Looking Back

New York, New York

I (heart) New York. Doesn’t everyone? I’m talking about NYC, the Big Apple, the City of Dreams, the City That Never Sleeps, Empire City. It’s a destination of distinction.

It is also a place with a compelling history. New York City was the first capital of the United States, and George Washington’s first inauguration ceremony took place on a balcony there. But that’s not all New York City is known for. Read on.

New York Yankees, 1913

Some considered them the underdogs in 1913. It was their first season out as the Yankees, having played their prior 10 seasons as the Highlanders. They had nothing in fans compared to, say, the Giants or the Brooklyn Dodgers.

This American League team also changed its baseball field. The Yankees signed a deal to play its games at the Polo Grounds, a huge step up from Hilltop Park in Washington Heights. It should have been a good season.

But it got off to a bad start from the get-go. Spring training was held at the prestigious Hamilton Cricket Grounds in Bermuda, a far cry from former camps in Alabama and Georgia. It was not a great trip. Frank Chance, player-manager, hurt his back. Hal Chase, second baseman, twisted his ankle running bases. And the entire team got seasick on the boat back to the mainland.

The jinx was in. Their first year as the Yankees, the team finished in seventh place, with a 57-94 record.

A 13” x 21” copy of the baseball card portrait seen above was offered for free in exchange for 40 Fatima cigarette coupons by Liggett & Myers Tobacco Company in North Carolina, although its marketing department was in New York City. The Fatima Turkish Blend Cigarettes pledge was “No gold tips but finest quality.” 

Manhattan Bridge

The earliest suspension bridges—centuries back and countries away—were built with twisted grass. The chains and towers of modern suspension bridges are an excellent improvement!

The Manhattan Bridge is a fine example. It is 6,855 feet long and connects southeastern Manhattan with western Brooklyn in New York City. This double-deck motorway was designed to improve traffic flow, with four lanes on top and three lanes below for car travel. Additionally, the bridge includes four subway lines, a pedestrian lane, and a bikeway. It carries more than 80,000 vehicles daily, not to mention the 320,000 people or so who use its public transportation lines every day.

It’s an old bridge. Construction of the Manhattan Bridge began in October 1901.  It is one of three built to span the East River. Originally called “Suspension Bridge Number 3,” it had many of the same elements as the first bridges, the Brooklyn and Williamsburg Bridges.

The bridge had a rocky start. Construction commenced with two different engineers and a couple different plans. It was finally taken over by another engineer, beginning in 1904. His design saved money, material, and time. The push was on to finish the bridge due to the burgeoning amount of traffic jamming the neighboring Brooklyn Bridge.

Finally, on December 31, 1909, the $31-million, graceful Manhattan Bridge opened to through traffic. Although no trains could cross yet and the pedestrian walkway was not finished, outgoing Mayor George B. McClellan, Jr. was there with flair. According to the New York Times, he led “a little cavalcade of automobiles and carriages” across the bridge. Steam whistles shrieked on both sides. It is rumored that, once across, the mayor said, “Now finish the damn bridge.”

On the 100th birthday of the bridge, 2009, the American Society of Civil Engineers named it a National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark. 

The photographer, Irving Underhill (1872-1960), took this shot on March 23, 1909, nine months before it opened. Underhill is well known for his photographs and postcards of iconic New York scenes.

Engine 91, New York

Starting in 1658, bucket brigades were organized in the Dutch settlement of New Amsterdam and are considered the start of the New York Fire Department (NYFD). The brigade’s hooks, ladders, and leather buckets were paid for with fines assessed on households with dirty chimneys. A fire watch was set up. Wardens roamed the streets from evening until dawn, looking for fires. They were nicknamed prowlers.

The firefighters in this photo are a long way from the days of the bucket brigade. They gathered in Manhattan on March 20, 1913, on a cold, wet day to celebrate the first trip of Engine 91. Proud members of the NYFD, they stand ready for action in double-breasted uniform coats and fire hats.

Although the NYFD was manned by volunteers for many years, it had switched to paid professionals some time before this photo was shot. The officers and firemen worked tough hours and were paid according to their ranks. Firefighters spent 24 hours a day at the firehouse with only one day off a week. They were allowed to go home twice a day for meals. This rigorous schedule afforded the average fire fighter 13 cents an hour or about $1,000 a year. 

The New York Fire Department celebrated 150 years of heroism in 2015. Its firefighters are known to be heroes. In that time, nearly 1,150 firefighters have lost their lives in the line of duty.

