Tribute - John Gorman's vintage San Francisco

[Kino]

i'd say 1958 to 1960. The dark Oldsmobile in the lower center is a 1958 model.

 

[AnselMortensen]

Jay Hurley's Sportorium, 38 3rd St., SF.

 

[mshchem]

One of my favorites but I have no info on what street this is, or if it's even in San Francisco, although it most likely is. As for the date, I can only go by the cars, nothing later than the 1950s.

What a great picture!!!

 

[Nancy123]

Jay Hurley's Sportorium, 38 3rd St., SF.

Fantastic! I couldn't figure out what that was from the photo. Now I can investigate its history and see what's there now. You sure know your San Francisco!

 

[Nancy123]

What a great picture!!!

I keep hoping I'll find the negative. But I think I'll frame this only 8x10 I have. There's just something about it!

 

[Nancy123]

i'd say 1958 to 1960. The dark Oldsmobile in the lower center is a 1958 model.

You know your cars

 

[Ben 4]

A city on the move—I like it too!

 

[AnselMortensen]

Different cars, different people...
Same traffic! LOL.

 

[MartinCrabtree]

I love the sharpness contrast and detail in old B&W photos.

 

[Nancy123]

Jay Hurley's Sportorium, 38 3rd St., SF.

There's no trace of the old buildings on that street today, only modern ones. I found this on Facebook about the Sportorium -- the poster's uncle was Jay Hurley: "Jay Hurley's Sportorium, Third and Stevenson Alley, across the street from the San Francisco Examiner Building. It was a popular watering hole for the printers, who would come in for their "breakfast" when my dad opened at 6:00 am, and was busy throughout the day with Examiner people and Downtown workers. 1950’s."

It makes perfect sense that my dad would take this picture since he worked at The Examiner.

 

[Nancy123]

The only explanation for this is from the neg. sleeve: "Lawsuit, Market Street, Nov. 1946"

 

[Ben 4]

The two women in the center, dressed so stylishly!

 

[AnselMortensen]

In the background...
Lu Watters started the Yerba Buena Jazz group, and was instrumental in reigniting world-wide interest in traditional New Orleans Jazz.
The Dawn Club closed in 1947.

 

[Nancy123]

The two women in the center, dressed so stylishly!

They might be two of five lawyers? And where did the workman come from? I'm still trying to figure out this photograph!

 

[Nancy123]

In the background...
Lu Watters started the Yerba Buena Jazz group, and was instrumental in reigniting world-wide interest in traditional New Orleans Jazz.
The Dawn Club closed in 1947.

The backgrounds are fun to scrutinize and you sure know a lot of S.F. history, Ansel

 

[Nancy123]

I could not be more confused by this picture. The neg. sleeve said it was the 600 block of Market Street. When I go to Google Earth on that spot, it's really on Montgomery Street looking down Market. But the photo shows the Market Street street sign as though the people are crossing Market Street. The building on the left has to be the same one with the distinctive brick design and with only a few changes. Can anyone shed some light on what we're seeing here?

 

[Ben 4]

They might be two of five lawyers? And where did the workman come from? I'm still trying to figure out this photograph!

I wondered about the guy in overalls too—perhaps someone waiting to cross the street with the others? Although the more I look at this the more I think it's a posed shot (but for what purpose?). Maybe he grabbed six people from the office and that's who we're looking at?

 

[koraks]

They might be two of five lawyers?

Well, that would be modern for sure. How about jury duty?

 

[MattKing]

The opening of a new firm's new offices in one of those buildings, with a nod to the people who did the renovation for them?
I can think of a couple of occasions during my practicing life when we were both trying to do legal work and trying to get the renovations done around us .
It would be interesting to have a firm of that size with that percentage of female lawyers in that era.

 

[Nancy123]

I wondered about the guy in overalls too—perhaps someone waiting to cross the street with the others? Although the more I look at this the more I think it's a posed shot (but for what purpose?). Maybe he grabbed six people from the office and that's who we're looking at?

My guess: My dad was set up to take the street photos like he'd been doing and these people stopped there to cross the street. They're not in sharp focus like the background is, and he was too good to not have his intended subjects in focus. (Even if he was only 26 years old at the time!) He probably saw that it made a cool shot and took it before they left the scene. The bigger mystery is the "lawsuit" description.

 

[Nancy123]

It would be interesting to have a firm of that size with that percentage of female lawyers in that era.

I'm thinking the women weren't lawyers at all since for the times, there were likely very, very few.

 

[Don_ih]

Don't all women lawyers wear fur coats?

 

[Ben 4]

My guess: My dad was set up to take the street photos like he'd been doing and these people stopped there to cross the street. They're not in sharp focus like the background is, and he was too good to not have his intended subjects in focus. (Even if he was only 26 years old at the time!) He probably saw that it made a cool shot and took it before they left the scene. The bigger mystery is the "lawsuit" description.

That's plausible—an example of early west coast street photography?