Author Archives: B.P.

A Scandal In Gilded Age New York

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A Gilded Age Affair Cover-Up

Charles Hanson Towne (1877-1949) was a prolific author, poet  and editor of such prestigious magazines as Smart Set, Delineator, McClure’s, Designer, and Harper’s Bazaar.

As an urbane New Yorker, Towne’s hobnobbing with celebrities in literature, stage, politics and society was de riguer. His acquaintances also gave him access to juicy gossip.

In the second of Towne’s memoirs (he wrote three), This New York Of Mine, Cosmopolitan (1931), he relates an apocryphal story which occurred at the turn-of-the-century that Towne claims is true.

There are no names attached to the tale. But if the facts are correct an online detective could figure out Continue reading →

The Tragedy Of A Forgotten & Handsome 19th Century Artist

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The Story Of Artist Reuben H. Norcott Who Died As His Star Was Rising

It’s funny when you are reading an old newspaper and you come across a completely different story that leads down a rabbit hole.

Such is the case of Reuben H. Norcott.

While researching a story in the Chicago Daily Tribune from 1883 about another person, I saw Norcott’s story on the same page.

I quickly became immersed in Norcott’s story as told by an (unfortunately) unnamed New York correspondent for the Tribune. Continue reading →

Yankees Catcher Bill Dickey -1938

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Bill Dickey Is Ready For World Series

These two news press photographs of the Yankees star catcher Bill Dickey were released one day apart in late September 1938. The photos were almost certainly taken the same day.

The stadium appears to be Chicago’s Comiskey Park where the Yankees played the White Sox the previous week, September 20-22.

The first news Continue reading →

Clint Eastwood Singing On His 1962 Album

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Go Ahead… Make My Song,

Clint Eastwood 1960s Crooner

When you say the name Clint Eastwood, the first thing that comes to your mind is usually not “singer.”

The actor, director and producer turned 95 on May 31, 2025. Eastwood has not appeared in a film since 2021’s Cry Macho, but he did direct Juror #2 in 2024. Next up for producer Eastwood, is a remake of The Gauntlet starring Tom Cruise and Scarlett Johansson, currently in pre-production.

Though Clint Eastwood has sung in many movies, few people associate, Eastwood, “The Man With No Name” and “Dirty Harry” as a vocalist.

But back when Eastwood Continue reading →

Old New York In Photos #186 – 3rd Avenue & 86th Street 1920

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Looking West From The Corner Of Third Avenue & 86th Street – March 1, 1920

This photograph was taken by the Department of Bridges official photographer,  Eugene de Salignac.

For over three decades until 1934, de Salignac took thousands of photographs for his job with the city. Many show an artistic eye and were compiled in New York Rises: Photographs by Eugene de Salignac (2007) Aperture. Continue reading →

See What Products Were Produced In Major Cities Of The United States In 1939

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The United States Once Produced A Wide Array Of Goods And Products

Here’s What The Big Industrial Cities Used To Make

Parke, Davis and Company, manufacturing chemists, Detroit, Michigan. Packaging of pills and tablets on a conveyor belt May 1943 photo Arthur Siegel

We ran this list below a few years ago, but are showing it again considering all the talk of bringing manufacturing back to the United States.

The controversy over tariffs to correct a trade imbalance has its proponents and its critics. One of the goals for the United States is to be more self-reliant by bringing manufacturing jobs back to the United States. Continue reading →

At The First Baseball Hall Of Fame Ceremonies 1939

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Celebrating 100 Years Of Baseball At The Hall Of Fame – 1939

This weekend the National Baseball Hall of Fame will honor this year’s inductees; Dick Allen, Dave Parker, CC Sabathia, Ichiro Suzuki and Billy Wagner.

The Baseball Hall of Fame began in 1936, but  the first ceremony inducting former greats wasn’t until the museum first opened its doors on June 12, 1939. Continue reading →