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New Orleans circa 1906. "Payday on the levee." Don't spend it all in one place. 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size.
They'll probably spend a large portion of their pay on whiskey and women, and waste the rest.
I take it they recycle their rainwater?
[Cisterns were big back then. - Dave]
Anyone who has ever been to a teen dance at a parochial school in the 50's will remember that dancing partners had to dance far enough apart for the chaperone/nun to fit a 12-inch ruler between the couples' chests, lest anyone get evil thoughts. The nun in this photo does not seem concerned about that even though this line of anxious money recipients would be considered dirty dancing or 'grinding' which is totally forbidden at most school dances today. I'm puzzled by the nun in this picture but this is another stellar example from Shorpy of the inspiration their photos provide for fiction writers. Thanks Dave for this great picture. I'm lovin' it.
Obviously these men waiting to get paid have no fear of pickpockets, since they are probably penniless temporarily.
Didn't these guys ever hear of direct deposit?
Curious why the people in line feel the need to hang onto each other.
[It might have something to do with the photographer, and the size of this photograph. - Dave]
Lee & Perrins? Makers of the Worcestershire Sauce I use on my steaks? Interesting and tasty too!
This would be Union Station in New Orleans that serviced the Southern Pacific railway (opened on June 1, 1892). it was demolished in 1954 and replaced by the current New Orleans Union Passenger Terminal.
I would guess that a substantial portion of the funds disbursed here will be divided between dice and the bottle, that counts as more than one place.
That's an eager looking line.
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