Dee Sardoch

A photo of Will Rogers on the radio in 1930. His radio show was the most popular Sunday evening show, his newspaper columns were read by millions of people in the US, and he was the second biggest motion picture box office draw.

A great wit, Will Rogers died in a plane crash in Point Barrow, Alaska Territory in August of 1935. (Alaska didn't become a state until almost 25 years later.)

One of America's greatest wits, some of his quotes are:

“A man only learns in two ways, one by reading, and the other by association with smarter people. ”

"We will never have true civilization until we have learned to recognize the rights of others."

“When I die, I want to die like my grandfather who died peacefully in his sleep. Not screaming like all the passengers in his car.”

"There are three kinds of men. The one that learns by reading. The few who learn by observation. The rest of them have to pee on the electric fence for themselves."

"Never miss a good chance to shut up."

"Too many people spend money they haven't earned to buy things they don't want to impress people they don't like."

“Everything is funny as long as it is happening to somebody else.”

“All I know is just what I read in the papers, and that's an alibi for my ignorance.”

"Common sense ain't common.”

“Don't let yesterday take up too much of today.”

“When you find yourself in a hole, quit digging.”

“I don't make jokes. I just watch the government and report the facts.”

“If stupidity got us in this mess, how come it can't get us out.”

“The trouble with practical jokes is that very often they get elected.”

“The more you observe politics, the more you've got to admit that each party is worse than the other.”

“Ten men in our country could buy the whole world and ten million can't buy enough to eat.”

“It takes a lifetime to build a good reputation, but you can lose it in a minute.”

A photo of Susan (Farrell) Wittman in the 1950s

A photo of Michele Costanza and family

A photo of Paul, Cecelia and Grace Braunger

Found in an antique store in Belton, Texas. The caption on bottom reads "Bowdry's Drug Store; Phone 132; Mason, Texas" The National Recovery Administration poster on the right wall suggests this was taken sometime between 1933 when the law went into effect and 1935 when it was thrown out as unconstitutional.

There is a wonderful variety of products and advertisements visible in this photo from the large soft drink display on the left behind the soda fountain "Carole Lombard and Phillips Holmes enjoying the pause that refreshes" (Coca Cola) and "Energy UP - you feel it surge" (Dr. Pepper) to the box cameras in the case behind the man on the right (can't tell whether they're Kodak Brownies or some other brand).

Other ads I can make out include: Gulf Oil (calendar on balcony railing in back), "We serve Austin Maid ice cream" below it, "Ucatone the Vitamin Tonic" and "Honey & Horehoud Cough Medicine" next to the man in the center, Kleer-A-Hed inhalant "breathe in Kleer-A-Hed and breath out colds" and various brands of cigarettes and cigars on the far right.

My mother's first visit with Santa all wrapped up for warmth along with her fur muff

Postcard showing full-length portrait of a woman, standing, facing front, wearing hat and short skirt. The photo is labelled "Butler Cafe Revue", Seattle, and "Mushet" - perhaps her stage name?

UPDATE: Turns out Robert Mushet was a popular photographer in the early 1900s.

A label featuring Santa Claus for Sugar Plums by the U.S. Confection Company, New York, in 1868.

The label was entered into the Clerk's Office in the district of Southern New York. It's an interesting use of Santa for advertising in the mid 1800's. The image is familiar but has changed somewhat since then!

Courtesy of the Library of Congress

A picture of Santa Claus making toys in 1907. You can see he hasn't gotten fat yet - and don't you love the toys and dolls that he's making? I bet they're worth money now . . .

Photo courtesy of the Library of Congress, Underwood and Underwood

A photo of Nicole Cario. Nicole and her father were deported to Auschwitz in 1944.

George Washington Cummings and his son, George Lawrence Cummings, ready to go to the woods to cut a Christmas tree. December, 1916

A photo of Jessie Hazel (Cahoon) Clark

This photo was found in an antique store in Texas. In pencil on the back: "born 1892, Edith Glenn Crain, age 6"

A graduate of the Tuskegee Institute she was denied work as a pilot as a Tuskegee Airman (wrong gender) and the WASP -- Women's Airforce Service Pilots (wrong race).
People in photo include: Mildred (Hemmons) Carter

A photo of the four oldest children of Frederick Muehlhause. Found in a Texas antique store. Handwritten on the back is "Fred Mühlhause, Belton, Texas". I estimated the date of photo from the apparent ages of the kids. This was probably taken in Belton where the family lived.

A photo of Ethel Granger, who had the smallest waist size in recent history measuring in at 36-13-39.

She first put on a corset to please her husband, astronomer William Arnold Granger. And then he bought smaller and smaller corsets, asking her to wear them 24 hours a day - she complied. Her beginning waist size was 23 inches.

She made the Guinness Book of Records and was the record holder until 1998, when they changed the category to "Woman alive with the smallest waist".

Albert Cogan
Birth year: 1941
Gender:Male toddler child
Nationality: French
Background: Jewish
Resiidence: Vichy, Allier Counyy, Auvergne France
Death: November 1943
Cause: gassed to death (body cremated)
Age: 2 years

A photo of Gloria Mae Paulson

Found in discarded photos Great Falls MT