An unattended carriage

[1773 Ocean Avenue, Brooklyn, c. 1939–1941. From the NYC Municipal Archives Collections. Click for a much larger view.]

A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away, Hydrox made ice cream as well as cookies. (Proof). And a beautifully designed Hydrox Ice Cream privilege sign stood above this small Brooklyn candy store/luncheonette. Small indeed: if you look closely, you’ll see that the right side of the building is given over to Blumberg Tailoring, with its own entrance.

But what really caught my eye is the unattended carriage. A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away, people used to leave carriages unattended in front of stores. This tax photograph features the fourth unattended carriage to appear in these pages (here are the previous three). Were babies sleeping in those carriages? Our household thinks it likely. Movie scenes come to mind: in Angels with Dirty Faces (dir. Michael Curtiz, 1938) three Dead End Kids walk off with an unattended baby carriage, baby (awake) included. Granted, the parents, too, are outside and come chasing. But still.

[Leo Gorcey, Bobby Jordan, and Billy Halop, strolling with a stroller. Click for a larger view.]

In Not Wanted (dir. Ida Lupino, 1949), Sally Kelton (Sally Forrest) takes a baby (also awake) from an unattended carriage outside a grocery/liquor store.

[She won’t get far. Click for a larger view.]

In real life, it’s common for Danish parents to leave babies in unattended carriages and strollers outside stores and restaurants. Really.

The ground floor of this Brooklyn building was recently home to Rukhsana Parlor, a beauty parlor. Google Maps shows no carriage outside.

Related reading
More photographs from the NYC Municipal Archives (Pinboard) : A 1961 Hydrox advertisement