New York, New York

I (heart) New York. Doesn’t everyone? I’m talking about NYC, the Big Apple, the City of Dreams, the City That Never Sleeps, Empire City. It’s a destination of distinction.

It is also a place with a compelling history. New York City was the first capital of the United States, and George Washington’s first inauguration ceremony took place on a balcony there. But that’s not all New York City is known for. Read on.

New York Yankees, 1913

Some considered them the underdogs in 1913. It was their first season out as the Yankees, having played their prior 10 seasons as the Highlanders. They had nothing in fans compared to, say, the Giants or the Brooklyn Dodgers.

This American League team also changed its baseball field. The Yankees signed a deal to play its games at the Polo Grounds, a huge step up from Hilltop Park in Washington Heights. It should have been a good season.

But it got off to a bad start from the get-go. Spring training was held at the prestigious Hamilton Cricket Grounds in Bermuda, a far cry from former camps in Alabama and Georgia. It was not a great trip. Frank Chance, player-manager, hurt his back. Hal Chase, second baseman, twisted his ankle running bases. And the entire team got seasick on the boat back to the mainland.

The jinx was in. Their first year as the Yankees, the team finished in seventh place, with a 57-94 record.

A 13” x 21” copy of the baseball card portrait seen above was offered for free in exchange for 40 Fatima cigarette coupons by Liggett & Myers Tobacco Company in North Carolina, although its marketing department was in New York City. The Fatima Turkish Blend Cigarettes pledge was “No gold tips but finest quality.” 

Manhattan Bridge

The earliest suspension bridges—centuries back and countries away—were built with twisted grass. The chains and towers of modern suspension bridges are an excellent improvement!

The Manhattan Bridge is a fine example. It is 6,855 feet long and connects southeastern Manhattan with western Brooklyn in New York City. This double-deck motorway was designed to improve traffic flow, with four lanes on top and three lanes below for car travel. Additionally, the bridge includes four subway lines, a pedestrian lane, and a bikeway. It carries more than 80,000 vehicles daily, not to mention the 320,000 people or so who use its public transportation lines every day.

It’s an old bridge. Construction of the Manhattan Bridge began in October 1901.  It is one of three built to span the East River. Originally called “Suspension Bridge Number 3,” it had many of the same elements as the first bridges, the Brooklyn and Williamsburg Bridges.

The bridge had a rocky start. Construction commenced with two different engineers and a couple different plans. It was finally taken over by another engineer, beginning in 1904. His design saved money, material, and time. The push was on to finish the bridge due to the burgeoning amount of traffic jamming the neighboring Brooklyn Bridge.

Finally, on December 31, 1909, the $31-million, graceful Manhattan Bridge opened to through traffic. Although no trains could cross yet and the pedestrian walkway was not finished, outgoing Mayor George B. McClellan, Jr. was there with flair. According to the New York Times, he led “a little cavalcade of automobiles and carriages” across the bridge. Steam whistles shrieked on both sides. It is rumored that, once across, the mayor said, “Now finish the damn bridge.”

On the 100th birthday of the bridge, 2009, the American Society of Civil Engineers named it a National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark. 

The photographer, Irving Underhill (1872-1960), took this shot on March 23, 1909, nine months before it opened. Underhill is well known for his photographs and postcards of iconic New York scenes.

Engine 91, New York

Starting in 1658, bucket brigades were organized in the Dutch settlement of New Amsterdam and are considered the start of the New York Fire Department (NYFD). The brigade’s hooks, ladders, and leather buckets were paid for with fines assessed on households with dirty chimneys. A fire watch was set up. Wardens roamed the streets from evening until dawn, looking for fires. They were nicknamed prowlers.

The firefighters in this photo are a long way from the days of the bucket brigade. They gathered in Manhattan on March 20, 1913, on a cold, wet day to celebrate the first trip of Engine 91. Proud members of the NYFD, they stand ready for action in double-breasted uniform coats and fire hats.

Although the NYFD was manned by volunteers for many years, it had switched to paid professionals some time before this photo was shot. The officers and firemen worked tough hours and were paid according to their ranks. Firefighters spent 24 hours a day at the firehouse with only one day off a week. They were allowed to go home twice a day for meals. This rigorous schedule afforded the average fire fighter 13 cents an hour or about $1,000 a year. 

The New York Fire Department celebrated 150 years of heroism in 2015. Its firefighters are known to be heroes. In that time, nearly 1,150 firefighters have lost their lives in the line of duty.

