The woman and child in this photo from 1900 are standing in the middle of Melrose Ave as the photographer stood at Western Ave looking west. Apart from what might be a house glimpsed through the trees in the background, there is no development or any other people in sight—and yet there is still advertising! Nailed to the tree on the far left we can see a small sign for Plye’s Pearline Soap. Oh well, at least it’s not a billboard.
Pyle’s Pearline sounds like the answer to every housewife’s prayer. This advertisement is from 1884.
I thought this auto-colorized version did a pretty good job.
More or less the same view in December 2020:
Wow. And just a mile or so west is Fairfax High (or it will be there) where my dad went!