The 2014 Winter Olympics from Sochi are nearly upon us, so let’s do some winter sports. This outstanding vintage photo is not actually from the Olympics, but it’s close enough. According to the auction I snagged it from, this was taken in Lake Placid in 1949.

If that’s true, then this image was shot at the 1949 FIBT World Championships in Lake Placid. The FIBT (aka IBSF) is the organization that oversees bobsledding and skeleton. The bobsleigh shown does display the Olympic rings and the 1948 date, so it’s likely that this was also used in the prior year’s Winter Olympics in St. Moritz, Switzerland.

(For a full-size version click here.)

Two things that stand out to me immediately are the leather helmets that resemble nothing so much as repurposed football helmets of the era, and the decidedly rickety, beat-up looking bobsled. Because the full sled wasn’t captured in the shot I can’t tell if this is for a 2-man or 4-man crew.

Unfortunately I have no way of knowing who the men in the sled are. Not that may teams competed in Lake Placid in ’49 but there are no marks to give away the identity of this crew. The Swiss flag stamp could very well be because, as I mentioned above, this banged up contraption competed in St. Moritz the year before.

In any case, I always love looking at color images from the 1940s and earlier and this is a beauty.

All I know about this gallery of 35mm Kodachrome slides is that they purport to depict scenes from Cuba in 1955. If true, that means these were taken during the reign of Fulgencio Batista — and about four years before Fidel Castro’s revolution ousted him from power.

If I had to guess I’d say that these slides were shot by a foreign tourist on a sightseeing trip. Most of these photographs capture buildings and other landmarks in Cuba, and very few Cubans are actually seen.

Since I know so little about the island, I can’t even make any educated guesses as to what is shown here (although I think one of these slides shows the American embassy in Havana), but if you can then please leave a comment below. What I can say is that there a ton of sweet vintage automobiles to gaze at.

For more great galleries, click here!

If anyone needs me today, I’ll be stationed at the grill. So with this Labor Day, we say goodbye to Summer 2013 (unofficially) and bring on the fall!

And yes, I will be rocking the white socks and dress shoes.

I bring this up for no reason in particular, but we only have 66 days until Halloween 2013 is upon us. I will likely be participating in the Countdown to Halloween again this year (assuming there is one), so really there are just over 30 days until the festivities begin. Until then, enjoy this vintage Kodachrome image of a pair of kids celebrating Halloween, 1950s style.

Boo!

This is hardly the most scintillating photo gallery I’ve published here, but it’s one of those slices of life that I love so much. These come from my long hours spent searching eBay, and are reportedly of a 1948 college baseball game between Lehigh University and Cornell University.

Knowing next to nothing about college baseball or either school, I’m guessing this is a Cornell home game based on the preponderance of red in the stands. I would love to know the story behind that cool little train sitting off the third base line.

To see a full-size version, right-click any image and open in a new window or tab.

Lehigh Vs. Cornell Baseball Game, 1948

Lehigh Vs. Cornell Baseball Game, 1948

Lehigh Vs. Cornell Baseball Game, 1948

Lehigh Vs. Cornell Baseball Game, 1948

Lehigh Vs. Cornell Baseball Game, 1948

Lehigh Vs. Cornell Baseball Game, 1948

Lehigh Vs. Cornell Baseball Game, 1948

Lehigh Vs. Cornell Baseball Game, 1948

Lehigh Vs. Cornell Baseball Game, 1948

Lehigh Vs. Cornell Baseball Game, 1948

Here’s a delicious slice of life from the 1950s for your viewing pleasure. More specifically, a day in the life of Chicago in 1953. I found this set of vintage Kodachrome slides on eBay, and they’re a beaut. It appears to me that the photographer took in a Chicago Cubs game at venerable Wrigley Field and also spent some time hoofing around the Friendly Confines as well. The auction puts the location of the street scenes as Maxwell Street, for what it’s worth.

First up is the baseball game. I can’t tell for certain who the Cubs are playing, but only one National League team in 1953 wore red caps at all — the Philadelphia Phillies. The sign in front of Wrigley is advertising tickets for the three-game series from June 23-25, so I think it’s reasonable to guess these photos were shot during that period.

Hmmm, not exactly a capacity crowd that day was it? The Cubbies, by the way, finished the ’53 campaign with a 65-89 record, good for seventh place in the National League.

Now onto the street scenes. Vintage cars and signage abound!

Notice the streetcar tracks.

The Polish sausage is probably as authentic as it got in America.

What are the chances any of these businesses are still around?

For more Vintage Photo Wednesday goodness, travel here.

In browsing through the Kodachrome prints on one of my favorite auction sites recently, I came upon these four gorgeous shots taken in New York City between 1949 and 1952. They feature four different storefronts and some of the sweetest Art Deco signage you will see this week. Click on any photo for the full-size version, and enjoy!

Miller’s Pharmacy

Bank & Restaurant

Dilbert Bros., Inc.

Golds

Just look at those signs. Something about Art Deco makes even an otherwise drab storefront look slightly glamorous, doesn’t it? The Golds and pharmacy stores must have looked fantastic on a dark New York City evening.