Because, Baseball.

We offer this 1913 baseball card portrait of the Boston Red Sox in honor of one of April’s great gifts. The 117th season of Major League Baseball kicked off on Sunday, April 2. Opening Day offered three games, including one starring the 2016 World Series come-back-kids and champions, the Chicago Cubs. They faced off against the St. Louis Cardinals, who beat them 4-3 in an exciting opening game..

           But way back when, “Smoky Joe” Wood was a pitcher who threw a fastball that trailed fire.

“Smoky Joe” Wood

          “Smoky Joe” Wood (1889-1985) was born Howard Ellsworth Wood. He got stuck with the name “Joe” because of his parents’ fixation on a circus clown named Joey. In his professional life, people noted that his fastball could make sparks fly, hence the other nickname, “Smoky.”

            Wood’s professional career had an unconventional debut. In 1906, his family was living in Ness City, Kansas. Wood noticed a poster announcing a game between the city’s baseball team, the Ness City Nine, and the National Bloomer Girls of Kansas City. As the name suggests, these barnstormers were an all-girl team, but they frequently added boys to the roster. Without hesitation, Wood, 17 at the time, signed on for the game! He helped the Bloomers win the game, 23 to 2, severely trouncing the Ness City Nine. Woods played with the Bloomers for the rest of the summer. He was paid $21 a week.

           So Wood was posing as a girl when the Boston Red Sox found him! He joined the team in 1908 at 18 years of age and played with them until 1915. Mostly, he pitched. Wood won 57 games for the Boston Red Sox in 1911 and 1912. 1912 was a particularly stellar year, in which he won 34 games and lost only five. His earned run average (ERA) was 1.91; he struck out 258. No one ever forgot his record that season. Almost 73 years later, his obituary in the New York Times read, “Smoky Joe Wood, Ex-Pitcher, Is Dead; Was 34-5 in 1912.”

           In 1917, Wood was sold to the Cleveland Indians.  He played with them from 1917 to 1922, mostly as an outfielder. He ended his career with the Indians with a bang, earning his highest hit total for a season with 150. He also set a personal high for runs batted in (RBI) with 92. 

           Wood died on July 27, 1985, at the age of 95. I hope he died thinking about the two seasons where he dominated professional baseball history. Or maybe he was flashing back to the no-hitter he pitched against the St. Louis Browns on July 29, 1911. Either way, he died as one of baseball’s great men. And in 1995, Smoky Joe made it into the Boston Red Sox Hall of Fame.

Because, Easter

           Easter falls on April 16 this year, 2017. Easter Sunday marks the end of Holy Week, the end of Lent, and the last day of Easter. Many people flock to church on this day.

            But way back in 1795, there was a special appearance at Christ Church in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on Easter Sunday. President George Washington and his wife Martha were in the crowd.

General Washington at Christ Church, Easter Sunday, 1795

           The diaries of George Washington (1732-1799) reveal little about his religious beliefs, although many of his practices were observed by family and acquaintances. We do know that he was brought up in an Anglican household by a mother who favored personal spirituality. This may have influenced the child who became the man who held his beliefs closely to the chest. 

           Washington was known for his tolerance of the varying religious beliefs of others and worshiped in churches of different denominations.  Historians differ on whether Washington attended church regularly or sporadically, but most say that his attendance was more regular during his presidency. He and First Lady Martha Washington usually attended together, although the president was known to frequently leave before she did.

          So it is not surprising that George Washington was in church on Easter Sunday, 1795. The date would have been April 5, during the sixth year of his presidency (1789-1797).  This 1908 painting by J. L. G. Ferris portrays the president standing beside his coach as Christ Church let out. His wife Martha on his arm, he raises his tricorn hat as others hail him with theirs.

           The African American man holding the door of the carriage is probably William Lee (1750-1828), Washington’s favored personal servant. Washington bought Lee when he was a teenager. Lee served Washington at home, was in constant attendance during the Revolutionary War, and worked for him throughout his presidency. Lee is often shown by Washington’s side in paintings. They became very close over the years. He was the only one of Washington’s slaves to be freed outright in Washington’s will.

           The church in this painting has sometimes been mistakenly identified as Christ Church in Alexandria, Virginia. Washington actually did attend both by times, but the house of worship painted here is Christ Church in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

           Christ Church is rich in history. Many other famous folks also attended the church, including Betsy Ross, Benjamin Franklin and his wife Deborah, and many years earlier, William Penn. Both George Washington and his vice president, John Adams, regularly attended the church while presiding over the young country. Seven signers of the Declaration of Independence and five signers of the Constitution also attended and are buried there.

