—or over 300,000—of the male population.

After all these eliminations, about 225,000 remain as the potential military equipment that Washington ought to have been able to rely upon. As things turned out, he never once had an army of over 25,000 men, and most of the time, straggling and bedraggled, it numbered between 3,000 and 15,000. The 15,000 at Brandywine was the largest force Washington ever took into the field for a single engagement.

It is hard to reconcile these cold facts with our pink and white  American traditions of “The Spirit of 1776.”

Part X

The American army held the loyalists in fear and hatred. After the Revolution was over this hatred was so magnified by “patriotic” historians that these British sympathizers emerged as great hairy monsters crushing a delicate young virgin named Liberty. They have since been so reviled and muddied that we have forgotten that they numbered among them some of the most patient, wise, and wholly admirable men in this country. They merely made the mistake of being on the losing side. The irony of history has it that you may be as fine and honest and sincere as any man in the world, but if your side loses in a great struggle, to posterity you automatically become a frenzied tyrant and a gorgon.

Before we condemn the loyalists of the American Revolution let us wonder that, considering the supposed hopelessness of the patriot cause, there were not more of them. And let us reflect, too, how today the majority of us would be “loyalists” just as ardent if our present government were threatened or if we were suddenly plunged into the midst of a Communist revolution.

The post 1776 How Many Colonists Were “Patriots” In The Revolution? appeared first on Stuff Nobody Cares About.

When my grandfather was returning from World War II to civilian life in November 1945 he managed to accumulate a bunch of ribbons and medals during his years in the service. He was quick to put the war behind him, discarding much, except for a few precious possessions.

My grandfather saved some photographs of his fellow soldiers and all the correspondence exchanged to and from my grandmother.

Recently I was going through his things and I was a bit surprised that he saved what appears to be a form letter of sorts.

General Fay R Upthegrove

The short letter is personally addressed to my grandfather from Brigadier General Fay R. Upthegrove (that is quite a name).

But I would think that every soldier serving under General Upthegrove received this letter. Maybe not.

The General

General Upthegrove took command in June 1942 of the 99th Bomb Group at Davis-Monthan Field, Ariz., taking it to Gowen Field, Idaho, Sioux City, Iowa, and then to North Africa in January 1943. A year later he assumed command of the 304th Bomb Wing, 15th Air Force, in Italy.

Returning to the United States in August 1945, General Upthegrove assumed command of the 76th Flying Training Wing at Smyrna Field, Tenn., and at the time that this letter was written, General Upthegrove was commander at the flying training school at Maxwell Field.

Regardless that it is a form letter, my grandfather felt it was something worth saving. He never showed it to me.

Maybe it was special to him because many of the soldiers he trained and served with did not come back from the war.

The letter is beautifully written. And the sentiments expressed feel genuine and patriotic.

Re-reading the letter  today I only wish all Americans were united in the belief that war is horrible. Yet, liberty is one of the things worth fighting… and sometimes dying for.

Memorial Day and Independence Day are not three day breaks for shopping and vacations. Veterans Day on November 11 is not a meaningless quasi-holiday. Each serves a purpose. Those days are set aside to remind all Americans of an intrinsic truth.

That for over 250 years before you or I got here, there are millions who have served and in many cases died to preserve freedom and the United States.

The Letter

Here is the letter with full text below and above the image of the original. I have redacted my grandfather’s name for privacy reasons.

HEADQUARTERS
ARMY AIR FORCES EASTERN FLYING TRAINING COMMAND
MAXWELL FIELD, ALABAMA

12 November 1945

Dear Mr. *****

Upon the occasion of your return to civilian life, I wish
to express my personal appreciation for the services you have
rendered the Army Air Forces.

Your contribution toward the victory for which we fought,
and which, after almost four long and trying years, we so
recently won, has earned the undying gratitude of our country.

The personal sacrifices you have made and your unselfish
devotion to duty are beyond material repayment. In its stead,
a grateful nation offers you its earnest thanks and the opportunity
to build, upon the victory you so valiantly helped to
achieve, a peace that will bless our country and all mankind.

I hope, in the years to come, you will cherish the associations
you have made while a member of the Army Air Forces.
Our experiences in a great many respects have been the same.
They, and the cause for which we fought, form a bond between
us that time will not easily erase.

God speed you home and the best of good fortune in the
peaceful years ahead.

Sincerely yours,

FAY R. UPTHEGROVE
Brigadier General. USA
Commanding

The post Thank You For Your Service In World War II appeared first on Stuff Nobody Cares About.

