Shows men getting their shoes shined at the Automatic Electric Shoe Shining Company of Philadelphia at the 1300 block of Market Street, Philadelphia. The shoe shining booths line the perimeter. Men, attired in boater hats and suits, stand with one foot on the ground and one foot in the electric shoe shiner. In the right, a man, attired in a suit and tie, sits at the ticket booth under a sign, “Get your tickets here. 8 shines for 25c. One ticket good for both shoes.” Standing in the center is African American man, attired in a uniform and cap, holding a rag., Title supplied by cataloger., Gift of Matthew Schultz, 1998., Description revised 2022., Access points revised 2022., One of the images [P.9645.203] reproduced in The Print and Photograph Department of the Library Company of Philadelphia's Center City Philadelphia in the 19th century (Portsmouth, N.H.: Arcadia Publishing, 2006), p. 59., Arcadia caption text: At the turn of the century the Automatic Electric Shoe Shining Company of Philadelphia opened its first parlor on the north side of the 1300 block of Market Street. For a nickel, customers could enjoy the latest technological wonder, a machine designed to shine either black or tan shoes. The African American attendant standing in the center of this c. 1900 photograph holding a rag probably buffed the customers’ shoes. According to the large advertisement above the door, the company planned to open 15 parlors in Philadelphia., Part of digital collections catalog through a grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services as administered by the Pennsylvania Department of Education through the Office of the Commonwealth Libraries, and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Tom Corbett, Governor, 2013-2014.
Creator
Levis, Seth Pancoast, photographer
Date
1900
Location
Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department glass negatives - Levis [P.9645.203 & 584]
