Shirlie’s unique future in photography started as a
hobby. She had always been interested in
photography and she attended San Jose State she enrolled in photography classes.
When she had the opportunity to work at a camera shop on First Street
she jumped at the chance. Her father, Rea Montgomery,
had built her a darkroom in their home so Shirlie could perfect her hobby at a
more leisurely pace than at school. She
suspected her future would involve photography.
All she needed was a chance.
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| Shirlie with her trusty Speed Graphic 4x5 Camera |
In the late 1930’s it was common for certain
night clubs to have a young lady photographer roaming among the guests, taking
pictures of couples or parties. For a
dollar the subjects could have a copy of the photo in half and hour, which was
very fast in those days. The De Anza
Hotel was one of the establishments which had such a photographer. The manager of the De Anza Hotel came into
Shirlie’s place of employment and eventually asked her if she could help out
with the developing phase of the process, giving the photographer more time to
solicit photos. Shirlie enthusiastically
agreed.
The De Anza Hotel had an upstairs bathroom
converted into a darkroom. The
photographer would give Shirlie the undeveloped negative of a photo she had
taken just moments before. Shirlie would develop it, then make a print from the
wet copy in order to save valuable time.
Shirlie was paid for her services, but she can’t remember the
amount. It was not much.
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| Hotel deAnza circa 1930s |
The camera girl decided one day to quit (the story, according to Shirlie, was that she eloped with her boyfriend and moved to San Francisco). The hotel manager immediately asked Shirlie
if she would take over as the roaming photographer. Shirlie was horrified that her mother would
find out that she would be working in a bar.
At first she refused, but she eventually came to terms with the fact
that the lounge at the De Anza was not a saloon, it was a rather sophisticated
environment, and it would not conflict with her job at the camera store. The patrons of the De Anza lounge turned out
to be a polite, relatively urbane, cross section of San Jose. Her reputation was safe, at least as far as
her mother was concerned.
Shortly thereafter, on New Years Eve, Shirlie
learned how lucrative photography could be.
She earned $64 in that one evening of work, from eight to twelve. In 1939 that was an impressive wage for one
day. The following day Shirlie quit her
job at the camera store, and her career as a successful professional
photographer was launched.
Then came the Second World War. San Jose, as the other cities on the West
Coast, changed almost overnight.
Servicemen were going to or coming from the various bases in the Pacific
theater of war, and San Jose was one of the hundreds of cities that welcomed
them, adopted them, and it became their second home during their brief stays in the Bay Area.
The De Anza hotel, one of the finest
establishments in San Jose, became a mecca for these servicemen yearning for
entertainment and to be in the company of a young, attractive woman such as
Shirlie. Shirlie was a confident, self
sufficient, professional woman of twenty-three.
She was a rare woman indeed in those days of early marriage and expected
domesticity. The servicemen adored
Shirlie and she adored them. They were
very respectful, obviously protective of her reputation.
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| This photo was taken at a large party for the crew of
the USS Castor. Obviously the war had it's high points as far as Shirlie was
concerned. |
Contributed by Joe Holt with additions by Bob Bortfeld
