ABOUT THIS FEATURE
HISTORY EXTRA is a weekly pictorial history feature showcasing the Miami Valley’s rich heritage. If you have a unique set of historic photos found in your parents’ or grandparents’ attic that depicts the past in the Miami Valley, contact Lisa Powell at 937-225-2229 or at Lisa.Powell@coxinc.com.
I would like you to look at this photograph with me. Now really look at it.
Let me tell you what I see.
Within this Dayton streetscape are a dozen more individual moments that capture the details of life along Ludlow Street in the early 1900s.
Look closely.
At the right side of the photograph a woman carries a basket in the crook of her arm as she passes by storefronts topped by striped awnings.
In front of her at the intersection a young boy is wearing knickers and appears to be barefoot. The sidewalks are filled with men, their faces shaded by the brims of their hats.
RECENT HISTORY EXTRA FEATURES:
Each week for the past four years I have studied a photograph from the region’s past for a photo feature called “Then and Now.” After I’ve selected a vintage frame I photograph the same location as it looks today.
As a photojournalist I’ve spent my career documenting the life within our community and editing photographs for publication. I know a skilled crop can help readers better understand information within a photo or in this case find the many pictures within the picture.
This photograph, looking north on Ludlow Street at the intersection with Fifth Street, is a part of the Dayton Metro Library’s William Lutzenberger Picture Collection.
While the photograph is undated I believe it was taken sometime between 1912 when the Colonial Theatre opened and 1920 when a 10-story commercial building was built across the street.
If you study the sign for the Colonial Theatre at the left side of Ludlow Street you can see the individual light bulbs that would have illuminated the intersection in the evening. Imagine how the glow from the larger globes along the roof line would have enhanced the building’s’ architectural details.
Move your eyes along the sidewalk and see two men in conversation. Behind them is a man on a stepladder working on a repair project.
Look to the right and you will see a man wearing suspenders with his hands on hips waiting to cross the street. His posture makes me wonder what he is thinking and where he might be headed.
The details of life within this photograph fascinate me.
Follow the sidewalk past the man with the suspenders. A horse pulling a wagon comes up followed by a bicycle someone has left lying against the curb. Look up and you will see the sign for Wurlitzer Pianos is missing a letter.
I can almost hear the conductor in the open window of the streetcar on the Cincinnati and Leo streets line clanging a bell or calling out street names as it rumbles along.
The only person aware of the photographer is a mustachioed man in the lower right hand corner of the frame with one hand at his waist and the other resting on top of a wagon.
I pass through this intersection every day on my way to work. The moment in time captured on film then is unrecognizable to me now.
I imagine the photograph I take today to pair with the past will also be shrouded in the future.
About the Author