BGuthrie Photos: DC -- Natl Museum of American History -- Exhibit: 1939

DC -- Natl Museum of American History -- Exhibit: 1939:

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Description of Pictures: 1939
November 24, 2010 – October 21, 2012
This small exhibition reveals how Americans used entertainment to distract themselves during a turbulent year when the country was recovering from the Great Depression and World War II loomed -- 1939. Heroes, both real and imaginary, were made through radio and such films as The Wizard of Oz, and the New York World's Fair allowed visitors to experience a more hopeful "World of Tomorrow." Featured objects, including Joe Louis's boxing (sparring) gloves, the Scarecrow hat Ray Bolger wore in The Wizard of Oz, and images from Life magazine demonstrate how entertainment and the arts were used to escape the despair and hopelessness of the era.

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Copyrights: All pictures were taken by amateur photographer Bruce Guthrie (me!) who retains copyright on them. Free for non-commercial use with attribution. See the [Creative Commons] definition of what this means. "Photos (c) Bruce Guthrie" is fine for attribution. (Commercial use folks including AI scrapers can of course contact me.) Feel free to use in publications and pages with attribution but you don't have permission to sell the photos themselves. A free copy of any printed publication using any photographs is requested. Descriptive text, if any, is from a mixture of sources, quite frequently from signs at the location or from official web sites; copyrights, if any, are retained by their original owners.

