The adventures and various works of a photographer, road tripper, former patron of the local arts, aspiring app developer, and late night coffee drinker and conversationalist.
Here is a collection of rare and mostly one-of-a-kind photos from the Dallas area, most of them from my personal collection. These recall a bygone era in Dallas public transportation, with a focus on showcasing still identifiable areas of the city that have changed significantly since the original images were taken. Vintage streetcar photos can be some of the best representations of what once existed downtown, offering unique glimpses of long-gone city blocks, buildings, and intersections.
View facing east on Elm Street near Stone Place, circa 1943
This medium format film negative captures a very different view from what is seen today. The Rhealee Milliner on the right side of the picture is now the City Tavern, and the shorter building on the left that housing Paul's Shoes is completely gone, its place now occupied by a parking lot. Today the Giant Eyeball resides in the space next to that parking lot, looking out toward Main Street one block south and marking the farther end of the lot where the old Praetorian building, Dallas' first skyscraper, stood before being demolished in 2013.
Elm Street at Stone, facing east, circa 1943 (Author's collection)Continue reading "Dallas’s interurban streetcars in vintage photographs"
Now that we're more than a month into 2026, it's past time to formalize my plans for the year as far as what I'm hoping to accomplish, and what I am in need of to achieve those goals. There are the usual resolutions having to do with improving my overall health and aspects of my social life, and, as with last year, there's the need to compile a list of items I need to be on the lookout for to realize my blog and various personal projects. And so, once again, I've compiled my list of "must have" and "would be nice" items that will help make those goals and aspirations a reality throughout 2026. If anyone is aware of a source for any of the following items, or has some he or she is willing to donate, potentially sell, or just allow the use of for various blog features and/or research projects, please reach out to me.
New York-born photographer Arthur Rothstein made a name for himself with his many series of photos documenting America. His long career earned him recognition for his work as a photojournalist, author, and teacher, but it is perhaps his Great Depression era work, undertaken at the behest of the U.S. Farm Security Administration, for which he is best remembered today. In 1942, this assignment brought him to North Texas and to the old Fort Worth-Dallas Highway, where his photographer's eye led him to capture a string of period businesses and landmarks along the way. These images would become important historical records of their period in history, all of them eventually seeing reproduction on prints, postcards, and historical publications and websites time and time again in the decades since.
Emma Lucore's first Fort Worth studios were at 109 E 3rd Street, next door to the original Fort Worth Opera House, and at 808 Main Street, one block north of husband Bassett's wood and coal yard. Both these original studio locations are still in use today by active businesses. I paid a few visits to the area to get a look at the sites as they stand in the 21st century. On one of my visits, I was accompanied by a friend.
Detail of 1889 Sanborn insurance map, recording the Fort Worth Opera House and photo studio next door
Continue reading "Emma Lucore follow up: Visiting the old locations in 2025"
(Update: I visit the old Fort Worth studio locations in this follow up post)
If you're a follower of this blog and website, you know that one of my interests is photography, both contemporary and historical. I've featured several collections of vintage and antique photos alongside my own, and I'm currently in the midst of a longish-term project to chronicle the histories of early local photographers. Toward this end, about five months ago, I began assembling a collection of Fort Worth-area cabinet cards. These included works by Burdge, Daniel, Mignon, Swartz, Thomason & Leffler, Works, and one of my rare acquisitions from a female photographer, Emma Lucore. I'd never heard of Emma Lucore before then, and I decided to have a look into who she was and how long her studio was in operation.
