The Epworth League Album 18, Hats

What can I say. Gotta love those hats!

The Epworth League Album 17, Back Home

I have to wonder if the two faded prints are from back home in the mid-west. There's a lot of old growth, far more than there would be around a new home in a new neighborhood. Remember, click on Epworth League in the labels section to bring up everything to date. Start with the first post and see the album in order.

The Epworth League Album 16, Another River

Pay attention to the photo with the ragged borders. More to come. On the second, the far ridge line is the San Gabriel Mountains and the closer ridge line looks like the Verdugo Mountians. If I'm right, then these three people are next to the Los Angeles River, very likely near where I live.

The Epworth League Album 15, Contrasts

In the novel Mildred Peirce by James M. Cain, much is made of the differences between Pasadena and Glendale, California. Pasadena is the city of old money and social position. Glendale is the city of a nascent middle class and social ambition. I do a lot of cycling in the L.A. area and I've ridden by the intersection shown in the first picture and while I'm not sure, I think it's in San Marino, a wealthy city on the southern edge of Pasadena. Some of the other photos show the type of house that was built for the new residents moving to southern California. Quickly built, smallish and moderately priced, just the type of home that once could be found lining every street in Glendale.

Ostriches in Los Angeles

All that meat, giant eggs and a fashion scene dominated by big hats with even bigger feathers. So why aren't the great plains of the United States covered in herds (flocks?) of ostriches? Another American get rich fad fails to catch on. The message written along the edge of the card reads, "My dear little friend. Where is my little red-headed girl that I don't hear from her anymore. I so often think of you and wonder if you are in the Park again. Do let us hear from you. Mr. S. send regards & love from your friend Mrs. Sisco." Mailed to, "Miss Frances Schroeder c/o Vern Stockwell, Billings, Mont" There is a space on the back of the card reserved for a return address, "Mrs. Charles O. Sisco, #4901 Vermont Ave Square, Los Angeles, Calif." Post marked, "LOS ANGELES, STA. C. JUL 7, 5:30 PM 1908."

Men In Love

Well. it's hard not to jump to conclusions on this one. The heart shape has been a symbol of a romantic relationship for centuries. This picture probably dates from the late nineteenth to the early twentieth century.

Child Labor at the Hotel Gloria

When this photograph was taken, child labor was common. Guests at the Hotel Gloria wouldn't have thought twice about the morality of a ten year old staying up all night just in case an early morning newspaper was wanted, or if a lady needed her shoes cleaned for an early morning carriage ride. Went to Google and punched in Hotel Gloria and found hotels of that name in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Springwood, Australia, Jerusalem, Israel, Beatenburg, Switzerland, Chisinau, Moldova, Budapest, Hungary, Gran Canaria, Spain, and others.

The Epworth League Album 14, A New Reality

In my last couple of Epworth League posts, I mentioned that things were changing for the people in this album. Look closely at the second photo on the page. Palm trees. The mid-west has been left behind and now it's life in California. In the first decades of the twentieth century Harry Chandler, publisher of the Los Angeles Times and son-in-law of Harrison Grey Otis, the Times owner put out special national editions of the paper, publicizing the advantages of L.A. Snow covered mountains but a snow free city. Sunny days and beautiful beaches. Wide open spaces, orange groves and low cost homes. (Many built by real estate developer Harry Chandler.)

The Epworth League Album 13, Still Transitioning

Take my word for it, this is going somewhere. Hint, the clue is in the second photo. And remember, click on Epworth League in the labels section to review all of the posts to date.

The Epworth League Album 12, Transitioning

In this post we're transitioning from the dead of winter to spring and summer. The more I look through this album, the happier the subjects seem.

U.S.S. Inchon

I understand that most viewers will not find this postcard all that interesting. I understand that only military enthusiasts and those who actually served on the Inchon will want to look at this post. But it works as a companion piece to the liberty ship post that I just put up, and I would be very interested to read any comments that any Inchon crew members might leave, so here it is. Written on the back, "Tempory Duty aboard U.S.S. Inchon Sept 18-Oct 2, 1975" Caption and credits, "U.S.S. INCHON (LPH-12) An Amphibious Assault Ship of the United States Navy's Amphibious Force, U.S. Atlantic Fleet." "Atlantic Fleet Sales, Box 6202, Norfolk, Va. 23508."

