HAPPY TIMES SQUARE?

So how is it Times Square became such a gathering spot for New Years Eve? I've never really thought about it. My theory is that it became the national focus when radio came along and music was broadcast across the country. The festivities in New York were celebrated in Kansas even though midnight had not yet arrived. I could be wrong soooooooo...I googled some information.

Click on image to see it larger.

Let's start with how Times Square became Times Square. According to Wikipedia, which means in net language "those who profess to have knowledge":

• 1904 – The New York Times opens its new headquarters on Longacre Square (the city's second tallest building), and persuades the city to rename the triangular "square" for the newspaper. Owner Adolph Ochs initiates a massive celebration in the square for New Year's, which is so popular (200,000 came) it permanently displaces the celebration from Trinity Church. There is no ball, but there are fireworks.

• 1907 – Walter F. Palmer, chief electrician for The Times, creates the first New Year’s Eve Ball in response to the behest of publisher Adolph Ochs to create some kind of spectacular midnight show that would draw attention to the Square. The New Year’s Eve Ball first descended from a flagpole at One Times Square, constructed with iron and wood materials with 100 25-watt bulbs weighing 700 pounds (320 kg) and measuring 5 feet (1.5 m) in diameter. At first, it dropped 1 second after midnight.

• 1914 – The Times relocates to 229 W. 43rd St., but the celebration continues.

• 1920 – The Ball was replaced with an iron material Ball and weighing less than the original, only 400 pounds (180 kg).

• 1942 – 1943 – During World War II, the descending of the Ball was stopped due to wartime lighting restrictions in case of enemy attack. Celebrants observed a moment of silence at midnight, followed by chimes.

Of course over the years the ball itself has been changed numerous times and celebrations on grand scales happen everywhere, but New York is still the focus for many. Back when there were only three tv channels really your only choice at midnight was Guy Lombardo. If you don't remember Guy Lombardo and his music that's okay. There was something mind-numbing about it. Upper-crust-no-down-beat dance music. It was all very formal and BORING! Of course now with what passes for entertainment on other channels I almost long for old Guy to show up in his tux, wand in hand.

Anywhoooooo...the above postcard can now be dated to sometime after 1904 since the back copy refers to it as Times Square and no longer Longacre. You thought I'd end with that didn't you. No.

Take a look at that rather strange little icon on the back of the postcard, both above the arrow and where the stamp is to be placed. It looks like some sort of Mesoamerican sculpture. Why this was chosen by the HH Tammen Co. I have no idea, but Harry Heye Tammen was a pretty interesting fellow who's reach went beyond just selling postcards of New York. His reach extended to various newspapers, books, dolls, children's hospitals, and even Buffalo Bill Cody.

Harry Heye Tammen was born March 6, 1856 in Baltimore, Maryland. He died July 19, 1924 in Denver, Colorado. During those years he led an eventful life, though not always on the up-and-up. He owned a curio and souvenir shop in Denver, was the editor of the Great-Divide Weekly Newspaper, and was a bartender at Denver's Windsor Hotel. In 1895 he, along with Fredrick Gilmer Bonfils, bought the old Evening Post, which became the Denver Post, in 1895.

First a little history of The Post from Wikipedia:

In August 1892, The Evening Post was founded by supporters of Grover Cleveland with $50,000. It was a Democratic paper used to publicize political ideals and stem the number of Colorado Democrats leaving the party. Cleveland had been nominated for president because of his reputation for honest government. However, Cleveland and eastern Democrats opposed government purchase of silver, Colorado's most important product, which made Cleveland unpopular in the state. Following the bust of silver prices in 1893, the country and Colorado went into a depression and The Evening Post suspended publication in August 1893

A new group of owners with similar political ambitions raised $100,000 and resurrected the paper in June 1894. (Source: Wikipedia)

Enter Harry Heye Tammen and Grederick Gilmer Bonfils:

On October 28, 1895, Harry Heye Tammen, owner of a curio and souvenir shop, and Frederick Gilmer Bonfils, a Kansas City real estate and lottery operator, purchased the Evening Post for $12,500. Neither had newspaper experience, but they were adept at the business of promotion and finding out what people wanted to read. Through the use of sensationalism, editorialism, and "flamboyant circus journalism," a new era began for The Post. Circulation grew and eventually passed the other three daily papers combined. On November 3, 1895 the paper's name changed to Denver Evening Post. On January 1, 1901 the word "Evening" was dropped from the name and the paper became The Denver Post. (Source: Wikipedia)

From the February 18, 1946 Time Magazine:

The Post's rambunctious history began one day in 1895 when blue-eyed, roly-poly Harry Tammen, bartender at Denver's Windsor Hotel, strolled into the littered city room of the old Evening Post. At his side was a new-found friend, swarthy, wax-mustached Frederick. Gilmer Bonfils (pronounced bonn-fees), a dashing promoter who had just cleaned up $800,000 in the notorious "Little Louisiana" lottery. To weary Postmen playing poker, Harry Tammen drawled: "Don't let us disturb you but we've just taken over this paper."

The take-over was breathless. For decades Bonfils & Tammen stirred up a brand of journalistic dust in Denver's rarefied air which made Hearst look stuffy. They raked the town for every bit of scandal, labeled their sheet "Your Big Brother, champion of

every good, pure, noble, holy and righteous cause." Sample causes: crusades against Governors, mudslinging matches with Senators, bullyragging attacks on advertisers, lavish parties for children, sick dogs and horses.

Between such spasms they ran the Sells-Floto Circus, beat the rival Scripps-Howard Rocky Mountain News into grogginess, forced Denver merchants to buy Bonfils' coal. They kept a shotgun in their red-carpeted office (which the underpaid staff called the "bucket of blood"), once were both wounded when an irate reader beat them to the draw. Even that affray was grist for their newsmill. Blustered Bonfils: "A dogfight in Champa Street is better than a war abroad." The maxim was drilled into George Creel, Gene Fowler, many another bright pupil in the Post's hell-for-leather journalism school.

And...

In December 1899 Tammen and Bonfils were shot in their Denver Post office by W.W. Anderson, an attorney representing "maneater" Alfred Packer after a Post article had accused Anderson of taking Packer's life savings as a retainer. In the scuffle in the office Bonfils was shot twice and Tammen three times. Anderson was tried three times but never convicted while Tammen and Bonfils were convicted for jury tampering in the third trial.

In 1900, both Bonfils and Tammen were horsewhipped and hospitalized by a lawyer who disliked their yellow journalism. Bonfils took $250,000 hush-money from Harry F. Sinclair in the Teapot Dome scandal.

From 1904 to 1921 they owned the Sells-Floto Circus.

In 1909 Bonfils and Tammen bought the Kansas City Post and owned it until selling it to Walter S. Dickey in 1922. J. Ogden Armour was a silent partner in the endeavor. The Post with its tabloid format, red headlines and yellow journalism was closely tied to the rise of the Tom Pendergast political machine in Kansas City. The Post was to fold shortly after the collapse of the machine. (Source: Wikipedia)

Now as to that circus they owned. The Sells Floto Circus was a combination of the Floto Dog & Pony Show and the Sells Brothers Circus that toured with sideshow acts in the United States during the early 1900s. The "Floto" name came from the Post's one-time sportswriter, Otto Floto. To see images from the circus, including posters click here.

During the 1914-1915 seasons the circus featured Buffalo Bill Cody.

By 1929 the Sells Floto was part of the American Circus Corporation, along with the

Hagenbeck-Wallace Circus, the John Robinson Circus, the Sparks Circus, and the Al G. Barnes Circus. John Nicholas Ringling bought the conglomerate organization outright for $1.7-million. With that acquisition, Ringling owned virtually every traveling circus in America. (Source: Wikipedia)

So, how did Buffalo Bill Cody end up working for this circus? Glad you asked. Near the end of his life his Wild West Show was in debt:

Cody's debts continued to grow and Cody was forced into a series of "farewell appearances." Cody borrowed $20,000 from Harry Heye Tammen, publisher of the Denver Post to cover the cost of printing posters. Forewarned is forearmed. Perhaps, Cody should have been wary of trusting someone who published a postcard bearing the motto: "Live everyday so that you can look every man in the eye and tell him to go to _______." When the show was performing in Denver, Tammen had the show seized by the Sheriff and sold at a Sheriff's sale. Tammen then, holding the debt over Cody's head, forced Cody to appear in a circus owned by Tammen. Judge W. L. Walls of Cody, Wyoming, noted that in the last two years of his life, Cody lost between $140,000.00 and $200,000.00. (Source: Wyoming Tales and Trails)

