This Rochester street scene did have a date penciled in the album: 16 April 1922. The internet tells me it was a Sunday.The elliptical sign hanging above the black awning in the centre of the photo says: Y and E. That stands for Yawman and Erbe. They were manufacturers of high quality file cabinets in Rochester that got their start sometime in the 1890s, and were a major, thriving company by the time this photo was taken. This scene seems an odd subject for a picture. Maybe it was that large window, or what was in the window, that was intended subject. I must admit that window is impressive and would make for an excellent feature on a model.
The photos in this stash are a complete mystery to me. I only have suspicions about the when and where. Taking a guess, I'd say this one was taken, once again near Rochester, New York, likely on the shore of Lake Ontario, maybe sometime from the late 1910s to sometime in the 1920s. I have no idea what that large structure is off to the left of centre. For a minute I thought it might be the 'water-slide' like structure in the photo below, but on closer inspection one can see that that they aren't the same thing. The lower photo came from a different album, and the original is only around 5 cm by 2 cm in size!
I'm still sorting through batches of old photos. This one was likely shot in Rochester, New York early in the 20th century. It's an odd picture. When I zoomed into where the action is happening, it looks like two hoses are stretched across the road. On the centre track in the distance, I thought I made out what might be a horse drawn trolley, but it's not, it's a horse drawn carriage that is almost on the track. Just to the left, and a little above it, the top of a streetcar on the other track is peeking out. Is that large, horse drawn wagon in the right foreground a piece of fire-fighting equipment? I'm not sure what it happening, but the whole thing gives me the impression that some sort of fire emergency might be on the go.
I was going through some old envelopes from my father's place and stumbled across these two photos pasted in a small album. I have no idea when or where they were shot. Maybe they were taken around Rochester, New York as my relatives lived there in the early 20th century. Maybe they're somehow related to these photos of an interurban crash or derailment I came across a few years ago. In the top photo you can see the car way down there in the distance. In the bottom photo you can see how close the track is to the lakeshore.
I admit upfront that this post has nothing to do with model railroading, but I found this picture quite interesting. I came across it at the same time as I found the Rochester streetcar photo from 1923. This isn't one of those poncy designer gardens we see these days on 'reality' home reno tv shows, it's quite clearly a working garden - almost a small farm - in what I think then was almost considered to be the suburbs.
I recently came across these photos in our family archive. The first is a view apparently taken along South Avenue in Rochester, New York, opposite Highland Park. I don't know the company that operated the streetcar. The bottom photo is looking into the park. Although I know I shouldn't be, I'm always amazed at the difference between the early 20th century and its final years.
I admit upfront that this post has nothing to do with model railroading, but I found this picture quite interesting. I came across it at the same time as I found the Rochester streetcar photo from 1923. This isn't one of those poncy designer gardens we see these days on 'reality' home reno tv shows, it's quite clearly a working garden - almost a small farm - in what I think then was almost considered to be the suburbs.
I recently came across these photos in our family archive. The first is a view apparently taken along South Avenue in Rochester, New York, opposite Highland Park. I don't know the company that operated the streetcar. The bottom photo is looking into the park. Although I know I shouldn't be, I'm always amazed at the difference between the early 20th century and its final years. 