Window Shopping

F.W. Woolworth Company, 5 and 10 cent store, Washington D.C., circa 1921 - The window display features Whistle Orange Soda considered the "Food Drink" at the time.

The Sport Mart at 1303 F Street NW, Washington D.C., circa 1921 - The window display features bicycles, racer sleds, rifles, hand guns and much more... like the awesome Lionel Electric Toy Trains, I WANT !!! (see the close-up of the store window below).

The Sport Mart at 1303 F Street NW, Washington D.C., circa 1921 window details. That's right Mon & Dad, "Get The Boy Something He Wants".

The H.I Scharr Electric Company, Washington D.C., circa 1921 - Obviously it's Christmas time. Only $7.50 for a train set? What are we waiting for, BUY! BUY! BUY!

The Dulin and Martin Refrigerator Company, 1215 F Street N.W., Washington D.C., circa 1923 - Featuring Vollrath All Enameled Percolators, Refrigerator Dishes, Vollrath Ware and Baby Baths.

LINK: Photos from the National Photo Company Collection at the Library of Congress.

Happy Fourth All!

Here are some Turn of the Century 4th of July postcards.
Happy Fourth of July folks. See you all on Monday.

The Douglas DC-4E

The Douglas DC-4E design originated in 1935 from a requirement by United Air Lines. The goal was to develop a much larger and more sophisticated replacement for the DC-3, before the first DC-3 had even flown. There was enough interest from other airlines, that American Airlines, Eastern Air Lines, Pan American Airways, and Trans World Airlines joined United in providing $100,000 each toward the cost of developing the new aircraft. Pan American and TWA later withdrew their funds in favour of the Boeing 307 which was seen as being more economical.

With a planned capacity of 42 passengers, the DC-4 (as it was then known) would seat twice as many people as the DC-3. It would be the first large airplane with a nose wheel. Other innovations included auxiliary power units, power-boosted flight controls, alternating current electrical system, and air conditioning. Cabin pressurization was also planned for the production aircraft. The aircraft also featured a novel tail with three vertical stabilizers. This provided sufficient vertical stabilizer area to allow the aircraft to take-off with only two engines on one side operating.

The prototype first flew on 7 June 1938 from Clover Field in Santa Monica, California. It was used by United Air Lines for in-service evaluation during 1939. Operating the aircraft was remarkably trouble-free. However, the complex systems proved to be expensive to maintain and the design was abandoned in favor of a smaller, less complex four-engined design. This newer design was designated DC-4, leading to the earlier design to be re-designated DC-4E (E for "experimental").

The DC-4E was sold to Japan, which was buying western aircraft for evaluation and technology transfer during this period. The design became the basis of the Nakajima G5N bomber. (Editor: GEE WIZ KIDS, Wasn't that a great idea!!!)

General Tire Company

General Tire and Rubber Company was founded in 1915 in Akron, Ohio by William F. O'Neil. In 1943 General Tire branched out from being just a manufacturer of tires for motor vehicles by purchasing the Yankee Network and the radio stations it owned from Boston's Shepard Stores, Inc. Thomas F. O'Neil, son of the founder William F. O'Neil, served as Yankee's chairman with Shepard's John Shepard III serving as president. (Ad from 1937)

General Tire continued its move into broadcasting by acquiring the Don Lee Broadcasting System, a well respected regional radio network on the West Coast, in 1950. Among other stations, it added KHJ-AM-FM in Los Angeles and KFRC-AM-FM in San Francisco to its stable from the Yankee acquisition. In 1952, it bought WOR/WOR-FM/WOR-TV in New York City and merged its broadcasting interests into a new division, General Teleradio. (Ad from 1940)

General Tire's final move into entertainment was the acquisition of RKO Radio Pictures from Howard Hughes in 1955 for $25 million. General Tire was interested mainly in using the RKO film library to program its television stations, so it sold the RKO lot at Sunset and Gower in Hollywood to Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz's Desilu Productions in 1956 for $6 million. (Ad from 1947)

The remaining assets of RKO were merged with General Teleradio, and the new company eventually became known as RKO General. The radio stations became some of the leading broadcasters in the world, but the division was dragged down by unethical conduct at its television stations. This culminated in the longest licensing dispute in television history, eventually forcing RKO General out of the broadcasting business. (Ad from 1950)

Detroit Publishing Company

~ Broad Street north from Spruce, circa 1900 ~

The Detroit Publishing Company was an American photographic publishing firm best known for its large assortment of photochrom postcards. The company specialized in postcards of American and European subjects, including cityscapes, reproductions of artwork, natural landmarks and folklore.

~ Betsy Ross House, Philadelphia, circa 1900 ~

The company was founded as the Detroit Photographic Company in the 1890s by Detroit businessman and publisher William A. Livingstone, Jr., and photographer and photo-publisher Edwin H. Husher. The company had the exclusive rights to the photochrom process for the American market.

~ Erie Canal at Salina Street, Syracuse, New York, 1904 ~

The best-known photographer for the company was William Henry Jackson, who joined the company in 1897. By the time of World War I, the company faced declining sales both due to the war economy and the competition from cheaper, more advanced printing methods. The company declared bankruptcy in 1924 and was liquidated in 1932.

~ City market, Kansas City, Missouri, circa 1906 ~

Most of the existing negatives and prints are now housed by the United States Library of Congress, which received them via the Edison Institute and the Colorado Historical Society in 1949. Most images are visible in digital form at the Library of Congress Web site.