Random sketch from my sketchbook

New Boots

Just picked these up off eBay for $20 + Shipping.  They are Hitchcock brand boots.  I had never heard of the brand before, so I wasn't sure what to expect, but for $20, figured there wasn't too much to lose.  I must say I am pleasantly surprised by them-- Biltrite soles, Goodyear welt (albeit plastic, not leather), and they definitely have the vintage style I'm looking for.  Threw in some insoles, and they are pretty comfortable, too.

Vintage Hamilton Carhartt Bandana

Today I spent a few bucks at the local antique mall and picked up a cool old bandana made by the Carhartt company.  This is the same Carhartt that is around today making the clothes worn by construction workers all across America.  After looking around on the internet, I haven't been able to locate much information about this particular design.  I'd really like to find a date for it.  There is an identical one on the e-workers website (scroll to the bottom), which looks to have a bit of info.  Unfortunately, I cannot read the Japanese...  Another website mentioned 1920's but wasn't very clear about it. 

Happy Fourth!!!

52nd Street, July 1948

Photo of 52nd Street, New York, taken by William Gottlieb.  You really need to view it full-size to appreciate the details.

Here's another view, from the daytime, with Toots Thielmans, Adele Girard, and Joe Marsala:

For more, check out the William P. Gottlieb Gallery at the Library of Congress website.  He took photos of many of the famous names in jazz, and a lot of them are in color.

Skilcraft U.S. Government Pens

I usually don't get too excited about ballpoint pens, but I got to use one of these a while back, and must say they are pretty cool.  They have an interesting backstory, too.  Would pair nicely with a Field Notes notebook.  Here's some info from the Washington Post:

"The original design -- brass ink tube, plastic barrel not shorter than 4 5/8 inches, ball of 94 percent tungsten carbide and 6 percent cobalt -- has changed little over the decades. It costs less than 60 cents. The pen's roots date to the Depression. The 1938 Wagner-O'Day Act required the federal government to buy certain products made by the blind, thereby creating jobs for a then-marginalized population. First came mops and brooms, but the program eventually expanded to include a full line of cleaning and office supplies under the brand name Skilcraft."

Read the entire article here

On the road...

Early Color

I love the old color photographs that were taken between the the wars by the FSA and the OWI photographers. For the longest time, it was difficult for me to picture the time period in anything other than black and white. Discovering these helped to change that. This particular photograph is of Gus Worke, a German immigrant farmer. It was taken by Fenno Jacobs in 1942. Wish I could find some of those Police Brand braces for myself!

First Post

So, I never really planned on creating a blog. Nevertheless, here it is. Over the years, I have amassed a rather large collection of images from all over, and they have been simply languishing on my hard drive. Inspired by people from some of the blogs that I read, I decided they might be interesting to others as well. Many of these come from places everybody has access to, such as the Library of Congress and the LIFE Magazine archive, so you might have seen them before, but hopefully there will be some new gems for you as well. In addition to images, I might also throw in a few other interesting things along the way. Enjoy!