Thursday Photo Caption Contest

Innovative as a wedding planner, Mary Ellen McKinna’s idea of tying glass bottles to the bumpers of newlyweds’ cars became much more practical with the invention of plastic a year later.

We enjoyed the many old fashioned names that our captioners suggested: Ellie Mae, Mildred, Ethel, and Frances! I wonder what the subject of our photo would say in response to the captions that suggest she is in the clutches of an OCD attack or is cooking up something  explosive?

This week’s judge knows something about cooking up crazy ideas! Like an archives-loving Dr. Frankenstein, Stephanie Greenhut brings history to life on DocsTeach, a web site where  teachers can create and use lesson plans featuring National Archives documents.

Choosing a caption was hard work; Stephanie’s colleagues wondered why she was laughing so hard at her desk. But through her tears of amusement she was able to make a decision. Congratulations to Ryan! Check your e-mail for a code for 15% off in the eStore!

So, what exactly is she doing? The answer is far more mundane. According to the original caption: “Millville, New Jersey – Glass bottles. A wash and tie girl tying stoppers to bottles. This is one of the few unskilled jobs for women in the glass factory. A wash and tie girl takes the bottle from the stopper grinders, washes it with automatic sprayers and ties the stopper to the bottle for packaging. (T. C. Wheaton Co.)., 03/26/1937” (ARC 518636)

This week’s photograph also features a woman at work. Put your best caption in the comments below!

Your caption here!

20 thoughts on “Thursday Photo Caption Contest

  1. Bartholomew Fiche’s invention of storing data and information on rolls of paper for easier access and viewing had it’s drawbacks.

  2. Woman’s Day Magazine Founder, Mabel Hill Souvaine shown here producing Issue number 1 from here using her first Printing Press knew the idea of a Woman owned and Woman run Magazine was sure she could inspire Women everywhere to be more then just a simple House Wife.

  3. Susan had always been a diligent student, but now she began to suspect that her master’s thesis was getting a little bit out of control.

  4. Santa’s Naughty and Nice list expanded in size with the post war baby boom. How nice of him to send it that spring to the National Archives!

  5. Marlene was certain that her Electronic Paper Cut Machine was going to be the hit of the science fair!

  6. Dorcas didn’t quite know how the computer was going to read this particular reel-to-reel tape, but she went ahead with the design anyway.

  7. The prototype for the microfilm readers in the National Archives research room required additional tinkering to be completely maddening.

  8. Nancy belatedly discovered that she needed to be more specific with the Purchasing Dept. when ordering the “giant size” correction ribbons.

  9. Irene knew she wasn’t going to find the name she needed, but she had to keep looking, even if it meant reading every sheet of paper in the stacks. If she went back to the research room empty-handed, those genealogists were going to rip her apart limb by limb.

  10. Sally’s mother immediately regretted requesting a hard copy of her daughter’s friends’ Facebook updates.

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