Now as to the dolls, and yes way back above I did mention Harry Heye Tammen's involvement with dolls, specifically Skookum Indian dolls. The dolls were originally made by Mary McAboy as a small cottage industry, but the dolls soon took off and she filed two applications for patents for a doll or toy figure on November 29, 1913. The patents were granted on February 17, 1914. In the 1920s she partnered with Tammen to market her dolls in order to keep up with the demand. To read more about these dolls visit Skookum Dolls. The doll to the left is from my own collection and dates from the 1940s.

And finally as to Tammen's involvement with a children's hospital:

He donated money to the Children’s Hospital in Denver, for the construction of Tammen Hall. At his death, he bequeathed a trust fund for the care of children whose parents could not afford hospital expenses. (Source: Find a Grave)

Note, that at the source above, Find a Grave, you can see a photo of Tammen and his grave site.

Obviously I haven't proven why Times Square is the focus of the nation on New Years Eve, or if it even really is. It's the focus of New Yorkers, who pretty much do consider New York the center of the universe, and for a very long time New York controlled the media. So I'm sticking with my "radio did it" reasoning.

As to why Tammen chose a Mesoamerican sculpture for his logo? Haven't a clue. Perhaps someday I'll find more information because I certainly have enough cards in my collection that have this logo on the back.

Well, this was a rather pointless journey for New Years Eve, but it's kept me off the streets. I will be spending a quiet evening, except for the sound of my own coughing and hacking until midnight when the gunfire will start, and the fireworks, most likely followed by the siren from the local volunteer fire department, which will probably closely be followed by the pack of coyotes howling. Oh, and the turkeys. They'll probably start screaming when they hear the gunfire. By then I'll be in bed having missed New Years completely, but putting a note on my mirror to remember to watch the Rose Bowl parade.

Happy New Year to all and keep it safe on the roads.

Now, for something a lot less complicated visit the continuing saga of the little snow man.

MELE KALIKIMAKA!

For my best friend with memories of Christmas past.

And a little Lucky Luck with Kanaka Christmas.

Mo da kind sistuh.

And in a couple of days the ELVES GO WILD!

The time is soon here. The work will be done and the elves will get a few days off and then they can party. Elves go wild! They're counting the minutes. Otherwise...

Click on image to see it larger. (Source: National Geographic December 1953)

this is the last Coca-Cola Santa for the year.

Well, THEY FINALLY DID IT! Log Cabin scared everyone away.

It's pretty obvious now that Log Cabin either put everyone to sleep or scared them all away because in this December 1933 ad from Delineator they're down to just the tin running around. Scary, no? Even scarier is the poor woman below who perhaps partook of too much Log Cabin. Perhaps she wasn't able to sleep and was dosing herself nightly with Log Cabin in hopes of that gentle sleep they promised.

Seriously, girdles. What horrid contraptions. I remember these things. Rubber with holes all over them so the rubber could "breath". I remember watching my mother get into one and thinking that when I got older no matter what I would never wear such a contraption. Just horrible mind numbing, butt numbing torture. Women were not allowed to be women. Of course things aren't much better these days. It's just as physically and psychologically damaging to woman, and especially young girls, to think plastic surgery is an option for just about everything and heaven forbid should a spec of body hair appear anywhere. So actually maybe we're as a whole much more mental now than back in the '30s.

And congratulations. You've made it through my final Log Cabin Syrup ad.

Have yourself a MERRY ELFIN CHRISTMAS

I don't know how old this card is. My best friend sent it to me in the '70s and I think it was old even then.

Open it up and it's a pop-up card.

It's got a lot more pop-up than I have today. First day of a cold. A crummy stuffy runny cold. I will spare you anymore details. I don't have time for a cold this week. It's going to ruin everything!

