Early Days of Kew Gardens, NY

Kew Gardens, a rather tony old neighborhood in central Queens, New York, has long been known for its fine old houses and leafy curvilinear streets, Kew Gardens primarily developed during the first two and a half decades of the twentieth century.

Originally known simply as Kew, this area was laid out in the northernmost reaches of the established community of Richmond Hill. The pace of development really kicked off after 1910, when the Pennsylvania railroad was electrified and began tunneling the east river, trains now whisked passengers from the new station at Kew to Herald Square in only 15 minutes. Contrary to popular thought, Kew Gardens was not a pre planned community like its neighbor to the west, Forest Hills, streets and lots were laid out in anticipation of development, homes were designed and built by various firms, despite the fact that homes are distinct from one another, their close time frame of development lends a sense of aesthetic harmony. By the early 1920s much of the neighborhood was built up, in fact by this time a few grand apartment buildings began to appear, and people were now referring to the place as Kew Gardens, no longer an upscale section of Richmond Hill, but an independent community.

The Radiola 33 Consolette

The stunningly attractive RCA Radiola model 33 was produced throughout much of 1929 and into the opening months of 1930. The 33 was a lower end 6 tube tuned radio frequency model, higher end models had a higher tube count and superheterodyne circuitry. The 33 was designed to be a volume seller and was heavily promoted through an extensive series of beautiful modern looking print ads. The strikingly modernistic Radiola 33 was built in a consolette type cabinet, consolette radios, popular only during the late 20s and early 30s were essentially table mount radios with long spindly legs.

Connie Bennetts Comeback Flick

I recently found a fabulous lobby card for "This Thing Called Love" the 1929 comeback picture for the soon to be legendary Constance Bennett. Ms Bennett had appeared in several memorable pictures during the early and middle 1920s and while she wasn't exactly a star at that time, she had come to be regarded as a popular and talented actress. Bennett retired from the motion picture business in 1926 after she wed wealthy Philip Morgan Plant. The Marriage was not a happy one, and the couple divorced in 1929, Constance immediately returned to Hollywood. Her return was well publicized, and all of her pictures did well. By 1932 Connie was the highest paid actress in Hollywood.

Mary Aletta Crump: Queen Of Crumpets

During the first four decades of the twentieth century, the tea room thrived in America. These charmingly humble establishments, usually required little start-up capital and therefore proved very attractive endeavors for women, quite often, recent graduates or recently widowed or divorced women. The most charming tea rooms were opened roadside in old farmhouses or tumble down barns and emphasized a sense of genteel poverty. Naturally, tumble down barns were scarce in early twentieth century New York, so old storefronts made for adequate substiutes. Around 1916 Mary Aletta Crump, along with her aged mother, opened the first in a string of "Crumperies" throughout Greenwich Village, they moved locations when rents were raised or more attractive spaces became availible. by the late 1920s Mary Aletta Crump was out of business, but she left a lasting impression on Greenwich Village and scores immitated her. I have recently found some images of her and one of her "Crumperies" taken by legendary photographer Jessie Tarbox Beals c.1918

Women Drivers!

Earlier today I was listening to the Kojo Nnamdi show on NPR station WAMU and there was talk of protests in Saudi Arabia in regards to womens lack of driving rights, so for those of you who are unaware, women are not allowed to drive in Saudi Arabia, MADNESS! 100 or so years ago, monied American women took to the road in genteel electric broughams, like the one pictured here in a 1911 Hupp-Yeats advert. Electric cars were aimed at the dainty women drivers of the era who wished to go about thier shopping and social calls without the aid of a chauffeur (this also aided in assignations) Easy to operate (no starter, no transmision) and lavishly appointed, these cars were also quite limited (much like womens costume of the era) most had top speeds of 25 miles per hour or less and had a range of less than 80 miles between charges.

Westinghouse Televox Robots

In 1927-28, the Westinghouse Electric Company built its first in a series of "Robots". The Televox, or Mr Herbert Televox, as he was called was basically a voice activated remote control, that could turn on appliances wirelessly. The Telexoves (a handfull were produced) were promoted heavily in 1928, posted are images of a Televox with his creator R.J. Wesley, posed in front of a shiny new 1928 LaSalle sedan, another image shows an attendant speaking voice commands to the Televox through a telephone transmitter.

The Chrysler Four

in 1923 Walter P. Chrysler became president of the ailing Maxwell Motor Car Company. The Maxwell was a well respected, four cylinder, low priced car, however quality control issues had severely hurt sales by the time Chrysler came on board, Chryslers first move was to introduce an all new car which bore his name, the 1924 Chrysler was a watershed, this large-ish six cylinder car offered many luxury car features in the medium price feild, and thus outsold Maxwell immediatley. By mid 1925 the Maxwell moniker was dropped, the cars were retooled slightly and reintroduced as the Chrysler Four. Like its big brother, the Chrysler Four offered features unavailible in other cars of its class, and thus became a sales success. the car evolved over the next few years into the Chrysler "58" for 1926, was downszed slightly in 1927 to become the Chrysler "50" and finally the Chrysler "52" of 1928. The Chrysler Four was replaced by the all new Chrysler Plymouth in mid 1928, for 1929 the Chrysler nameplate was dropped from the companys four cylinder lineup to create a new make, the Plymouth, long one of the best selling makes in America, the Plymouth was discontinued in 2001.