Pumpkin Picking… in 1920
This is a rare photograph of three men in suits pumpkin picking in Thomas Kelley’s field of pumpkins in Pleasant Hills, circa early 1900s. Tom Kelly farmed much of the land around the Pleasant Hills homestead and was famous for his “Kelly Corn” farm wagon of fresh dairy produce during the summer months, as well as the corn that fed visitors to the Montgomery County Fair each August and, of course, his pumpkin patch in the fall.
Pumpkin picking in Darnestown, Maryland circa. early 1900s. Photo by Lewis Reed
Lewis Reed’s Pet Photography
While I was going through Lewis Reed’s photograph collection trying to get them all sorted, I started noticing how many images of people posing with pets and animals he had. I thought, everybody loves their pets. Everyone can relate to these photos. Most of the photos involve cats, but there are some depicting dogs, a pony, a squirrel, a cow, a chicken, a rabbit, and even a spider!
If you thought filling your camera roll with pet pics was a modern phenomenon, these photos prove otherwise. These never before seen pet photographs feature glimpses into the lives of every day people and their relationships with their pets at the turn of the 20th century.
Lady and a calf pose for their portrait on a farm. Photo by Lewis Reed
Family with a pony on the front porch. Photo by Lewis Reed
Girl with her pony. Photo by Lewis Reed
Girl riding in pony cart. Photo by Lewis Reed
Saddled up and ready to ride. Photo by Lewis Reed
Lewis Reed’s 3 year old daughter, Mary Jane, sitting on a pony. Photo by Lewis Reed
Man with his best friend. Photo by Lewis Reed
Man and his dog sitting on a horse in front of the Loudoun County Courthouse in Leesburg, Virginia. Photo by Lewis Reed
Woman holding a rifle on a horse. Photo by Lewis Reed
Man on a horse. Photo by Lewis Reed
Woman feeding chickens. Photo by Lewis Reed
Cat posing on chair. Photo by Lewis Reed
Cat in corn stalks and leaves. Photo by Lewis Reed
Cat relaxing in a chair. Photo by Lewis Reed
Cat portrait. Photo by Lewis Reed
Cat portrait. Photo by Lewis Reed
Cat ready to pounce. Photo by Lewis Reed
Lewis Reed’s daughter, Mary Jane, with her pet rabbit. Photo by Lewis Reed
Pet rabbit. Photo by Lewis Reed
Pet rabbit. Photo by Lewis Reed
Hunter and his dogs. Photo by Lewis Reed
Boy and his horse. Photo by Lewis Reed
Cows are not the most athletic of creatures, they tend to just stand around a lot, so must be pretty easy to capture in a photo.
Farmer posing with a dairy cow. Photo by Lewis Reed
Getting up close and personal with a chicken can’t be easy. I imagine my grandfather sitting in the backyard for hours with his lens pointed at whichever chicken is closest to him in an effort to get the perfect shot. It’s pretty amazing the texture and detail he captured in this photo.
Backyard chicken. Photo by Lewis Reed
White Squirrel. Photo by Lewis Reed
Lewis Reed’s daughter, Mary Jane, with a St Bernard. Photo by Lewis Reed
In the early 1900s, Lewis Reed also trained his camera on a part of the world most of us try to ignore: spiders. This photograph is incredibly unique, both for its subject matter and use of magnification that shows the spider in such detail.
Spider! Photo by Lewis Reed
Lewis Reed Captures the Thrill of Motorcycle Racing in 1915
A motorcycle racer rips down an unknown racetrack kicking up dust in his wake. Photo by Lewis Reed, ca. 1915
In the first years of the twentieth century, companies like Harley-Davidson and Indian began producing motorcycles for the general public. Although there is not an exact date of the first motorcycle race, you can be sure that as soon as there were two motorcycles on the road, there was racing. As more and more motorcycle manufactures started popping up across the U.S., motorcycle racing started making it’s way to more official venues. The earliest races were held on fairground dirt tracks used for horse racing.
This photograph taken by Lewis Reed shows an unknown racer at a fairground raceway in the early 1900s. In the teens, motorcycle racing on dirt tracks throughout the country, was one of the most popular spectator sports. Despite the danger to both racers and spectators, the motorcycle races became very popular and drew large crowds of spectators. Motorcycle racing continued until just after World War 1, when the focus shifted to automobile racing.
The First Shenandoah Apple Blossom Festival May 3, 1924
Here the parade participants circle the racetrack as spectators view the parade from a grandstand. There was no caption on this photo, but I’m guessing it might possibly be the VMI Regimental Band. Photo by Lewis Reed, 1924
The first Apple Blossom Festival in Winchester was held 95 years ago on May 3, 1924. It was a one-day event featuring a parade, the crowning of Queen Shenandoah, and a program of interpretative dance. To kick off the celebration, the parade assembled at the old fairgrounds just off Fairmont Avenue and marched through the streets of Winchester to the Royal Pavilion on the grounds of Handley High School.
Beginning in 1925, the first of three pageants was professionally produced by the John B. Rogers Production Company and staged on a dais at the fairgrounds. In 1928 the outdoor pageants were moved to the steps and esplanade of Handley High School. The pageant earned a reputation as being one of the most beautiful outdoor extravaganzas in the nation. The festival was suspended during World War II, and resumed in 1946 with its first celebrity grand marshals, Bing Crosby in 1948 and Bob Hope in 1949.
Since its beginnings in 1924, the festival has grown over the years to a ten-day celebration with over 30 events, including two huge parades, a carnival, dances, concerts, a 10K race, wine festival, golf tournament, and much more.
These photos from Lewis Reed’s album are what appears to be some of the very first photos of the Shenandoah Apple Blossom Festival held at the old fairgrounds in Winchester, Virginia. As always, click on an image to enlarge.
The B&O Railroad had a float in the Apple Blossom Parade. Photo by Lewis Reed, 1924
Photo by Lewis Reed, 1924
Photo by Lewis Reed, 1924
Photo by Lewis Reed, 1924
Photo by Lewis Reed, 1924
Photo by Lewis Reed, 1924
Photo by Lewis Reed, 1924
Photo by Lewis Reed, 1924
Source: thebloom.com
Then & Now: Old Post Office and Clock Tower Washington, DC
Old Post Office and Clock Tower (THEN): Seen in the black & white photograph taken by Lewis Reed in 1910, is the Old Post Office building in Washington, D.C. The Old Post Office, listed on the National Register of Historic Places as the Old Post Office and Clock Tower and located at 1100 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., was begun in 1892, completed in 1899. It is the second-tallest structure in the nation’s capital, after the Washington Monument. Adjoining the building to the right is the E. H. Snyder Tailors Shop and Washington Utilities Company.
Old Post Office, 1910. Photo by Lewis Reed
Trump International Hotel and Clock Tower (NOW): Though DC residents might call it the Old Post Office out of habit, it now houses the Trump International Hotel. Even though it has been renovated into a luxury hotel, the Old Post Office Pavilion Clock Tower remains open to the public and run by the National Park Service.
Trump International Hotel and Clock Tower in Washington, DC today
Source: Wikipedia
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Reed Brothers Dodge History (1915-2012) by Jeanne Gartner is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Unported License.
Reed Brothers Dodge History 1915 – 2012 
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