Lincoln, Nebraska - 1942

Photographers working for the U.S. government's Farm Security Administration (FSA) and later the Office of War Information (OWI) between 1939 and 1944 made approximately 1,600 color photographs depicting life in the United States.

John Vachon (1914-1975) was one of those photographers. These are a few of his many photographs of Lincoln, Nebraska in 1942 and are now preserved at the Library of Congress.

Busy downtown Lincoln intersection with the Grand Grocery store on the corner.

American flags on Lincoln sidewalk with one hour parking sign.

Eagle Fruit Store and Capital Hotel in Lincoln.

The Grand Grocery Company and Farmers Feed store entrance.

The Grand Grocery Company and Farmers Feed store window display.

Hotel Last and New Frontier and Village Postcards

The early west in modern splendor. Hotel Last Frontier - Las Vegas, Nevada. (circa 1940's)

The old west in modern splendor. The Hotel Last Frontier in Las Vegas, Nevada is one of the fine hotels of the American Continent. Every facility awaits the guest -- Dining Rooms, Casino, Floor Shows, Riding and Swimming. The Home of the Famous Frontier Village. (circa 1940's)

Last Frontier Village, Las Vegas, Nevada. Here on the grounds of the Hotel New Frontier we find one of the nation's greatest tourist attractions. The museums and historic collections enable one to relive the adventurous past of the Old West. (circa 1950's)

Hotel Last Frontier, Las Vegas, Nevada. The Silver Slipper -- Consistently producing the funniest shows in a town famed for entertainment, the Silver Slipper Stock company unleashes riotous routines four times nightly in the Last Frontier Village. (circa 1950's)

"Out of This World" - New Frontier Hotel, Las Vegas, Nevada. The New Frontier's world famous Venus Room features the greatest stars in show business twice a night, seven nights a week. (circa 1950's)

Billy De Vorss - Pinup Artist

Alone among the pin-up artists in being entirely self-taught, Billy De Vorss sold his first three published pin-ups to the Louis F. Dow Calendar Company in St. Paul about 1933.

Encouraged to develop his talent by Gene Sayles, the manager of Brown and Bigelow's Kansas City branch office, he soon received his first commission from the company.

After moving to New York he spent the next several years working for calendar publishing houses such as Brown and Bigelow, Joseph C. Hoover, and Louis F. Dow.

Covers for Beauty Parade and the King Features Syndicate as well as calendar commissions from the Osborne and Goes companies followed in the early 1940s.

In 1949, the artist illustrated a highly successful campaign for Botany Woollen's robes with depictions of handsome men lounging at home with their own De Vorss pin-ups.

Postcards From Las Vegas

Greetings From Las Vegas Nevada - circa 1940's.

Travelers Auto Court, Fremont Street - circa 1938.

Union Pacific Railroad Station - circa 1940's.

Hitchin' Post Motel & Coffee Shop. U.S. 91 and 93, 4 miles N.E. of Las Vegas, Nevada. Mail: P.O. Box 286 --- Phone: DUdley 4-2291. Attractive, air-conditioned, electrically heated, fireproof units, each with tub and shower. Free radios. Pets OK - circa 1940's.

Corey's Fine Foods -- 4th and Fremont Sts. Las Vegas, Nevada. Phone: 3088 - circa 1940's.

A view of The Liberace Museum, which houses some of the world's rarest pianos, classic and customized automobiles, plus a glittering array of "Mr. Showmanship's" million dollar wardrobe - circa 1970's.

Early Kodak Magazine Advertisements

The Eastman Dry Plate Company was responsible for the first cameras suitable for non-expert use. The Kodak company attained its name from the first simple roll film cameras produced by Eastman Dry Plate Company, known as the "Kodak" in its product line. George Eastman registered the trademark Kodak on September 4, 1888 and the Eastman Kodak Company was founded in 1892.

"Take a Kodak with you to the Pan-American Exposition" - Seaman Magazine 1901.

"There's more to the vacation when you Kodak" - 1908.

"They all remember the Kodak" - Collier's Weekly Magazine 1909.

"All out-doors invites your Kodak" - 1911.

"All out-doors invites your Kodak" - The Country Life Press 1911.

These advertisements are part of the Advertising Ephemera Collection at the Duke University Rare Book, Manuscript, and Special Collections Library.

United States Marine Corps Glider Pilot Training - Parris Island 1942

Photographers working for the U.S. government's Farm Security Administration (FSA) and later the Office of War Information (OWI) between 1939 and 1944 made approximately 1,600 color photographs depicting life in the United States.

Alfred T. Palmer was one of those photographers. He took these pictures in May 1942 at the Glider Pilot Training Center at Page Field, Parris Island, South Carolina. The following are a sample of some of the 100's of pictures he took during this period. These photographs are now preserved at the Library of Congress.

Marine statue at Parris Island, South Carolina, known as "Iron Mike" by recruits.

Marine lieutenants studying glider piloting at Page Field, Parris Island, S.C.

