Invisible Themepark

Tag: 1950s

  • Atomic Pile Cutaway Drawing, 1950

    Atomic Pile Cutaway Drawing, 1950

    A gorgeous noir-like cutaway of an atomic pile by Alexander Leydenfrost.  But why does the drawing look so vague and devoid of details?

    Partially, that was the Leydenfrost style.  His Brooklyn-Battery Tunnel cutaway drawing shows that he emphasized moody shadows and light over the cool and the technical.

    But mainly, at the time of this illustration, atomic production was still a closely guarded secret.  So Leydenfront had to imagine what a pile must look like based on scant information from The Smyth Report.

    Published in July 1945, the Smyth Report, officially known as The Official Report on the Development of the Atomic Bomb Under the Auspices of the United States Government, provided a technical, though generalized, overview of the production of nuclear weapons.

    Click to Enlarge to 1609 x 766 px:

    Atomic Pile Cutaway 1950
    Atomic Pile Cutaway 1950

    Source:  LIFE February 27, 1950

  • Jim Creek Naval Radio Station Illustration 1950

    Jim Creek Naval Radio Station Illustration 1950

    Artist unknown, as this was a tossed-off illustration in the middle of a Popular Science, but what interested me:

    1. This is one helluva massive radio station.
    2. It’s still around.

    It’s called the Jim Creek Naval Radio Station, and the Center for Land Use Interpretation tells us:

    One of the world’s most powerful transmitters, this million watt Navy radio facility communicates with submarines at sea using very low frequency radio waves. Built in 1953 in the foothills of the northern Cascades, ten massive antenna cables, all more than a mile long, span the Jim Creek valley, suspended by twenty 200 foot tall towers.

    Click to Enlarge to 927 x 757 px:

    Jim Creek Naval Transmitting Station 1950
    Jim Creek Naval Transmitting Station 1950
  • Railroad Boxcar Sweeper Arm Cutaway, 1950

    Railroad Boxcar Sweeper Arm Cutaway, 1950

    This unusual device, made by Stephens-Adamson Co. of Los Angeles, CA, reached deep into boxcars that had loose contents and swept the contents out of the open door.

    As it turns out, Stephens-Adamson Co. is still around today.

    Click to Enlarge to 1350 x 517 px:

    Railroad Boxcar Sweeper Arm Cutaway 1950
    Railroad Boxcar Sweeper Arm Cutaway 1950

    Source:  Popular Science March 1950

  • Photo-Realistic Transparent Movie Set Backdrop, 1950

    Photo-Realistic Transparent Movie Set Backdrop, 1950

    For most of movie history, set backdrops had been opaque (non-transparent) sheets of fabric stitched together to form larger, set-sized sheets.

    In 1950, photographer M.B. Paul was profiled creating transparent set backdrops from actual photographs.  Because they were transparent, they could be lit from the back as well as the front.

    Click to Enlarge to 956 x 721 px:

    Transparent Manhattan Movie Backdrop 1950
    Transparent Manhattan Movie Backdrop 1950

    The backdrop below may be from a movie called “Beloved Over All,” later retitled, “Our Very Own.”

    Backyard Movie Set Transparency Backdrop 1950
    Backyard Movie Set Transparency Backdrop 1950

     

     

    Source:  Popular Mechanics January 1950

  • Arctic Wanigan Cutaway, 1950

    Arctic Wanigan Cutaway, 1950

    The “wanigan” was an 8 x 24 foot mobile caboose that was attached to the back of Arctic explorers’ tracked wagon trains.

    The wanigan had four bunks, refrigerator, coal stove, table, sink, and latrine.

    Click to Enlarge to 594 x 478 px:

    Arctic Wanigan Cutaway 1950
    Arctic Wanigan Cutaway 1950

    Source:  Popular Mechanics May 1950