Roosevelt and sons. 1907. RPPC. Private Collection.
The 26th President posing with his four sons.
Clockwise: Kermit (b.1889), Theodore Jr (b.1887), Quentin (b.1897) and Archibald (b.1894). They had a half-sister, Alice, born in 1884 of Theodore’s first marriage.
RPPC: Pach Bros, N.Y. for The Rotograph Company.
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An update on those four Americans in Russia.
The Short Tails gang by Jacob Riis. 1887
The only known photo of the Short Tails gang that roamed the Lower East side of Manhattan in the 1880s-1890s. This picture was taken under a pier by the East River at Corlears Hook (a notoriously bad spot known for their brothels).
The Short Tails were drinkers, brawlers, and generally the worst kind of bad boys honest New Yorkers had the bad luck of running into. They were known to push loaded wagons into the river and turning around to ask the owner for a reward if they saved the contents.
They were also known to pirate boats. Then of course they’d spend all their ill-gotten dough at the local saloons like the upstanding citizens they were. They numbered around at least 50 or more, often partying in large groups on the streets late at night. Because of their ‘achievements’, their precinct had to employ twice as many cops.
They’re thought to have disbanded in the 1900s, members joining either the Five Points gang led by John Kelly west of the Bowery, or the Monk Eastman one east of it.
Here they’re seen drinking. Notice the mountain of discarded large tins (growlers) they used to carry beer.
Circa 1890. J.H.Kent CDV. Private Collection.
Another wonderful J.H. Kent photograph added to the fold. This time a CDV of a toddler boy placed behind a sofa with his hands over the back. I love how plain everything is so the focus is exclusively on the sitter, and I love that one of the buttons of the jacket is undone. No matter how still the pose seems, this is still an active little kid!
J.H. Kent. Rochester N.Y. CDV
RPPC. Private Collection
One of the workers is IDed on the back, the one to the left with the checkered cap and sunglasses (!): Pete Dobrzynski. He was the son of Polish immigrants, born in New York circa 1894. He had a wife, Sophie, and a daughter, Lavina (cute name). This photo is an AZO from between 1918-1930. I think this was taken circa 1920.
I love the composition with the front of the steamer locomotive in the background. While I love photos of dapper gents of the era in studio settings, I also love photos like this, of groups of workers posing together.
Larger detail.
Posted 1908. RPPC. Private Collection.
“And I shall follow this commandment to the letter!”
This is such a sweet real photo postcard of a would-be couple embracing across a fence they wish weren’t between them.
And this is an Edwardian mass produced one where the gentleman isn’t wearing high contrast eye makeup and rouge on the lips.
Photographer: The Rotograph Company. New York.
Bowlers And High Collars 