Photos of yesterday, featuring regular people and regular places.
Traffic Around Thomas Circle, Frozen in Time
This is a terrific photo of Thomas Circle around 1921. Click on the image for a larger version, so you can stare at it for a while. These are amazing images dug up on Shorpy.
WTF? Scantily Clad Women Dancing on the Field at Senators Game
I’m not sure how to explain this one … it’s just bizarre. Thanks to Vanished Americana for this gem. That’s our good buddy and Columbia Heights resident, Nick Altrock, with his clown teammate Al Schacht.
A Brief Introduction, the Countess, and the “Lovely Visitor from Canada”
This is the first guest post by Jason R. This blog is about “uncovering stories that have long been forgotten.” It is about knowing a “little more” about the community we find ourselves in. I know...
Girls, Garters and Bikes
Here’s a curious old photograph for you. This one is from 1925 and features Mildred Billert and Hazel Bowman, both of Ned Wayburn‘s Revue, a vaudeville show. A few things you should notice about the photo...
Pennsylvania Avenue, Frozen in Time (1919)
What an amazing shot of Pennsylvania Avenue from 1919. This captures much what is happening in the old video we posted from about a decade earlier. UPDATE: We received a great tip and link from GoDCer...
Little Miss Tarkington Waits for President Harding
This picture speaks for itself. This little girl is waiting on the White House steps to take a photo with President Harding.
Seneca Schoolhouse Museum, a Step Into the Past
I was out for a drive the other day, driving from Leesburg through Point of Rocks, Maryland. The route home took me down River Road, out in western Montgomery County. First, if you haven’t been out...
Griffith Stadium Beer Garden Opens
Prohibition lasted at Griffith Stadium well past the official repeal. You may not know this, but unfortunately for Senators fans, owner Clark Griffith was a teetotaling prohibitionist. He was adamantly opposed to permitting the sale of...
Weather Bureau Kiosk on Pennsylvania Avenue
This photo from 1912 shows a Weather Bureau kiosk at E Street and Pennsylvania Ave., NW. It’s a high-resolution image, so feel free to click to see some extra details. Large cities around the country had...
Map of the Navy Yard Before Nationals Park
Another map! Sweet. I think GoDCer David will dig this. Most of you will dig this because these old maps are amazing. This time, we’re checking out the Navy Yard circa 1921. This is the area...
Map of U St. and Shaw Circa 1903 and 1921
Below is the Baist real estate map of the area around U St. and Vermont Ave. NW. So if you’re a frequent patron of Dodge City, Nellie’s, or the hoppin’ new place, Brixton, this will be...
Homestead Grays: Gone But Not Forgotten
This is awesome, with a few appearances from former Mayor Anthony Williams (nice bow tie dude!). If you’re a baseball fan and a history fan, watch the whole thing. It’s an excellent history on the Homestead...
Robert DeNiro’s 1920s Twin Worked at Wilkins Coffee
Wow! What an amazing colorized photo. This shows a Wilkins Coffee truck being loaded on location, somewhere on the 500 block of Rhode Island Ave. NE. Click on it to take a closer look at the...
Afternoon Photo: View North from the Smithsonian
Pass the afternoon by studying this photo close up. Amazing detail, including a view of the Willard Hotel as well as the Old Post Office.
Beauty Contest Winner Saves Man from Drowning
A beauty queen hero emerged on the banks of the Potomac, one summer day in 1924. Below is an article from the Washington Post, published on June 2nd, 1924. Miss Leoma Davis, winner of several Washington...
Chief Prohibition Inspector: Major Buzzkill
Meet Major Walton Atwater Green, Chief Prohibition Inspector for Washington, D.C. This is not a guy you want to cross. Don’t let him catch you with some hooch.
OMG, 1920s Slang: Ho Hum, Blind Dates, Giggle Water and Whoopee
Here is an awesome article from the Washington Post, published on March 2nd, 1929. It was written by Arthur Dean, “The Parent Counselor.” You think being a parent is tough today? Well, it wasn’t any easier...
White House Photographers in 1918
This is a great one to kick off our new Ghosts of DC design. This photograph shows a group of White House photographers from the press pool, standing on the South Lawn back in 1918.