A life in New York, 1924
Home.
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Matt’s Notes
A slow day for Papa, so I’ll share this intriguing little artifact that we found mixed in among a bunch of his photos from the 20’s. Is it a self-portrait? A sketch drawn by someone else? Why the decorative hints in the corners?
Papa had a few different “cabinet cards,” or postcard-sized photos of himself used as calling cards, in his collection (a common practice I discussed a little bit in a previous post) so maybe this is a study for one he never had made.
Home.
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Matt’s Notes
A slow evening at home for Papa; he probably listened to the radio and perused the day’s headlines. It looks like it was a slow news day, though a couple of New York Times stories that might have caught his eye included:
REPORT MEASURE FOR RADIO CONTROL; House Committee Bill Provides for the Application of Anti-Trust Laws. – A bill to create a Bureau of Radio in the Department of Commerce, with broad powers to regulate broadcasting and “the correction of evils that have grown up as the science has progressed” was introduced before Congress. Papa was an early adopter of radio (the commercial radio industry was all of two years old in 1924) and would have been keenly interested in any attempts to regulate broadcasting.
This article shared a page with story about how “Houdini, the conjuror” challenged a young man named Joaqin Maria Argamasilla to prove his claim that he could read through metal. He couldn’t.
SAY BRITAIN APPROVES TUNNEL UNDER CHANNEL; France Hears Project, Already Authorized There, Is Planned to Provide Employment. – Britain agreed to finish a tunnel to France started in 1883, the construction of which had been halted due to security concerns (among them the dangers of a poison gas attack). The tunnel opened in 1994.
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While Papa’s taking it easy, we might as well take a look at another of his photographic calling cards, or “cabinet cards,” from the 20’s. I like this one because it’s tinted and signed:
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And remember, if you’re just getting started with Papa’s Diary Project, here are a few good subjects to check out: