Century of Progress

Disclaimer

Artists rendering, actual product my not appear exactly as shown. Thats a disclaimer that could be applied to many postcards I come across in my collecting. Usually its minor changes made for aesthetic purposes: Hotels magically moved closer to the beach, neighboring buildings disappearing, power poles and other street clutter cleared away. But sometimes you need to advertise something thats just not ready yet. In a digital world the turnaround on artwork for a product can be almost instantaneous, so its easy to forget that the process was slightly more complicated in the 30s and 40s.

This postcard lept out at me while browsing through a stack at the antique market last weekend for just such a reason. This is a postcard advertising the opening of Chicago's first subway line in 1943, with its futuristic new rolling stock. The only problem? This model never ran in Chicago. As a Subway buff I instantly recognized this as one of new york city's infamous Bluebird subway cars.

photo taken from nycsubway.org

Built in 1938 for the BMT they were a sleek, stylish, deco departure from the old equipment currently on the system. On top of technological upgrades like rubber spring suspension and enclosed passageways between cars, they also featured creature comforts like mohair upholstered seats and makeup mirrors for female passengers. In 1940 the city took over the BMT and scuttled the rest of the order, leaving only a handful of sets delivered. While they ultimately failed in new york, they were a huge inspiration to the Chicago officials shopping around for new trains. Attempts were made to purchase Bluebirds for Chicago, but the war effort ultimately delayed the then canceled the purchase. Chicago wound up creating its 5000-series cars starting in 1947, based heavily on the bluebirds but with many more modifications and updates.

Before all that came to pass, Chicago had identified the bluebirds as the cars to be used on the new subway, so all press from that time including a publicity newsreel the city comissioned depicts the new bluebirds. This Curteich postcard would be no exception.

A Danforth Wedding

When digging around through bins and shoeboxes of photos at a flea market, determining a photos origin can be difficult. Sometimes its obvious that the photos are related, and sometimes you're looking at odds and ends from a dozen different estate sales in who knows how many different cities. Thats why I'm always trying to spot details that allow me to identify where a photo was taken, especially if its something local. Two years ago I spied this little wedding album with the photo finisher's address stamped on the cover and I knew I had to grab it.

The photos inside feature a few great period automobiles and the ubiquitous toronto streetcar. Finding the location should be a snap.

the Real Estate agent in the back here has an old telephone exchange listed in his number. OXford is an exchange near main street. 

business names can be a big help, but go far back enough and you're not likely to see many that are still around. "Margaret's foods" is long gone based on a few google searches.

ok, now we're in business...a (sort of) readable destination on the streetcar. Looks like its Jane/Bloor. That would make this street the Danforth, and based on the direction of the streetcar (Jane is the Western end of the line, hence this is a westbound car) we can surmise that this is the north side of the street looking south.  After hopping on street view to look around the Danforth/Main area I hit paydirt right away, as the Real Estate agent's building is still standing right on the corner. 

I found myself out in that neck of the woods today, so i did my best to track down the buildings and snap a few photos with my phone.

The Contiental

This piece of correspondance was purchased at a flea market after I spotted the lovely detailed letterhead for the Continental Hotel inside.

The year (1882) of the letter was also a draw. I filed it away without much thought to the content until a few months ago. After consulting the internet it appears the letter was written by Thomas Sterry Hunt, an american geologist and chemist who once taught at McGill University in Montreal. In fact, while he was teaching there in 1857 he developed the formula for a green ink that would eventually become a part of every american banknote made from 1862 onward. His other claim to fame was that in 1878 he was the first scientist to link climate change to the levels of CO2 present in the atmosphere, years before the greenhouse effect theory was put forward.

Addressed to his wife back in Montreal, the letter details what sounds like the last leg of a long trip. 

Between the dated style, and the shameful amount of time that has passed since I last wrote anything in handwriting, I was only able to transcribe about 90% of the letter. I may be mistaken in a few spots as the sentence seems to switch tense midway. Here it goes:

Feb 20, 1882

My Darling Wife,

I wrote you on friday from Boston, where I was to meet Mr. Lee. I found him too ill for business. Yesterday he was better so ? could confer together and ??? myself for this place.  I go to washington tomorrow morning for two reasons: 1st the president of my new coal co. whom had ? ? to meet in New York will be all this week in Washington where I must see him and take council with him. 

2nd The AME? Just ? and invite you ? holds here its annual meeting tuesday - thursday and I have not been at one of its reunions for two years, so I shall be able to take part therein, and meet several of my scientific friends and Mr. E.S.  

I mean to reach Washington on tuesday noon and so have some hours before the meeting ? be ? in the evening. So I shall at once call in the Alelises . I hope ? ? ? ? ? ? so I can be with you no later than Saturday morning, which will make a three weeks absence. I am sorry ? ? ? so long but ? ? ? ?  has been misfortune and I must return to do a great lash(?) at home. I am very well despite my journeying and have scarcely a trace of my ? remaining.  I hope ? I shall from my darling wife ? in my ? and by her to believe not ? ? 

Your Devoted Husband,

T. Sterry Hunt M. E.

Beautiful Winnipeg Canada

This is a Postcard View Book of Winnipeg, from an unknown publisher. Looks to be from some time in the early 40s based on the cars visible in a few of the images. These postcard books were most prominently made by a company out of Chicago called "Curt Teich & Co.", but also by a number of other smaller firms using a similar technique. Absolutely no names or serial numbers are printed on this one sadly, I'd love to know who made it...

The Pavilion at Assiniboine Park is featured on the cover.

The back has the Law Courts Building, which looks much the same today.

Inside are a number of views printed on a long double sided sheet that pulls out.  Most of the buildings pictured still remain, with the exception of the Hospital (demolished, but the site is now part of the Health Sciences Centre) and the Royal Alexandra Hotel.

Slides - Vegas 1971

Who can resist a glimpse into a strangers life? I guess thats whats at the core of my interest in old snapshots and slides. Most people who collect them have some sort of primary theme they seek out: a certain town or city, a specific era, trains or cars, etc. and thats true of my choices as well, but what draws me in the most is that peek through the window. I picked up this handful of slides from The Thing in 2010, out of what was once probably a very big collection of vacation photos. The lights of the old Vegas strip circa what appeared to be the late 60s caught my eye right away.

The slide frames put the date as Oct. 16 1971...I wonder if they were there for Deer season?