America in Color 1939-1943

[Ben]

Some really interesting photographs from the Great Depression:

http://blogs.denverpost.com/captured/2010/07/26/captured-america-in-color-from-1939-1943/2363/

[brimic]

Fake.
The world was in black and white back then. Everyone knows that, sheesh.

[mtnbkr]

The milk jar in this picture reminded me of meals at my maternal grandmother's house when I was growing up.  She used to use a 1gal jug of similar design to store/serve iced tea.  She used that same jug until I was in my 20s and she wasn't able to handle it safely due to the weight when full. 

It was a big deal to me when I was old enough to be allowed to pour my own tea from that jug.



Chris

[Ben]

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That was one of my favorite images in the series. I thought it was interesting that the mom and daughter appeared to have nail polish on. It just seemed like such an incongruity to the rest of the image.

[Hawkmoon]

The milk jar in this picture reminded me of meals at my maternal grandmother's house when I was growing up.  She used to use a 1gal jug of similar design to store/serve iced tea.  She used that same jug until I was in my 20s and she wasn't able to handle it safely due to the weight when full. 

I'm old enough to remember when margarine was properly called "oleo margarine," and we just called it "oleo." Back then it was softer than it is now, and it was all white. It came with a small tube of yellow food coloring, and if you wanted margarine that looked more like butter you had to mix in the color yourself.

[vaskidmark]

Seems like the Authentity Police are not doing well in the comments.

Yes, The Great Depression was of a different time, and things have changed since then.  But if the LoC wants to put politically corrected language to their artifacts they should have the courage to say that's what they are doing.  Or maybe they just missed/forgot all the furor that accompanied The Smithsonian's exhibition of the effects of the two atomic bombs?

I bring to your attention the [at least for now] continuing practice of the Virginia Historical Society - they apply the current at the time time depected label, followed by "African American" in parentheses.What may have been their best response to someone who objected to the use of the N-word went along the lines of "We are depicting history.  At that time that was what they were called.  We do acknowledge that different terms are currently in use."  It made one edition of the local fishwrappe and the issue never surfaced again.

stay safe.

[roo_ster]

Good luck building this today:


Mama got every bit of use from that bolt of cloth:

[vaskidmark]

Good luck building this today:

Get those folks who only take jobs Americans won't do, and it will be completed six weeks before schedule and only have a few minor cracks. 

stay safe.

[onions!]

Get those folks who only take jobs Americans won't do, and it will be completed six weeks before schedule and only have a few minor cracks. 

stay safe.

Maybe after a couple of decades worth of lawsuits.And that's after the decade of environmental impact studies.

[Nick1911]

I find this interesting:



There are two very healthy tobacco plants growing.  A small enough quantity, I assume it's for personal use.  I wonder how common it was to grow your own tobacco at that time and place?

Also, even at $5-$10 a pack it's rare to hear of anyone growing their own tobacco.  Interesting considering a dozen or so easy to care for plants yield a very significant amount of tobacco, and it's completely legal to cultivate.

[KD5NRH]

There are two very healthy tobacco plants growing.  A small enough quantity, I assume it's for personal use.  I wonder how common it was to grow your own tobacco at that time and place?

Dead simple to grow, PITA to cure right.

The milk jar in this picture reminded me of meals at my maternal grandmother's house when I was growing up.  She used to use a 1gal jug of similar design to store/serve iced tea.  She used that same jug until I was in my 20s and she wasn't able to handle it safely due to the weight when full.

But what's the shorter jar that looks like it was used to muck out the latrine?

That was one of my favorite images in the series. I thought it was interesting that the mom and daughter appeared to have nail polish on. It just seemed like such an incongruity to the rest of the image.

Probably cheap enough, (How many years of nail painting can you do with a leftover quart of paint scrounged from somewhere?) and people did tend to give a crap about their appearance then, even if it was just making sure a stained, patched outfit was as clean as it could be.  Looks like breakfast, so presumably dad just hasn't gotten around to doing something about his hair yet.

[vaskidmark]

....

But what's the shorter jar that looks like it was used to muck out the latrine?

Pickled something  from the garden.

Probably cheap enough, (How many years of nail painting can you do with a leftover quart of paint scrounged from somewhere?) and people did tend to give a crap about their appearance then, even if it was just making sure a stained, patched outfit was as clean as it could be.  Looks like breakfast, so presumably dad just hasn't gotten around to doing something about his hair yet.

Would that folks with or without money took such pains today.

Back at the height of the welfare queen era folks would live in rat-infested hovels but dress every day like they were going to church.  Nowadays they still live in the same hovel - the worse for 40+ more years of wear - and make refugees from sub-Saharan Africa look spiffy.

stay safe.

stay safe.

