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…
Author: High Shrink
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.
Dracula’s Daughter: She’s Exotic! She’s Hypnotic! She Gives You That Weird Feeling! — 1936
Hollywood poster artists are responsible for much of a movie’s attraction. In fact, I love these fantastic posters so much I don’t even really need to see the movie. See a whole bunch of promotional artwork for “Dracula’s Daughter” at the link.
Gregorio Prestopino, Artist
Gregorio Prestopino — known as “Presto” to his friends — was an American artist whose works ran the gamut from socially conscious depictions of poverty, nostalgic memories of the Little Italy neighborhood he grew up in, a series on prison life for Life magazine, a series of anti-war works, sensuous female nudes, and colorful magazine covers. See a few of my favorites.
Comfort Furniture Company: Vibrating, Artistic, and Indestructible — 1905
Vibrating furniture was a thing in 1905. This Detroit company doesn’t seem to have lasted very long, but its trimmed-in-fringe product was a featured exhibit at the 1905 Lewis & Clark Centennial. Read more….
