The other day, alert “06880” reader Rick Davis was poking around the interwebs.
He found a site run by Yale University. It’s filled with photos from around the country, taken in the 1930s and ’40s.
They’re pretty mundane. But their very ordinariness tells a fascinating story about life in a different, simpler era.
A group of shots taken in September, 1941 by John Collier shows the morning routine of an “advertising executive in Westport, Connecticut, who commutes every day to New York City by train.”
Apparently, that daily commute was worth noting.
Check out Collier’s photos. And think about how different — and similar — the commuting life in Westport is, 73 years later.
The home of the Westport adman. (Photo/John Collier)
“A family breakfast at 7:15 a.m., just before the head of the house dashes for the 7:40 commuter special from Westport, Connecticut.” (Photo/John Collier)
A last cup of coffee before leaving for the train. (Photo/John Collier)
The commuter puffs on his pipe as he leaves home. (Photo/John Collier)
“Westport commuter arriving at the station for the train to New York City.” Not a bad parking spot! (Photo/John Collier)
