Notice the cars trying to squeeze through a red light…
Pretty much the same view as of 2011, courtesy Google Maps.
If you ask me, the view was a lot more interesting back then. Today’s situation seems sterile and boring by comparison.
The Old Wolf has spoken.
Robert Kennedy stops for lunch while on the campaign trail for his brother, John F. Kennedy. Bluefield, West Virginia, 1960. A different world, different times.
Caption from Shorpy: “Spring 1960. “Efforts of John F. Kennedy’s campaign team, including members of his family, in West Virginia during Kennedy’s quest for the 1960 Democratic presidential nomination. Includes brother Bob at a drive-in in Bluefield.” From photos by Bob Lerner for the Look magazine article “The Kennedys: A Family Political Machine.” 35mm negative.”
The Old Wolf has spoken.
Photography by Andreas Feininger. Featured in Life magazine.
The same general neighborhood today.
You can go home again, even if only in pictures.
The Old Wolf has spoken.
From /r/historyporn:
“Children of Japan, Germany, and Italy meet in Tokyo to celebrate the signing of the Tripartite Alliance between the three nations, on December 17, 1940. Japanese education minister Kunihiko Hashida, center, holding crossed flags, and Mayor Tomejiro Okubo of Tokyo were among the sponsors.”
A relevant story from my own family history: My father was, in his day, a well-known character actor who began his career in radio. Italian was his first language, and his theatrical gift made him a superb dialectician. One day he was on a sound stage playing Mussolini in a radio play, when the actor playing Hitler became ill; Dad jumped in and assumed the rôle. By some odd quirk of fortune, the actor playing Hirohito also became unable to continue, and so my father ended up voicing all three parts. The director looked at him and exclaimed, “My God, you’re playing the whole Axis!”
The Old Wolf has spoken.
There’s something about old photography. It connects me with the past, makes it real, brings it to life. I love scrounging around places like Shorpy and /r/historyporn; I find the most fascinating things there.
The Old Wolf has spoken.
F. Holland Day was one of the first photographers, and the first in the USA, to advocate that photography should be considered a fine art. The photo above was taken in 1907.
F. Holland Day. “An Ethiopian Chief.” Negative 1897; print about 1905
The Old Wolf has spoken.
Old Orchard, Maine, circa 1904. “Alberta and Velvet hotels.” 8×10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. Black and White original found at Shorpy, wonderful colorization done by /u/kibblenbits
Modern shot from approximately the same angle, dug up by /u/HarvieBirdman.
My wife grew up in Maine, and I’ve spent several summers there. It’s a beautiful place.
The Old Wolf has spoken.
This photo of lower Hudson Street was taken by Marcus Ormsby in 1865, to showcase the John Peake pharmacy. It’s a beautiful capture of day-to-day life in New York at the close of the civil war.
Some intriguing information about this photo can be found at Ptak Science Books. As one who was raised in New York, such historical photos fascinate me.
The Old Wolf has spoken.
Fibonacci Turbines. Images found at the German National Archives.
For what it’s worth, the Nautilus is not a perfect golden spiral, but comes close in its properties. See more at The Golden Number.
The Old Wolf has spoken.
5th avenue omnibus, New York City, 1913.[1]
On that note, I have written about motor buses before – follow the link for some macaronic fun.
The Old Wolf has spoken.
[1] “Omnibus” is the dative plural of the Latin adjective “all, every,” hence its meaning – for everyone, or public transporation.
Playing in the World Game 