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.
April 1940. Dubuque, Iowa. "Elevator which ascends from downtown district to residential section of bluffs." Medium format acetate negative by John Vachon. View full size.
It's not terrible, but then again it's not superb. The view is fine, if you like that sort of thing.
By 1940 most of them had been upgraded to tungsten, so by 1940 standards, this was an outdated utilitarian antiquity.
I was at an insulator show last month, and got to see a carbon arc street light in all its original glory on display. All the hardware, and an original glass globe.
Quite the setup!
They use both sides of the middle rail and so don't need an actual switch.
The business has had it's its ups and downs, and be sure to bring cash only since no plastic accepted.
I visited Dubuque but missed this. I did however, ride Pittsburgh's Duquesne Incline on a March day so cold, tourists from Canada were complaining. I didn't enjoy the experience much (fear of heights) but got spectacular pictures of the Steel City's yellow bridges, PNC park, Fort Duquesne, and everything else picturesque about the confluence of the Ohio, the Allegheny, and the Monongahela.
Still in operation. The operating hours have changed a tad, and the lamp has been upgraded.
On Shorpy:
Today’s Top 5