Marine glider at Page Field, Parris Island, S.C.

Marine glider in training at Page Field, Parris Island, S.C.

Marine power plane which tows the training gliders at Page Field, Parris Island, S.C.

San Francisco Municipal Railway

The San Francisco Municipal Railway, commonly known as Muni, is the public transit system for the city and county of San Francisco, California and is the seventh largest transit system in the United States.

Muni is an integral part of public transit throughout the San Francisco Bay Area, operating 365 days a year and connecting with regional transportation services, such as Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART), SamTrans, and AC Transit. Its network consists of 54 bus lines, 17 trolley bus lines, 7 light rail lines (the Muni Metro), 3 cable car lines, and a heritage streetcar line known as the F Market & Wharves.

Muni has its origins in the period following the 1906 San Francisco earthquake. Up until then the city had been served by a number of commercial horsecar, cable car and electric streetcar operators. In 1912, the city declined to renew the franchise that bestowed cable car operator Geary Street, Park & Ocean Railway the privilege of operating on Geary Street, and converted the line into a municipal electric streetcar line, the first line of Muni.

April 1970 - (Double ended PCC) 38 years ago at First & Mission in San Francisco. Every building in the background on 1st. St between Mission and Market is gone. Foster's Cafeteria and California Motor Express (CME truck) are names relegated to history. Ironically, PCC 1008 survives as MUNI's work car and is the only PCC to ever operate in METRO tunnel.

November 1977 - (Single ended PCC) To bypass tunnel construction on Market St., MUNI built a detour by way of Duboce to Church to 17th and then to the Twin Peaks Tunnel. This car (#1167) was purchased by MUNI from St. Louis in the mid-50's.

September 1982 - (Holman Bros. Car 1912) Transbay Terminal Loop 1st and Mission. What is considered to be the oldest operating piece of transit equipment in the U.S. is Muni #1. Still owned and operated in regular service by its original owner.

September 1982 - (PCC built in 1952) The Transbay Terminal loop was built when the Bay Bridge and its transbay went into service. When the Ferry Building loop closed, all Muni cars were routed to the terminal loop at First and Mission. The four buildings behind the car are gone as are the buildings on either side.

September 1982 - (PCC built in 1952) PCC 1038 is outbound on Market St. at O'Farrell. #1038 was one of the last order of PCC cars built for domestic use.

Thanks to Drew Jacksich for the use of his images and image information provided by him. To see more of Drews pictures visit the Amtrak Engineers website and RailPictures.Net

The Pennsylvania Railroad 1950's - Part 1

The Pennsylvania Railroad was an American railroad, founded in 1846. Commonly referred to as the "Pennsy", the PRR was headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

World War II period magazine advertisement.

The PRR was the largest railroad by traffic and revenue in the US throughout its 20th-century existence and was at one time the largest publicly traded corporation in the world. At its peak, it controlled about 10,000 miles of rail line and employed approximately 250,000 workers.

PRR ALCO / GE PA diesel at the Hunter St. Yard in Newark, New Jersey - November 19, 1950.

PRR ALCO / GE PA diesel at the Hunter St. Yard in Newark, New Jersey - November 19, 1950.

Buckwalter trackmobile built in 1912, on PRR industrial trackage in Jersey City, New Jersey - October, 1950.

Baldwin RF-16 (Shark-Nose) diesel at the PRR Altoona Yard in Altoona, Pennsylvania - September 10, 1951.

PRR "Mountain" class M1 4-8-2 steam locomotive at Mt. Union, Pennsylvania - June 24, 1951.

Link: PRR on Wikipedia. Part 2: Tomorrow.

F.W. Woolworth Company - 1939

The F. W. Woolworth Company was a retail company that was one of the original American five-and-dime stores. The first Woolworth's store was founded in 1878 by Frank Winfield Woolworth. Despite growing to be one of the largest retail chains in the world through most of the 20th century, increased competition led to its decline beginning in the 1980s.

In 1997, F. W. Woolworth Company converted itself into a sporting goods retailer and by 2001, the company focused exclusively on the sporting goods market, changing its name to the present Foot Locker Inc.





Thanks to Wishbook on Flickr for these photos of the F.W. Woolworth store at 2824 Colby, in Everett, Washington - 1939.

Swan Song For The House That Ruth Built

This article, written by Stuart Miller, is from the American History magazine August 2008 issue.

Babe Ruth greets his fans at Yankee Stadium in April 1926.

Yankee Stadium faces the wrecking ball after decades of glory that helped define the American Century.

Fans arrive in Model T Fords for the inaugural game at Yankee Stadium on April 18, 1923.

Caught in action between the umpire and Detroit Tigers Ray Hayworth, the Babe slides home at Yankee Statdium on August 15, 1933.

A young vendor hawks souvenir programs at one of the 37 World Series the stadium hosted.

An ailing Bambino makes his final appearance at Yankee Stadium's 25th anniversary in June, 1948, when his uniform number - 3 - was retired.