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Go directly to the collection, Washington as It Was: Photographs by Theodor Horydczak, 1923-1959, in American Memory, or view a Summary of Resources related to the collection.
Theodor Horydczak was a commercial photographer who worked in Washington, D.C., from the early
1920s until he retired in 1959. He produced photographs for commercial clients, such as Potomac
Electric Power Company, and scenes that were used on postcards and calendars, as well as for other
commercial purposes. There are a large number of architectural photographs, including the monuments,
memorials, and outdoor sculpture of Washington, D.C.
Washington as It Was, 1923-1959 can be used to give students a sense of the city of
Washington, D.C. during a particular time. The topics listed below provide fruitful areas of exploration.
1) Housing
| As a commercial photographer, Horydczak's clients included
several real estate firms. There are numerous photographs of apartment buildings and houses,
both exteriors and interiors. These photographs include the many housing developments that
sprang up in the suburbs of Maryland and Virginia to accommodate the expansion of the government
which began during the New Deal era of the 1930s.
Search on housing developments
for these urban residential views. |
Colonial
Village, ca. 1920-1950 |
Living Room,
to piano, with man reading, ca. 1920-1950 |
Search kitchens, living rooms,
bedrooms, and dining rooms to compare these interiors and contrast them with modern
rooms in middle class homes today. Some areas students could compare are the types of appliances
in the kitchen, the style of furniture in the living room, the apparent purpose of a room, or
the social significance of the piano and fireplace (and lack of a television). Students might
also discuss the decorations and what leisure activities seem to be expected for the use of the
room. |
2) Consumer Goods
Horydczak photographed trade shows, store windows, and floor displays that showed the year's
models of cars, refrigerators, stoves, and other products.
Search on automobiles, or specific
car names such as Studebaker, Cadillac, or jeep to see different models from this
era. How do they compare with today's popular models?
| Horydczak took numerous photos of home appliances, many for the
Potomac Electric Power Company. Students might find photographs of a chosen appliance and list
ways they have changed over the years. Students might also arrange photographs in a montage to
compare the design of appliances. Search
on refrigerator, percolator, toaster, and washing machine for examples. |
Potomac
Electric
Power Co. Electric Appliances,
ca. 1920-1950 |
3) Washington Landmarks
Horydczak
on
Top of Washington Monument, ca. 1920-1950 |
Horydczak photographed many monuments in the city of Washington. In fact, there are over
300 photographs of the Washington Monument in this collection. Students might discuss why
monuments are built, and pick a specific one to study, using images from the collection to
illustrate their work.
Search on monuments, memorials,
statues, and on specific monuments names such as Washington Monument or
Jefferson Memorial. For example, by searching
on Washington Monument, students will find a number of photographs, including an unusual
image showing
Horydczak
on Top of Washington Monument. |
4) Workaday Washington
Washington as It Was, 1923-1950 contains images that document workers and the kinds of jobs
they found in Washington, D.C. during that period. The federal government was a major employer in
Washington during Horydczak's professional life. Horydczak photographed a number of people in the
government, mostly the civil servants who kept the day-to-day work of the government moving.
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