Framed or unframed, desk size to sofa size, printed by us in Arizona and Alabama since 2007. Explore now.
Shorpy is funded by you. Patreon contributors get an ad-free experience.
Learn more.
August 10, 1926. Washington, D.C. "National Association of the Deaf." National Photo Company Collection glass negative. View full size.
I am fairly sure that the picture was taken on the Treasury department balcony. My mother worked for the Treasury Department and we sat there to watch the Nixon Inaugural Parade, right down Pennsylvania in front of us, then turning that corner to the left, to be in front of the Old Ebbit Grill and around the corner to the White House.
There's a very interesting PBS documentary available through Netflix (and maybe other online services) called "Through Deaf Eyes" that examines the history of deafness in America with regard to education, etc. I recommend it for anyone curious about the subject.
I dunno -- This chick is actually pretty darn cute:
What a great, shadowy shot of the Capitol building in the mist down the street (I only noticed it in the Full Size shot). I've been reading this blog since there were only about 10 pages of photos back and now we're in the 600s?! Amazing.
While not in the same building as it was demolished, the Occidental and the Willard Hotel have made a comeback:
http://www.occidentaldc.com/occidental/index.cfm/about-us/occidental-his...
You can still have a great dinner there.
Considering the year, these women had to come from some great families. Usually, handicapped people of that generation were limited in what they were allowed to do, they were basically "swept under the rug". It was only six years earlier that all women, disabled or not, were allowed to vote.
Terrific Smiles!! Aren't they great? Every one of these ladies has such a great and genuine smile on her face that I just had to smile back at them all. I never knew a Shorpy Photo could make me so happy and nostalgic.
would have called most of these girls "plain." She had a very forgiving spirit.
At first it looked they these lovely women were perched up on the roof of the Treasury building, but it appears they are at pretty much ground level, as you can see from the picture below.
Also... do you notice that they all have the same hairstyle? You can see how different hair behaves, but basically it's the same cut for all of them.
I love these photos that show the clothing and styles of the period. I could spend hours examining every detail of every woman's dress here.
Here's another example of that Occidental Restaurant sign that ends up in a number of pre-WWII DC photos you've posted here.
My great-grandmother, Alto Lowman Kavanaugh, was the first woman to graduate from Gallaudet, the national college for the deaf in D.C., in 1896. Alto, bless her memory, helped open the door for these young women, and we're very proud to claim her as an ancestor.
On Shorpy:
Today’s Top 5