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August 1941. "House in Elgin, Illinois." The residence at 282 Anystreet. Medium format acetate negative by John Vachon for the Farm Security Administration. View full size.
It just needs the people from Grant Wood's painting.
Almost perfect. A beautiful home with a beautiful yard on a beautiful street. It's so ... American.
By night this house would have been illuminated by a clear incandescent light bulb, likely 200 watts back then. This light fixture is supported by a span wire, and it appears that it could be lowered for servicing by a cable/pulley system from a nearby pole. This was common in the days of carbon arc streetlights, which needed frequent servicing. The wavy deflector was known as a radial wave shade.
Call Wally and the Beaver -- it's dinnertime. Boys!!
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