Framed or unframed, desk size to sofa size, printed by us in Arizona and Alabama since 2007. Explore now.
Shorpy is funded by you. Patreon contributors get an ad-free experience.
Learn more.
May 1940. "Corner store at 11 p.m. Durham, North Carolina." Medium format negative by Jack Delano for the Farm Security Administration. View full size.
is classic, you couldn't devise a shot like this.
The blurriness of the photo (and being at night) suggests a long exposure, so the "ghosts" on the front step are probably one or more people walking in or out of the place during the exposure.
But a nice change, because we don't get a lot of night shots here.
I'm watching the 1940 movie "Primrose Path" with Ginger Rogers and Joel McCrea, and every shot looks like a still from Depression-era Shorpy photos. I can only conclude that the set dresser and art director knew what they were doing. The diners and stores look just like photos we see here, interiors and exteriors alike.
There seem to be a couple of Ghosts hanging out on the front steps.
On Shorpy:
Today’s Top 5