Los Angeles in 1942. What’s strange about this scene?
I am a collector of digitized photographs. Each of the thousands I have on my computer tells a story.
That’s the case with the one above. It was taken on a Los Angeles street in 1942 by Russell Lee of the Office of War Information, and it tells me something about that era that shows just how much times have changed since then. Take a look at the photo and see if you can see something that, from a modern perspective, is quite strange.
What’s strange in this photo?
Did you see anything unusual in this scene? I’ll tell you, it has nothing to do with the styles of automobiles or dress that are shown. If you haven’t noticed anything yet, I’ll give you a hint. Look at this detail from that photo:
Still don’t see it? It’s the bicycle! And what’s odd about that bicycle? There it is on the curb, all by itself. The owner (probably a kid, I would think) seems to be nowhere around. But he or she had no problem leaving their precious bicycle at the curb, with no chain and lock to prevent theft.
Can you imagine anyone doing that in a big city today?