Liberty Ship

Another exception to the all photos rule; in this case, two cards sent by the same person to the same person. The liberty ship was based on a British design. Facing growing losses to U-boats and bombing raids, unable to build replacements, the British Admiralty began ordering cargo ships from U.S. shipbuilders. In 1941 The U.S. Maritime Commission began making some changes to British designs. Engines that ran on coal were replaced with ones that ran on oil. Sections would no longer be riveted, but rather welded. All sections and parts would be mass produced and then shipped to shipyards for assembly. At first liberty ships needed an average of 230 days from the laying of the keel to launch. Eventually that average fell to 42 days. The liberty ships were ugly, slow, and occasionally they broke apart. They also allowed the allies to move tons of weapons, ammunition, and food all over the world, something the axis powers were unable to do.

Both cards were addressed to, "Mr. John W. Lenhart, Route 1, Andalusia, Ala." There is a return address written on the liberty ship card, "Junior Lenhart, 155 Adams St., Mobile, Ala." The message on the liberty ship card, "June 1, 1943. Hello Folks, How is everything? I am O.K. just working every night and sleeping every day. I don't do much work. I just stand around most of the time. Nobody works very hard. Why don't you all begin to write? I've been here a week and haven't heard from home yet. Answer soon and tell everybody hello." Postmarked, "MOBILE JUN I 6:30 PM 1943, ALA" Credited, "Mobile Cigar & Tobacco Co., Mobile, Alabama. Photo by McNeely, COLOURPICTURE PUBLICATION, CAMBRIDGE, MASS U.S.A." The second card, "June 30 Hello Folks, I will answer your letters I got yesterday. Everything is O.K. down here except that I have got two cards from the draft board this week. I have to take the preliminary physical exam today at 3 o'clock. Yea, Joseph got here Sunday evening. He sent me a telegram to meet him at the bus station. I went back to work yesterday. We will be home Friday night about 10 or 11 o'clock if nothing happens. I will have more news when I get home. Just Jr." Post marked, "MOBILE JUN 29 7 PM 1943 ALA." Credited to, "U.S. NAVY COMICS. GENUINE CURTEICH-CHICAGO C.T ART-COLORTONE POST CARD (REG. U.S. PAT. OFF.)" Note that on the upper right corner there is a serial number, "USN-11" I would suggest clicking on the second image to bring it up in a bigger window in order to read the poem on the card.

The Epworth League Album 11, The Dead of Winter

Only one picture on today's page. Imagine having to get around in the dead of winter in an open sleigh. No heater, exposed to the elements, it would be possible to die of hypothermia just going to town. A broken runner or a lame horse, and no public transit and one could be snowed in for weeks or even months.

The Epworth League Album 10, Life on the River

I wrote in an earlier Epworth League post that the pictures in the first part of the album had a mid-western feel to them. Well, here's a bit more of that feel. A river this wide, in the United States, is probably the Mississippi, the lower Missouri or the lower Ohio. There might be some other candidates out there, but those three are the most likely. I spent some time, on line, searching for images of old bridges along those rivers and couldn't find a match. But someone out there must be able to recognize these locations. As always, click on Epworth League in the labels section to bring up the lot.

The Epworth League Album 9, What's In Those Baskets?

So what's in the baskets that's so heavy that it takes three people to support? Probably nothing. I've got lots of old photos where one or a group of people just stand there and stare into the camera, and that's fine. The old clothing, the expressions can be be quite interesting. But it's also nice when the subjects are doing something. The silent child star wanna be, the smiling ladies and the two older men to the rear, nice composition. One can imagine that they're all headed off to the local general store in an era before paper or plastic. And maybe, they had to take the horse and buggy on the ferry to get there. As far as the two photos of the large, generic, institutional style building...too boring for a separate post.

The Epworth League Album 8, Wooing

Well, the break is over and it's time to return to the Epworth League album. (Just a suggestion, but it might be time to click on Epworth League in the labels section and review.) I like to think that the young man in the poorly exposed picture has taken his young lady out to the river bank for a bit of wooing. Oh for the good old days when all it took was a picnic on a river bank and a few well thought out words. Of course women didn't have a lot of choices in life back then, so standards were low. But which of the two young ladies pictured was the intended? And what were the old folks thinking? Perhaps they were worried that their daughter might hook up with the bum in the funny hat.