Portable Darkroom Hood — 1924
What looks like a ghostly apparition was, in fact, a handy-dandy rubberized portable darkroom with which one could drape oneself whilst processing photographic plates. Read more….
Happy Valentine’s Day from Stan Lee — 1958
This is not the Stan Lee you’re used to seeing — see the Valentine’s Day installment of the rather obscure, short-lived comic strip at the link.
Charles Deaton’s “Ultra-Modern” Bank Design for Casper, Wyoming — 1964
Self-taught architect Charles Deaton said this about his futuristc-looking bank in, of all places, Casper, Wyoming: “It’s got everything it needs, no more or no less. It’s a complete composition. It has not been modified or changed in the construction or by the bank. It could not have been done if I did not have in the bank a client that wanted a creative effort. […] I have no apologies … no excuses. I like it.” Click to see more photos of this cool building (which, hallelujah, is still standing).
How a Telephone Switchboard Works — 1911
Interested in a step-by-step illustrated tutorial on how a telephone call was completed in 1911, when operators were needed to place all calls? Look no further! Click to read more…
Wyatt Metal & Boiler Works — 1939
This industrial metal structure — possibly in use at a Texas oil refinery? — looks pleasingly futuristic. The winding exterior staircase is a nice touch.
Merry Christmas from Thelma Todd and Her Giant Sombrero
Hollywood stars have always had to do silly things for the sake of publicity….
Massachusetts “In the Future” — ca. 1908
How did the future of years past differ from today’s present? For one thing, there are a lot fewer flying and floating contraptions littering the sky these days. Click to see some wonderfully odd postcards featuring visions of what several Massachusetts towns might look like “in the future.”
Please, Sir — May I Have Another Snickers?
Halloween is one of the few occasions when creepy children are welcome. See a little trick-or-treater whose “trick” is something you don’t want to test.
Family Portrait by Oscar Drum, Indian Territory
Oscar Drum (1860-1936) was a photographer who traveled around Kansas, Oklahoma, and Indian Territory, setting up temporary studios in rented buildings, in railroad cars, and even in tents. He would stay in small towns for a few days or a few weeks before moving on to the next location. One of his specialties was photographing Native American subjects. One photo, in particular, taken in the Indian Territory community of Nowata, is intriguing for all its unanswered questions. Click to read more.
“Bug Man” Testing For Radiation at the Hanford Plutonium Plant — 1956
Take a look at what the fashionable radiation detector was wearing in 1956 — it’s like something you’d see in a low-budget sci-fi movie: an ant-man in a jumpsuit, with antennae and a throat microphone. I’m not sure *I’d* feel confident wearing this in a “hot zone,” but it was apparently deemed safe by the Hanford plutonium plant (aka “the Hanford Site”) in Richland, Washington. Check it out.