           The church is a beloved landmark. This marvelous example of Georgian Colonial architecture, built in 1744, is still standing and in use today. It is located in the Old City neighborhood of Philadelphia between Market and Arch Streets. More than 250,000 visitors visit Christ Church and its burial ground every year.

           The artist, J. L. G. (Jean Leon Gerome) Ferris (1863-1930), trained at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts. He is most famous for his series of 78 scenes from American history called The Pageant of a Nation.

A cloud of romance surrounds the cowgirls and cowboys of the Old West. We love the stories of the hardened cowboy tenderly rescuing a calf stuck in a tangle of barbed-wire fencing, or the cowgirl who grew up riding sidesaddle but won barrel-racing medals in rodeo after rodeo, even against the men.

In real life, it wasn’t all that romantic. The men and women of the Old West worked hard. There was no end to the hard labor and long hours of riding the range, herding cattle, fixing fences, breaking broncs…not to mention weeks on a cattle drive. They worked until their hands were calloused and their joints sore from hours in the saddle. But they also played. There were the suppers around the bonfire, twangy love songs, and best of all, there were the rodeos. Both cowboys and cowgirls participated in these with enthusiasm and gusto. 

At Home on the Range

The cowboy in this photo drank from his hat as his horse quenched its thirst in this calm mountain lake or pond. It’s easy to see how at home they were in their natural surroundings. No need for bottled water or drinking troughs! It was the way of a cowboy to be at home wherever his horse was.

The beautiful setting is probably part of the Z Bar T Ranch, better known as the Pitchfork Ranch, which is still located in the Greybull River valley in northwestern Wyoming. The ranch spreads across hundreds of acres of land nestled between mountainsides. In 1878, Count Otto Franc von Lichtenstein, who emigrated there from Germany, became the second settler in the valley. He fell in love with the area and built a cabin there. Within a year, there were hundreds of cattle grazing, herded there on a cattle drive from western Montana. The Count’s land became known as the Pitchfork Ranch. Rumor has it that Butch Cassidy stole his first horse there!

The photographer was the great Charles J. Belden (1886-1966), who chronicled western ranch life like no one else. He knew it from the inside out, having lived at, worked at, and managed the Pitchfork Ranch over some years. Belden took many of his western photos from the back of his pony, Pinky! (He used a unipod (think selfie-stick) to hold the camera steady!)

Babies Grew Up to Be Cowgirls

The early cowgirls broke a lot of rules. They weren’t supposed to be out riding horses or branding cattle. In the good old days, they would have been sitting inside the parlor, embroidering linens or serving tea. But in most places on the western frontier and especially on a ranch, there was neither the time nor inclination for such sensitivities.

The cowgirls of the past carried on in all sorts of ways. Some were sharpshooters like Annie Oakley, or Wild West Show performers like Lillian Smith, or bronc busters like Bonnie McCarroll, or rodeo players like the Pendleton cowgirls pictured above.

We know quite a lot about the rodeo women in the Cowgirls photo, each famous in her own right. They were superstars of the rodeo and competed in many of the rodeo circuits. Dressed in the cowgirl clothes of the day           (10-gallon hats, boots, and embroidered dresses), they are identified as Ber Kirnan, Prairie Rose, Mabel Strickland, Princis Mohawk, Ruth Roach, Kittie Canutt, and Prairie Lillie.

Where do cowgirls go when the rodeo is over? Mabel Strickland’s rodeo fame took her to Hollywood, where she founded the Association of Film Equestriennes. Professional bronc rider Kitty Canutt was known as “Diamond Girl” or “Diamond Kitty” because of the diamond in a front tooth (that she removed when she was short her competition fees). “Diamond Kitty” married a famous cowboy who went on to be a Hollywood stuntman. Ruth Roach set hearts on fire with her silk bloomers and the hearts embossed on her cowgirl boots. Prairie Rose claimed fame when she became the first cowgirl to compete in bronc riding; she finished close to the top her first time out.

Ride ‘em, Cowgirl!

Bonnie McCarroll (1897-1929), pictured above, was a 20th century cowgirl who was well known for her skill at trick riding, steer riding, and bronc riding. She made rodeo history in 1922 by winning the cowgirl bronc-riding championship at the first ever Madison Square Garden rodeo and also Cheyenne Frontier Days, both distinguished venues. She got around, was a crowd favorite, and performed before kings, queens, a sitting president (Calvin Coolidge), and adoring fans.

