Vintage work crew photos

[hemmjo]

That's telling me if you have a construction company in Washington DC, make sure you call before you dig!

Exactly. I was thinking that when this photo was posted in #1528 (https://s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/h...w_fullsize.jpg)

There is so much infrastructure under ground. The amazing work that was done with such limited equipment constantly fascinates me. I am sure there was some heavy equipment involved in these projects, but there is none to be seen in the photos. Only the "hard men" who created such good times for us that follow.

Unfortunately those good times have created such soft people, and now the hard times are coming back full circle.

[jdurand]

4 stages of society:

Hard times produce hard men.

Hard men produce easy times.

Easy times produce soft men.

Soft men produce hard times.

[Jon]

It's important to note that maybe half or more of the photos in this thread are at least in some regard done for publicity purposes. For some images, workers may simply have been told to dress nicely that day, or more photogenic workers may have been prioritized. For others, machinery or workplaces may have been cleaned, or structures or objects being built may have been arranged to make for a better photo.

For the era from which we're posting these pics, candid photography didn't really exist, and most people were rarely, if ever, photographed. The important thing is that the work crews - and the work - are more or less accurate.

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New York City clerks during the 1918 Spanish Flu pandemic.

Fullsize image: https://s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/h...w_fullsize.jpg

[IntheGroove]

Long exposures meant no candid photos...

[12bolts]

Surprisingly enough, shutter speed was quite fast in the early days of "film" photography
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:M...animated_2.gif This series of animated images was shot using 1/1000 sec in 1878-1887

In 1851 William H.F. Talbot photographed news print on a revolving wheel at 1/2000 sec https://people.rit.edu/andpph/text-hs-history.html

In the early 1880's shutter speeds as fast as 1/6000 sec were possible. https://people.rit.edu/andpph/text-hs-history.html

Prussian photographer, Ottomar Anshutz. In 1884 invented a small hand-held camera using a focal plane shutter to provide exposures as short as 1/1000 sec

"The late 1880's saw the invention by George Eastman of nitro-cellulose roll-film and the Kodak box camera which heralded the advent of popular photography. George Eastman Kodak Exposure times were fixed, the box camera being supplied pre-loaded. Exposures were made outdoors in good light, and the camera returned to Kodak." https://www.brayebrookobservatory.or...CALC_HIST.html Although the exposure time isnt provided, presumably it was reasonably fast considering this was a disposable camera aimed at the amateur "snapper"

A quick browse of the various shutter types that were developed, Shutter Types - Antique and Vintage Cameras including spring or rubber band operated shutters in as early as the 1880's would suggest that short exposures were desired.

[Jon]

Workers in a pasteurized milk factory, Turkey, 1930s.

Fullsize image: https://s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/h...s_fullsize.jpg

[Jon]

Shoe and boot factory. 1892.

Fullsize image: https://s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/h...y_fullsize.jpg

[jimfols]

The shoe repair shop owner in my hometown was called 'Gluefinger Mike'.

[Jon]

Subway construction. New York City, 1913.

Fullsize image: https://s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/h...n_fullsize.jpg

[Jon]

Street sweepers. Boston, 1909.

Fullsize image: https://s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/h...s_fullsize.jpg