Detroit in black and white
June 9, 2012 12:33 PM   Subscribe

 
Thanks, klang. These are awesome.
posted by joe lisboa at 12:40 PM on June 9, 2012 [1 favorite]


These are great. Loving Russel V. Dancey, Potato Chip King of Detroit. And is that Andy Sipowicz?
posted by axiom at 12:42 PM on June 9, 2012 [1 favorite]


These are fantastic...

Observations:
There was a police officer pictured by the name of "Friday".
I don't think I saw a single imported car in those pictures, we bought American back then and Detroit was the Motor City. Guess what the problem is today?
It was hard to recognize the photos of downtown, it's all changed so much.
It felt odd to see so many people. You don't see much bustle downtown other than the crowds walking to Joe Louis or Comerica Park just before a game.
Atomic Clock Photo - Nerds looked like nerds, 'nuf said.

Thanks, Klang...good find!
posted by HuronBob at 12:44 PM on June 9, 2012


Beautiful. Thanks klangklangston.

Btw, anyone care to guess if the images are scaled to fit the user agent or if they are always this big?
posted by Foci for Analysis at 12:45 PM on June 9, 2012


Wow, I'm not sure I'd ride in a car with a shotgun pointed at my face!
posted by Durin's Bane at 12:49 PM on June 9, 2012 [1 favorite]


They're scaled to fit the width of your browser (but otherwise maintain their aspect ratio), Foci for Analysis.
posted by axiom at 12:51 PM on June 9, 2012


Absolutely wonderful. This is a great collection.

And it's nice to see a time when cops would smile and point you in the direction of the deli... and weren't armed to the hilt and scary as fuck.
posted by heyho at 1:18 PM on June 9, 2012


Loving Russel V. Dancey, Potato Chip King of Detroit.

I presume he and Abe Froman, Sausage King of Chicago, go golfing together every weekend.
posted by Horace Rumpole at 1:24 PM on June 9, 2012 [2 favorites]


In this photo I was so fixated on the expression of the gentleman with the shovel ("Shit, my day is officially ruined") that I didn't even notice the driver until much later.
posted by Rhomboid at 1:35 PM on June 9, 2012 [3 favorites]


Motoring was definitely different then.
posted by arcticseal at 1:40 PM on June 9, 2012


In a few of the photos I see what looks like crude retouching in the form of pencil lines to enhance edges in the subject. For instance, the face of the shoveler of spilled coal. Would that be a common way of "sharpening" blurry photos that are gonna be reduced and halftoned anyway?
posted by moonmilk at 2:04 PM on June 9, 2012


Picture #8, which shows a '57 or '58 Cadillac driving down a street from the left side of the frame, looks so much like the Detroit I remember from my childhood I had an instant flood of nostalgia. I bet there's not a single street in the whole city that looks anything like that any more...although last time I was in Michigan, there were a few streets in Ypsilanti and Ann Arbor that did.

Thanks, klangklangston!
posted by motown missile at 2:46 PM on June 9, 2012


@moonmilk... I noticed the same thing!
posted by punkfloyd at 2:53 PM on June 9, 2012


Picture #8 looks like it's on Michigan Avenue?
posted by punkfloyd at 3:00 PM on June 9, 2012


I think you're right, punkfloyd. The street sign says "West End S," so I'm guessing that's now Springwells and so we're looking east up the north side of Michigan ave, at Springwells. That's also in line with the address for the drug store (7924 Michigan Ave.), which places it right at the corner of Michigan Ave. and Springwells.
posted by joe lisboa at 3:11 PM on June 9, 2012


These are excellent, thank you for posting!
posted by Nickel Pickle at 3:29 PM on June 9, 2012


(furniture store, not drug store)
posted by joe lisboa at 4:03 PM on June 9, 2012


Is this what 8 really looks like now?
posted by Pruitt-Igoe at 5:34 PM on June 9, 2012


That's Jefferson in #8. The S in West End S means south of Fort St. Here's what it looks like now.
posted by wikipedia brown boy detective at 8:05 PM on June 9, 2012 [1 favorite]


That makes more sense. Still amazing how many buildings have been lost, though.

It looks like the Fox Hardware & Appliances building on the corner is still there, but now painted white. (And vacant).

wikipedia brown boy detective, can you figure out where #2 was taken? Looks like Woodward Avenue, downtown.
posted by Pruitt-Igoe at 8:42 PM on June 9, 2012


Good catch, w.b.b.d.
posted by joe lisboa at 9:08 PM on June 9, 2012


Great, thanks !
posted by nicolin at 2:18 AM on June 10, 2012


What's really strange to see is in one picture they're constructing a building!
posted by TDavis at 9:32 AM on June 10, 2012


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