Independence Day Celebration

A Short Article From The New York Evening World July 3, 1893

Immigrant street scene with patriotic children NYC circa 1916

CHEERED LIKE AMERICANS

Independence Day Exercises at
the Baron de Hirsch School.

Little immigrants Show the Results
of Patriotic Training.

Four hundred and fifty very bright-looking little boys and girls, children of Russian Hebrew Immigrants and pupils of the English day classes of the Baron de Hirsch fund school, this morning commemorated Independence Day at the Hebrew Institute, East Broadway and
Jefferson street.

The exercises were simple, but full of patriotism, and gave ample evidence of the wisdom of that part of the curriculum introduced by Auditor Balch, of the Board of Education, which relates to the inculcation of sentiments of love for “Old Glory” and the country over which it floats.

One exercise in particular, the “Salutation  of the Flag,” was entered into with such a spirit of earnest devotion as to leave no doubt of the sincerity of the children as they uttered these final
words with uplifted hands:

“We give our heads and our hearts to our country. One country, one language, one flag.”

Baron De Hirsch fund school children c. 1905

The remarkable feature of this school is that it prepares immigrants’ children in a remarkably short time for instruction  in the public schools. Some of these children have been in the United
States for only three weeks, and already manage  to make themselves well understood in English.

Several of them recited this morning, and, although their accent strongly betokened  the foreigner, their speech was clear and could be readily understood.

Following was the programme:
1 “Good Morning” sung by pupils: 2. The Nation’s Birthday: 3 Try Again: 4. Why We Keep July 4, 5. Calisthenics; 6. Soldier Boys; 7. Star Spangled Banner,  8 Goblins Will Catch You; 9. Salute
to the Flag: 10. Blessing, 11. Hurrah for the Flag.

Among the visitors were Mr. A.S. Solomons, General Agent of the Baron de Hirsch Fund, Col. Balch, of the Board of Education; W. L. Mason, Miss Classie Cohn, Mr. Wilson L. Gill, of the Patriotic League. Mise Abbie McClennen  and Miss Bertha Eger.

Before concluding the exercises Mr. Solomons told the pupils that there was a belief prevalent that only Americans knew how to cheer.

“Is that true” he asked.

The reply was a rousing ““hurrah!” which proved conclusively that it was not necessary to have an American throat to make the welkin ring with an American cheer.

Things Have Changed

You may read this article and come to the conclusion that immigrant children of one hundred thirty years ago were indoctrinated to conform. Some might even say brain-washed to be good little Americans.

Unfortunately the educational system today is more often about bashing America’s core values and institutions to young students.

Is it any wonder that the United States is more divided than ever.

The post Turning Immigrant Children Into Good Americans – 1893 appeared first on Stuff Nobody Cares About.

We are looking east along 14th Street towards Fourth Avenue. There are al least 50 people in the background, but the sparsity of pedestrians and traffic in this usually very busy area indicates that this was probably taken on a Sunday morning.

The seven small buildings between 14th and 15th Streets feature advertising of the day.

With street scenes as this, establishing a date is as simple as looking at the surroundings. Large signs from (l-r) advertise; The Union Square Hotel; Uneeda Biscuit; Owl Cigar; Budweiser; El-Bart Dry Gin; and Hotel Hungaria.

Though the billboard sign beneath the Owl 5¢ Cigar sign could have been left up beyond the plays it is advertising, it likely narrows the date of our photograph to autumn 1905.

The New Amsterdam Theatre is playing The Prodigal Son by Hall Caine which ran from September 4 – mid-October 1905. The Broadway Theatre has The Pearl and The Pumpkin from August 21 – November 1, 1905. The Liberty has The Rogers Brothers In Ireland running September 4, til its closing October 28 1905. The Ham Tree was playing at the New York Theatre from August 28 through November 11, 1905.

In the foreground is the bronze George Washington Equestrian Statue by sculptor Henry Kirke Brown in its original placement at the intersection of 14th St. and 4th Ave. The Barre granite base was built by famous church architect Richard Upjohn. The dedication of the statue was July 4, 1856. In 1929 Union Square underwent a redesign and the statue was moved out of harms way from the street to the central southern portion of the park.

This entire block would be transformed beginning in 1912 when Samuel Klein set up shop at 10 Union Square.The enterprise grew.

S. Klein On The Square, the bargain department store, acquired and combined the hodgepodge of buildings seen above and was wildly successful. Klein’s Union Square closed in 1975.

All the buildings were demolished in 1986 to build Zeckendorf Towers in 1987.

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