[Ben]

Probably cheap enough, (How many years of nail painting can you do with a leftover quart of paint scrounged from somewhere?) and people did tend to give a crap about their appearance then, even if it was just making sure a stained, patched outfit was as clean as it could be.  Looks like breakfast, so presumably dad just hasn't gotten around to doing something about his hair yet.

Yeah, can definitely see that, in fact seeing it reminded me of my dad's stories of growing up in depression era Germany. They had a (very) small farm, that included chickens. Most of the eggs went to market and they were lucky to get eggs to eat a few times a month. One of the things all the farm wives in the village did though, was set aside a little of their egg money so that they could all go out and buy new hats for Easter every year. It was a little thing, but it made them feel not so poor to have that one luxury and be able to dress up with something new that wasn't for a wedding or funeral.

[KD5NRH]

Would that folks with or without money took such pains today.

One of the reasons I like Goodwill stores is that I can be flat broke and hungry, but still wearing a decent suit.  I have about 6 months worth of Vitalis and shaving soap, and at least that much in razor blades.  Folks are much more inclined to invite a well-dressed down-on-his-luck guy to dinner than a smelly bum.  Combs are cheap and last forever.  The dollar store has soap and shampoo.  Decent clothes don't cost any more than t-shirts and jeans if you care enough to figure out where to shop.  If you can afford to dress like a gangbanger, you can easily afford to dress a lot nicer.

[SADShooter]

One of the reasons I like Goodwill stores is that I can be flat broke and hungry, but still wearing a decent suit.  I have about 6 months worth of Vitalis and shaving soap, and at least that much in razor blades.  Folks are much more inclined to invite a well-dressed down-on-his-luck guy to dinner than a smelly bum.  Combs are cheap and last forever.  The dollar store has soap and shampoo.  Decent clothes don't cost any more than t-shirts and jeans if you care enough to figure out where to shop.  If you can afford to dress like a gangbanger, you can easily afford to dress a lot nicer.

I concur with everything in this statement except the bolded excerpt. I recently purchased a two-pack of drug store pocket combs. Teeth broke within two weeks. On both combs. In fairness, I then bought a ClipperMate from Amazon which is holding up better.

[KD5NRH]

I concur with everything in this statement except the bolded excerpt. I recently purchased a two-pack of drug store pocket combs. Teeth broke within two weeks. On both combs. In fairness, I then bought a ClipperMate from Amazon which is holding up better.

I've had the same no-name cheapie comb in my back pocket for about three years now.  Just a matter of finding one with enough flex to survive.

Thing's so indestructible, it's actually worth flossing the pocket lint out of it from time to time.

[K Frame]

This is what women used as nail polish at the time those pictures were taken...

It was a colored pigment in paste form that would be rubbed into the nails and then the nails buffed.

Here's an advert for a similar product that shows a dude getting a mani...



This stuff was cheap, and it was widely available. My guess is that's what you're seeing, not house paint.

[KD5NRH]

This stuff was cheap, and it was widely available. My guess is that's what you're seeing, not house paint.

Depends on the area, I suspect; that might have been popular in town, but my great aunt used to tell of having nails the same color as the tractor, since 6 miles and three low water crossings (IOW, big rain means you ain't getting to town for a couple weeks.) on the way to the town meant you found other ways to do stuff.

[K Frame]

Of course it would depend on the area. It would also depend on the means of the family, the vanity level of the woman, etc. etc. etc.

At the time this picture was taken, Park City was still a thriving mining town. It was on a main rail spur to Salt Lake City, and it didn't lack for availability of ammenities.  That the family was living in a dugout is probably due to the rapid increase in workers at the mine in the lead up to World War II.

[BobR]

I loved the pictures of the A20 and the P51. The A20 is one of those seldm seen items along with the P51 with the early canopy. The Brits disliked that canopy and developed the Malcolm hood to replace it. Later came the bubble canopy that is what most people associate with the P51.



bob

[Ben]

I concur with everything in this statement except the bolded excerpt. I recently purchased a two-pack of drug store pocket combs. Teeth broke within two weeks. On both combs. In fairness, I then bought a ClipperMate from Amazon which is holding up better.

What's a comb?

 

[K Frame]

What's a comb?

 

Word up...

[onions!]

my great aunt used to tell of having nails the same color as the tractor

Tractors are green and yellow.Your great aunt painted her nails like that?

Talk about progressive.

[SADShooter]

What's a comb?

 

A device employed by men with measurable testosterone levels, you coxcomb!

[mtnbkr]

Tractors are green and yellow.Your great aunt painted her nails like that?

Talk about progressive.

 

Could be blue as well.

Chris