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Thievery in 1921
Something I've never thought about was, chaining your bicycle up in 1921. I guess when one thinks back to this time in history you don't think much about think much about thieves. Most people at this time didn't even lock their doors and even slept with the windows open at night. So it was kind of out of place for me, when I saw what I saw in this photo. While I was browsing the Shorpy site, I came across this photo from 1921 Washington, D.C.. If you look in the lower left hand corner you will see a nice old bike. If you click on the fi=ull size version of the photo you will see that the bike is actually chained up. Also look closly at the seat. What an angle that fine gent has it at!
Link to much larger version- http://www.shorpy.com/node/11626?size=_original http://www.shorpy.com/files/images/S...6u.preview.jpg |
I remember Peoples Drug store, I would buy my Hot Wheels there as a kid, .99 cents plus 6 cents tax.
He has it chained up wrong, it would be very easy to steel. Just lift it over the scale. |
Actually upoun further inspection, it looks as though there is a loop at the bottom, where the chain goes around scales.
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FWIW, there's an interesting couple of pages on organized bicycle
theft rings in the Midwest around the turn of the century (late 1800's) in Smith's Social History of the Bicycle. These guys would hit a town, say Gary, Indiana, steal every bicycle they could grab, load them on a train car, and sell them in some other city. So, yeah, scumbag thieves are not recent additions to society, and bicycles have always been pretty popular targets for them.:notamused: Very portable, hard to trace, of significant value for the size of the item, available in large numbers, relatively easy to steal.......long list of attributes. |
One would think, even with out computers back then, that since a bicycle had to be registered, such as an auto, one could find their back if they went say, to the next own over?
Just a thought. But then again who would have done that. A bike was a pretty decent investment then though. |
Notice that the chain doesn't actually go around the top tube. If it doesn't wrap around the top tube, then what is holding it up? Maybe there is some kind of bracket in the wall of the building. It might be that the chain is just securing the scale and not the bicycle.
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D.C has been full of thieves since 1790
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You should see some of the old antitheft devices for cars from back then, pretty cool stuff.
One was basically a large spike that clamped to the wheel, didn't always stop the thief but the holes in the road made them easy to follow. As for the bike in the picture, it looks like the chain goes over the top tube but through the wheel. . |
I'm digging the exposure on the face of the guy standing by the car.
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Originally Posted by Drummerboy1975
(Post 13471640)
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I <3 Shorpy. It's a great reminder that some things never change -- look at all those people (not just punk kids, either!) riding brakeless fixies in traffic. ;)
- Scott |
They used to hang horse thieves and shoot cattle rustlers. Thieves have been around since the beginning of time.
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Speaking of which, this photo is a good example of bad grammar in 1921. Where's the apostrophe?
-Kurt |
So what is that saddle. the nose looks like what you'll find on a Brooks with a rivet head and tension adjuster??
Chombi |
Originally Posted by cudak888
(Post 13472306)
Speaking of which, this photo is a good example of bad grammar in 1921. Where's the apostrophe?
-Kurt |
Originally Posted by Drummerboy1975
(Post 13472552)
It was 1921, apostrophes wern't cheap back then. Apostrophe inflation has been on the rise for some time now.
-Kurt |
That picture is a fake. The guy walking down the street has a cell phone to his ear.
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Originally Posted by Doohickie
(Post 13473024)
That picture is a fake. The guy walking down the street has a cell phone to his ear.
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;)
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Was "Peoples" the name of the guy who owned it? Oliver Peoples of eyeglass fame and Bob Peoples of deadlifting fame didn't use (or need) apostrophes, either.
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Originally Posted by ThermionicScott
(Post 13473510)
Was "Peoples" the name of the guy who owned it? Oliver Peoples of eyeglass fame and Bob Peoples of deadlifting fame didn't use (or need) apostrophes, either.
-Kurt |
Originally Posted by cudak888
(Post 13472306)
Speaking of which, this photo is a good example of bad grammar in 1921. Where's the apostrophe?
-Kurt The poor apostrophe is abused more on this forum than anywhere I've ever seen, by the way. Apostrophes are not for pluralizing, folks! |
The **** that is on Wikipedia now is just amazing to me........
History Peoples Drug was founded by Malcolm Gibbs in 1904, and by 1930 had 110 stores operating under Peoples Drugs, Days Drug, and Shearer Drug names. There were variations of the name, with Peoples Service Drug, and Gibbs Peoples Drug being most common. In 1970, Peoples had 252 stores operating in the District of Columbia, Maryland, Virginia, Pennsylvania, Ohio, West Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida, New York, and New Jersey. That year there were 5,500 employees, with sales of $220 million and profits of $1.87 million. By 1975, Peoples had grown to 500 stores. Later in the year, the chain was purchased by Lane Drug of Toledo, Ohio.,, The new company retained the Peoples name, and included Lane Drug, Schuman Drug, Dynamic Drug, Health Mart, Reed Drug, and Lee Drug. Lane president Sheldon "Bud" Fantle took over the presidency of the chain and went to work on improving merchandising and customer service at People's. In 1985, two 35,000-square-foot (3,300 m2) “Bud’s Deep Discount Drug Stores” were opened in the Toledo area, with others in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area. The name “Bud’s” was derived from the nickname of Sheldon “Bud” Fantle. In January, 1987, Mr. Fantle left Peoples and later took control of troubled Dart Drug in Washington DC, renaming those stores Fantle's. |
Originally Posted by brian3069
(Post 13471964)
D.C has been full of thieves since 1790
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Ya notice something else? The flivver to the right is carrying a spare tire. Not mounted on a wheel; just a tire. I imagine fixing a flat was a little more involved back in the day.
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