Shorpy's Greatest

From my favorite go-to blog for wistful gawking.


















"Where Elsie Met Her End" Intensely interesting: that cold case files were regarded in the public imagination as they are now.

THIS kitchen could tell a thousand stories; people bustling about doing their everyday jobs; same hopes, fears, irritations, mundane chores and responsibilities; same quirks as we hold today. The maid with the tray of serving bowls is my favorite. If I squint my eyes just right I can see Cate Blanchett or Emma Thompson in costume doing a grand impersonation.

SPOILED NAN: Winner of the Best Scowl Award. Priceless.

Somebody needs to feed these boys. Their shorts look awful droopy and their ribs are practically screaming. Amazing how when you glance over the sketches of Leonardo or view photos like these how invariable the idealized human form has been for so many thousands of years -- well, the MALE human form anyway.

And this one took my breath away. The Little Spinner: 1909.

January 1909. "A little spinner in Globe Cotton Mill. Augusta, Ga. The overseer admitted she was regularly employed."