Friends' Gallery Picture of the Month - May 2021

[Mike Costigan]

This wonderful street scene was supplied by Tony Johns:

   

This is Bourke Street, Melbourne, in 1937 with customers waiting for the opening of the Winter Sales at Myers' department store.

[jpsmit]

Am I the only one whose first response is 'But they aren't masking or distancing!!'

[bob46320]

Nice bit of parking - perhaps the handbrake didn't work?

[Mike Costigan]

I think he was hoping to appear on a YouTube channel; unfortunately the internet hadn't been invented 

[Duncan Grimmond]

Is that a pennant mast on the radiator cap?

[Bob Culver]

Is it a parking warden under the Austin axle?
Or the steering arm broke and he managed to stop there.
Dunno the car behind the crossing couple with unusual headlight mounting. An old Pierce Arrow? The bumper not very British

The scene somehow immediately did not look like UK. No cloth caps. But no verandah unusual for NZ and I know all the main streets. Global warming presumably had not reached there. However you travelled, needed to wrap up, unlike today. i suspect The guy with hands in pockets in colonialist manner has placed himself to observe the passing young things.
Did the photographer have a 12 ft stepladder (as Dianna watchers) or standing on a vehicle roof? H and S probably blocks both now.

[Mike Costigan]

I can still see the image, Nick.

Yes, I agree, Bob, almost certainly a Pierce Arrow - I can't think of another car with headlamps like that.

[circeonya@hotmail.com]

Myer Melbourne Australia was promoted as the "Worlds Biggest Department Store" and with two multi floor stores with four street frontages it probably was. The number plate 167-283 would cost about $10,000.00 to buy at auction today from our registration department (Vicroads) As for the parking, he probably leapt out of the car to get an umbrella. Altough a shadow of it's former self they still have a door busting sale on Boxing Day (pre covid)

[Tony Press]

The Sports car is an 'Austin Standard Sports' built on an imported chassis by James Flood and Company, St Kilda Road Melbourne during 1929-1930  and also sold and badged by Latrobe Motors as a 'Latrobe'.

All the Standard Sports and Latrobes I have seen here had the chassis (front axle and all) painted red. 

The front guards were mounted on the front hub back plates, turning with the wheel.

   

The later model had the Spare Wheel mounted on the side as in the 'Myer' picture.

[Tony Griffiths]

Did the photographer have a 12 ft stepladder (as Dianna watchers) or standing on a vehicle roof? H and S probably blocks both now.

It's definitely not just a snap. As two people are looking up at the photographer, it's likely that he was perched on a ladder or some such. Possibly taking a publicity shot for the store. One day in the early 1960s I wandered around my home town, taking lots of random pictures of traffic, people and views and thinking, 'One day these boring photographs will be very interesting. ' They would be - if I could find them...