Comments on: The life of a Grand Central commuter – Photos from the Farm Security Administration https://www.iridetheharlemline.com/2013/01/03/the-life-of-a-grand-central-commuter-photos-from-the-farm-security-administration/ Art, history, railroad, & photography adventures from Harlem & beyond. Tue, 08 Jan 2013 11:35:27 +0000 hourly 1 By: Emily https://www.iridetheharlemline.com/2013/01/03/the-life-of-a-grand-central-commuter-photos-from-the-farm-security-administration/comment-page-1/#comment-309187 Tue, 08 Jan 2013 11:35:27 +0000 http://www.iridetheharlemline.com/?p=8091#comment-309187 In reply to Andrew Forester.

Most of them were in December of 1941, only a week or two after the attack on Pearl Harbor, so likely that hadn’t happened yet!

]]> By: Andrew Forester https://www.iridetheharlemline.com/2013/01/03/the-life-of-a-grand-central-commuter-photos-from-the-farm-security-administration/comment-page-1/#comment-309037 Tue, 08 Jan 2013 02:12:51 +0000 http://www.iridetheharlemline.com/?p=8091#comment-309037 Interesting the war photo’s of the sun coming through the windows, I wonder when they were painted black (wartime blackout).

I remember I think it was in the 1980’s when the black out paint was removed from those windows allowing natural light in for the first time in decades.

]]> By: Al Cyone https://www.iridetheharlemline.com/2013/01/03/the-life-of-a-grand-central-commuter-photos-from-the-farm-security-administration/comment-page-1/#comment-308084 Fri, 04 Jan 2013 21:22:57 +0000 http://www.iridetheharlemline.com/?p=8091#comment-308084 In reply to Jeff M..

You can read all about the Kodak Coloramas here. They were displayed from 1950 to 1990. I remember them (well, some of them) well.

]]> By: Emily https://www.iridetheharlemline.com/2013/01/03/the-life-of-a-grand-central-commuter-photos-from-the-farm-security-administration/comment-page-1/#comment-308067 Fri, 04 Jan 2013 20:00:32 +0000 http://www.iridetheharlemline.com/?p=8091#comment-308067 In reply to Jeff M..

I dunno about inspiration… Railroads seemed to enjoy boasting about helping out in the war, so this seems almost like a feather in their cap. The Colorama was almost like desperation for any ad money they could scrounge up.

]]> By: Karen https://www.iridetheharlemline.com/2013/01/03/the-life-of-a-grand-central-commuter-photos-from-the-farm-security-administration/comment-page-1/#comment-308022 Fri, 04 Jan 2013 18:07:54 +0000 http://www.iridetheharlemline.com/?p=8091#comment-308022 Absolutely fascinating! I could stare at the pictures of GCTerminal filled with people from the 40s for ages.

]]> By: Jeff M. https://www.iridetheharlemline.com/2013/01/03/the-life-of-a-grand-central-commuter-photos-from-the-farm-security-administration/comment-page-1/#comment-308007 Fri, 04 Jan 2013 17:24:32 +0000 http://www.iridetheharlemline.com/?p=8091#comment-308007 Was this display the precursor/inspiration for the huge Kodak ad that later dominated the terminal?

]]> By: Al Cyone https://www.iridetheharlemline.com/2013/01/03/the-life-of-a-grand-central-commuter-photos-from-the-farm-security-administration/comment-page-1/#comment-307704 Thu, 03 Jan 2013 23:14:14 +0000 http://www.iridetheharlemline.com/?p=8091#comment-307704 Great stuff (as usual).

I was familiar with Lange and Evans but not John Collier (more properly John Collier Jr. so as not to be confused with his father). I was curious to learn how that sequence of commuter photos was published (it seems like something LIFE magazine would do) but, so far, I haven’t found that out. In the meantime, more about Collier can be found on the website of the The Maxwell Museum of Anthropology in Albuquerque.

(As I’m sure you know, the complete description of one of the above pictures is, “Family breakfast at 7:15 a.m. just before the head of the house dashes for the 7:40 commuter special from Westport, Connecticut”.)

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