The photograph above is the most famous shot ever taken of her. Everyone talked about it. Photographer W. S. Bowman captured the moment in 1915 when Bonnie was thrown from the bucking horse Silver at the Pendleton Round-Up in Pendleton, Oregon. She recovered from that fall but was not so lucky at the Pendleton Round-Up of 1929. She had planned to retire after that show. Instead, she was thrown from her horse during a bronc-riding competition. She did not survive her injuries.

You don’t have to know anything about history to enjoy old photos. But once you start looking at them, you will learn a lot about history whether you want to or not. And you’ll love it.

I did. I do. I didn’t care a twig about history until I started working for this company. But I was hooked from our first photo. The stories behind the images are irresistible. Here are two of the people I met in the collection.

Tom Torlino, Navajo Man

One of the first photos to grab me was a late 1800s photo of a Navajo teen named Tom Torlino. He was a beautiful kid with an aquiline nose set between high cheekbones and somber, dark eyes. He looked proud and strong. His hair was long, well below his shoulders. His jewelry was vintage Navajo: gorgeous, chunky emblems on a silver chain around his neck, large silver hoop earrings in his ears.

I was struck by his wild good looks, only to be stunned by what happened next. The photos above were taken by photographer John N. Choate, soon after Tom arrived at the Carlisle Indian Industrial School in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. This school originated during an era when the founder of the school, Colonel R. H. Pratt, had decided that the best way to help the American Indian children of the West was to haul tens of thousands of them east and give them a proper schooling, dress them in non-native garb, and make sure they spoke English.  Choate was hired to document these children’s “progress” as school personnel attempted to make them over.

This “before” photo (left) of Tom Torlino, Navajo man, in all his glory, was taken when he arrived at the Carlisle Indian School, as it was mostly called, in 1882. Within a short time, there was a new version of Tom Torlino. The “after” photo (right) will make you weep. Tom’s hair was shorn to meet the military standard of the day—not a buzz cut but short enough and flat to his head.  In the days that followed, he was made to wear Eastern clothing, forbidden to speak his native Navajo language, and schooled in the subjects of the day, which included baking, blacksmithing, and carpentry. Soon, little remained of the proud Navajo teen who had entered the school.

The Buckley Sisters, Montana Cowgirls

                The Buckley sisters—Mabel, May, and Myrtle—were known throughout Montana as the “Red Yearlings” because of their reddish-blond hair and their exceptional horsemanship. The girls were practically born in the saddle and soon had skills to equal those of any seasoned cowboy. They lived on a large ranch and could ride, rope, brand, and break broncs with the best of them.

                The photo here was taken by famed photographer Evelyn J. Cameron, who lived nearby. It shows the trio sitting astride their horses in “slit skirts” or dresses that somehow accommodated this position. Quite a break from the female tradition of sidesaddle riding! The first time the Buckley sisters rode through Miles City, Montana, in these culottes-style outfits, they were threatened with arrest for indecency. I’d like to report that they continued to resist public opinion, but after the scandal flared, the girls settled down, mostly wore dresses in public, and donned their slit skirts in private on their working ranch.

                As competent as the sisters were on horseback, as much as they became public figures, they turned down all offers to become superstars. They refused insistent Wild West Show invitations and never competed in a rodeo as far as we know. Their wildest claim to a fame that never really happened was an invitation by Teddy Roosevelt to perform at the White House. They turned him down flat, more’s the pity. The White House could’ve used a dash of high spirit and feminine verve!

Depth of Field

                The photo of Tom Torlino awakens all sorts of emotion when you know his story. It makes you wonder who those people were back then, with the arrogance to go to such lengths to white-wash these unsuspecting natives of their culture. In a twisted way, they meant well, but the outcome was still tragic. This wasn’t so long after the Indian Wars, so sentiment was irrational in many quarters. I had the opportunity to speak to Tom Torlino’s great-great-great-grandson some years ago and hoped that he felt he was living in better times today.

                I would like to have met the Buckley Sisters, back then or now, for the pure pleasure of experiencing their feisty essence. The sisters had the spirit of resistance long before the feminist movement was a sparkle in anyone’s eyes.  And they are a fine example of how oddly connected the world was then, that a US president met them out in the way west wilderness and was so taken by the sisters that he invited them to Washington DC.