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Vintage Color Cityscapes

Ed Bass

One of the Regulars
Messages
161
Location
Palm Springs, CA.
Judging by those photos, I think the least changed city would have to be New Orleans.

Great shots.

I feel a certain melancholy looking at those earlier times. It makes me wish I could just enter the photo's time and place with all the American car lined streets, well dressed people and no end to American prosperity in sight and warn them not to let America degenerate to what it's become today.

But I realize If I went back to 1951 Chicago and said "In 50 short years the Japanese will dominate the US car market", that statement alone would have me either laughed off the street or locked up as an absolute nut.

Best, Toots
 

Viola

Call Me a Cab
Messages
2,469
Location
NSW, AUS
Better the Japanese than Henry Ford.[huh]

Those photos are excellent, though, its a really neat look. And I love checking out all the storefronts.
 

Twitch

My Mail is Forwarded Here
Messages
3,133
Location
City of the Angels
Neat site! Especially like my hometown St. Louis stuff. One thing for certain is there are all sorts of small and esoteric sites and forums out there where folks post old pics. There are probably too many to list and I've often found them while looking for something else.

Probably wouldn't hurt to post them when we find them.
 

GI Joe

Familiar Face
Thanks a lot, everyone! Two days on this site and I've already found a good half-dozen photo web sites I'll have to peruse.

I came here from a WWII reenacting web site and this just feeds my interest in The Golden Era.

Thanks, fellow Loungers!
 

LizzieMaine

Bartender
Messages
33,085
Location
Where The Tourists Meet The Sea
These are absolutely magnificent.

What I really love about pictures like this is the scrubby details you don't often get to see -- the cracks in the pavement, the rust and dirt on the cars, the chipped paint on the signs, the thousand and one little things that really say "This Is The Real World," and not some movie-set recreation. It's the next best thing to being there.
 

Jedburgh OSS

One of the Regulars
Messages
214
Location
Hedgesville, Berkeley County, W Va.
excellent find...here's more

I recognized the Indianapolis shots since I'm a native Hoosier and used to live on the far west side of that city. Here're some more views of old Indianapolis. http://www.athsalumni.org/Oldviewsofindianapolis.htm

The Indiana Roof was the hot spot of the city; all the name big bands and their leaders played there. It opened in 1927 with a Spanish themed decor from the popularity of a hit song of the time. It reopened 22 years ago to pretty much its days of glory. http://www.indianaroof.com/
 

zaika

One Too Many
Messages
1,480
Location
Portlandia
LizzieMaine said:
These are absolutely magnificent.

What I really love about pictures like this is the scrubby details you don't often get to see -- the cracks in the pavement, the rust and dirt on the cars, the chipped paint on the signs, the thousand and one little things that really say "This Is The Real World," and not some movie-set recreation. It's the next best thing to being there.


i 100% agree. the scenes in the photos are just so...normal. it makes them, like you said, magnificent.
 

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