Doheny Memorial Library, Los Angeles, CA 90089-0189 Public Domain. Release under the CC BY Attribution license--http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/--Credit both “University of Southern California. Libraries” and “California Historical Society” as the source. Digitally reproduced by the USC Digital Library; From the California Historical Society Collection at the University of Southern California Send requests to address or e-mail given USC Libraries Special Collections specol@usc.edu
Description
Photograph of Mexican ice cream and tamale vendor, Nicolas Martinez, standing by two boys who are eating ice cream on Olvera Street, Los Angeles, 1890. Martinez can be seen standing at center wearing white pants, a white shirt, and a hat. He is balancing his wares on his head, while he holds a tray of water in his right hand to wash and store the glasses and spoons. He has a moustache, and two boys can be seen eating ice cream out of glasses to the right of Martinez. One of the boys wears suspenders, while the other wears a jacket. Both wear hats. They can be seen standing on rocky soil with the tall wall of a building behind them. Photoprint reads, "cf. Newmark, p. 391". "Eyes will kindle with a reminiscent gleam and lips smack between chuckles when an Old-Timer of Los Angeles views the pictures of Nicholas Martinez, the ice cream man of the Eighties [1880's] and Nineties [1890's]. Old Nicholas with his spotless, albeit somewhat ragged, white shirt and trousers was a figure of perennial delight to the boyhood of Los Angeles, both American and Mexican. Up and down the sunny streets he trudged, a stout tub of chilled merchandise balanced above his swarthy face. In his hand he carried a shallow tray of water which both held and 'washed' the glasses and spoons. (The free hand deftly rolled a cigarillo, whenever the urge came to smoke.) Can you hear him, you oldsters that were youngsters in those days, repeating his rolling call, 'R-r-ice cream! R-r-ice cream!' The price of a tumblerfull of the cold and somewhat cornstarchy mixture was ten cents to American boys and five cents to the young Mexicans. You're quite right, the foxey American kids hid behind a fence, while a little Mexican friend went out and bought the ice cream for them at the lower price, receiving a penny or a 'lick out of the glass' as a reward. There were no pure food laws then. The ice cream wasn't particularly creamy. Old Nicholas usually cleaned the spoons with the ball of his not too clean thumb but to young healthy fellers it was good -- licking' good -- and the memory lingers through the years" -- From "R-R-Ice Cream! Muchachos" by Sam Behrendt.
Type
image
Format
2 photographs : glass photonegative, photoprint, b&w 22 x 17 cm., 20 x 25 cm. glass plate negatives photographic prints photographs
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