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Specific picture descriptions: Photos above with "i" icons next to the bracketed sequence numbers (e.g. "[1] ") are described as follows:
1. SIAH39_101228_026.JPG: Wizard of Oz Script: An early draft of the Wizard of Oz script reveals how Dorothy's slippers were originally intended to be silver, following L Frank Baum's narrative. The color was changed to the familiar iridescent red by screenwriter Noel Langley and costume designer Gilbert Adrian to better capitalize on the film's use of Technicolor.
2. SIAH39_101228_032.JPG: Basil Milovsoroff Basil Milovsoroff (1906-1992) made whimsical puppets as part of a WPA program. Milovsoroff emigrated from Siberia as a child. He created fanciful puppets based on characters from Russian folklore, such as the magical villain Koschei. WPA: The Great Depression left millions of Americans unemployed. The Works Progress Administration (WPA) was initiated in 1935 by President Franklin Roosevelt's Second New Deal to put people back to work. The WPA used the skills and resources of the American people to provide public benefits. The WPA's Federal Arts Program supported projects ranging from the visual arts, music, theatre, dance, and literature to radio, motion pictures, and television. Performances, outreach programs, and workshops directly linked artists to audiences. The program expanded the domains of American art, appealing to a wide range of people.
3. SIAH39_101228_048.JPG: Dox Thrash African American artist Dox Thrash (1893-1965) worked for the Federal Art Project from 1936 to 1939. During his tenure, he invented the printmaking process of carborundum mezzotint and used this technique for much of his career. His realistic depiction of black American life in the 20th century illustrates the harsh conditions of the day while offering a sense of pride and strength within his community.
4. SIAH39_101228_058.JPG: Joe Louis's sparring gloves, about 1940 Joe Louis: The 1938 Yankee Stadium boxing rematch between American Joe Louis (1914-1981) and Germany's Max Schmeling was seen as a symbolic contest of American ideals versus those of the Nazis. By easily defeating Schmeling in the first round, Louis became a national hero. Heroes: In 1939, Americans looked to popular heroes to give them hope. The suffering country embraced individuals -- real and imagined -- who faced adversity with courage, determination, talent, and selflessness. They inspired people to face the future with newfound optimism and expectation.
5. SIAH39_101228_062.JPG: Superman: Superman's June 1938 appearance in Action Comics No. 1 gave birth to the superhero genre. Superman used his extraordinary powers to fight for "truth and justice." The character's popularity led to the creation of other costumed crime fighters such as Batman and Captain Marvel.
6. SIAH39_101228_071.JPG: Lou Gehrig autographed baseball, 1926 Lou Gehrig Lou Gehrig (1903-1941) played in a record 2,130 consecutive baseball games for the New York Yankees before amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) forced him from the field in 1939. Gehrig's continued humility and courage while fatally ill inspired the country. ALS is still commonly referred to as "Lou Gehrig's disease."
7. SIAH39_101228_101.JPG: Electrophotographic copier prototype, 1938
8. SIAH39_101228_108.JPG: Charlie McCarthy dummy, 1922 Charlie McCarthy The dummy Charlie McCarthy was the creation of ventriloquist Edgar Bergen (1903-1978). Bergen first introduced McCarthy to radio audiences on Rudy Vallee's show in 1936. The act was an instant hit; the following year Bergen and McCarthy began a successful run hosting the popular Chase and Sanborn Hour. Radio: By 1939, radio was a nationwide phenomenon, with Radio Today magazine reporting 44 million sets in use. Broadcasts covered the full spectrum of programming, from news reports to symphonies to scripted dramas and comedy-variety shows. Now able to enjoy varied entertainments in their homes, Americans were brought together through shared listening experiences.
9. SIAH39_101228_111.JPG: NBC microphone, 1931
10. SIAH39_101228_138.JPG: "God Bless America" Irving Berlin (1888-1989) wrote "God Bless America" in 1918 at the end of World War I. In 1938, with war again approaching, Berlin revised the work as a "peace song." Kate Smith's recording of the updated "God Bless America" became the number three hit in 1939. Music: In the 1930s, music was dominated by the big-band jazz orchestras led by Benny Goodman, Glenn Miller, Artie Shaw, and Kay Kyser. While swing was still king in 1939, record and sheet music sales were beginning to show a shift in popular taste. Judy Garland's "Over the Rainbow" was the top song of the year, and Coleman Hawkins's jazz version of the popular "Body and Soul" created the new, highly improvised sounds of bop.
11. SIAH39_101228_142.JPG: "Over the Rainbow" Someday I'll wish upon a star And wake up where the clouds are far Behind me. Where troubles melt like lemon drops Away above the chimney tops That's where you'll find me. E.Y. "Yip" Harburg's hopeful lyrics made "Over the Rainbow" from the film "Wizard of Oz" an instant favorite with 1939 audiences. The song, composed by Harold Arlen, quickly became a national standard and the signature ballad of the film's star, Judy Garland (1922-1969).
12. SIAH39_101228_154.JPG: Emerson radio, about 1938 Radio By the late 1930s, radio had become the dominant form of home entertainment. Americans were glued to their sets to hear their favorite programs, be captivated by sports events, and stay updated with the latest news. Throughout the decade, President Franklin Roosevelt used this popular medium to reach out to Americans with his "Fireside Chats." On September 3, 1939, he gave his famous talk on the outbreak of the European war. Media: The audiences for popular entertainment expanded considerably in the 1930s thanks to innovations and developments in various media. In 1939, 80 percent of Americans owned radio sets. For as little as $25, phonographs connected to radio received allowed people to listen to their favorite music repeatedly on shellac records. And television was introduced to the general public at the World's Fair in New York City.
13. SIAH39_101228_159.JPG: Television, 1939. Television. From 1939 to 1941, about 7,000 television sets were sold. This new technology was out of reach for most Americans as sets ranged from $200 to $600. Television broadcasts were limited to a few large cities such as New York and Los Angeles; they became available across the country only after World War II.
14. SIAH39_101228_169.JPG: The Ruby Slippers: These slippers were worn by actress Judy Garland (1922-1969) while portraying Dorothy, heroine of "The Wizard of Oz." The slippers are magical, but Dorothy is unaware of their abilities. As she and her friends the Tin Man, the Cowardly Lion, and the Scarecrow travel through Oz, they are pursued by the Wicked Witch of the West, who wants the shoes for herself. The slippers' power is revealed at the end of the film, when Dorothy discovers she can return to Kansas by clicking her heels together three times and repeating the phrase "There's no place like home." The Wizard of Oz: The motion picture "The Wizard of Oz" premiered on August 12, 1939. Based on a book by L Frank Baum, it told the story of Dorothy Gale,a young Kansas farm girl carried by a cyclone "over the rainbow" to the magical Land of Oz. The film started in a somber, sepia-tinted black and white, then transformed into vivid Technicolor as Dorothy entered Oz's fantastical realm. Audiences felt the wonder of being transplanted to an incredible world. As Dorothy exclaimed, "I've a feeling we're not in Kansas anymore!"
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Same Subject: Click on this link to see coverage of items having the same subject: [(Smithsonian) American History Museum (Everything)] [(Smithsonian) American History Museum (Non-Events)] [Museums (History)]
2010 photos: Equipment this year: I mostly used the Fuji S100fs until the third one broke and I started sending them back for repairs. Then I used either the Fuji S200EHX or the Nikon D90 until I got the S100fs ones repaired. At the end of the year I bought a Nikon D5000 but I returned it pretty quickly. Trips this year: Civil War Trust conferences (Lexington, KY and Nashville, TN), and my 5th consecutive San Diego Comic-Con trip (including Los Angeles). My office at the main Commerce Department building closed in October and I was shifted out to the Bureau of the Census in Suitland Maryland. It's good to have a job of course but that killed being able to see basically any cultural events during the day. There's basically nothing of interest that you can see around the Census building. Number of photos taken this year: about 395,000..
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