And in a week it will ALL BE OVER

Click on image to see it larger. (Source: National Geographic December 1952)

LIONEL TRAIN...where the pedal meets the metal and the boy meets the man

In 1959 I asked Santa for a toy train and I got one. We had just moved from our house outside D.C. and were spending Christmas in Harrisburg with my grandparents before driving across country on our way to Hawaii. There under the tree Christmas day was my train. An HO with two Plasticville buildings. I LOVED it! Over the years I'd put the train up each Christmas under the tree. As years went by the layout became more and more elaborate with more and more buildings and lots of snow. It was my idealized white Christmas. 

I still have the train in all of its original boxes along with the little green bottle of whatever it is to put in the engine to make it puff smoke as it goes around the track. I haven't put it up in a very long time and I miss it. I think of the little box of people I used to place in the same position each year. The rest of the year they were stuck in a little plastic box, but for a few weeks they were out and about in my wonderland beneath the tree. It took me days to put the whole thing up, but only a few hours to break it down.  

The ad below sort of ticks me off. Trains were always marketed as a toy for boys. The only time they marketed them for girls they made them...and I get ill thinking about it...Pepto-Bismol pink. What were they thinking? I imagine if you can get a mint pink train (hmmmm...note to self, possible odd candy to manufacture) in the original box it costs quite a pretty penny. Sorry, don't want one. I love my original with the black metal engine. Yeah, I miss it, but...

A few years ago my best friend, knowing my love for toy trains, gave me a DVD for Christmas entitled "Toy Trains & Christmas: Parts 1, 2, 3". I savored every moment of it. If you like toy trains or know someone who does I'd bet they'd love this video. I watched it over a series of nights with the glow of my Christmas tree in the room. Made me long for my train even more, but it's a good substitute. I've put a link to the video in the left column at the top of the Amazon listings.

Click on image to see it larger. (SOURCE: National Geographic December 1954)

Yup, a boy toy. Little girls weren't supposed to have any interest. I guess I just didn't fit the restrictive mold. But I will say that the train brought my father and me closer each Christmas. For years it was a tradition that we'd head out some evening to the hobby store to buy a new building to add to the village. Some of the buildings were Plasticville that I'd put together each year. Other, more elaborate buildings, were kits that my dad would meticulously put together. Good times. Good times.

EDDIE ELEPHANT'S BACK! New at CafePress!

Seriously, DID YOU THINK I WAS THROUGH WITH THIS?

More evidence has been uncovered. Apparently Log Cabin Syrup is now a good justification to use in court for dissolution of a marriage. Or perhaps...ummmmm...alien abduction. Now that I think of it, I do recall hearing there was a section in Project Blue Book called "Log Cabin...alien love syrup?" Okay, now I'm just pullin' this stuff out of thin air.

Once again THE EYES HAVE IT

Wish I had something clever to say but my mind is runnin' on empty. Okay, it's specifically running on Ambien which I stupidly took too soon which now has me wondering if I'll actually even take the muscle relaxant for the dislocated jaw. Oh whatever. Let's all pretend we're this lovely lady with the come hither eyes. Probably lived on Park Avenue and only knew about the Depression when her car drove quickly by the people standing in food lines. I'm being mean. She was probably a nice lady...just like the wives of the Wall Street honchos with the humongous gross out bonuses. Oh it's time for me to hit the sack. My cursor is starting to look like a little bug on the screen and soon I'll be down the hall spreading Nutella on a tortilla and then completely forgetting about it until I wake up the next morning and find chocolate on my toothbrush. Ambien...a dangerous dance with the pharmaceutical devil.

But back to this lady. Ummmmmmmmm...I know nothing other than she was illustrated by Dynevor Rhys. I posted two more of his illustrations back in October.

Click on image to see it larger. (Source: Delineator, December 1931) 

Talk amongst yourselves. Today's discussion is on the NRA. NO not that one. Not the one that thinks people should have a gun in each pot and four semi-autmatics loaded under the bed just in case a deer walks by. No this is the National Recovery Act and how desperately do we need one now? You can see the eagle logo in the lower left portion of the cover. Here's a bit of history about the logo:

The Blue Eagle, a blue-colored representation of the American "thunderbird," with outspread wings, was a symbol used in the United States by companies to show compliance with the National Industrial Recovery Act. It was proclaimed on July 20, 1933, as the symbol of industrial recovery by Hugh Samuel Johnson, the head of the National Recovery Administration.

The design was sketched by Johnson, and based on an idea utilized by the War Industries Board during World War I.

All companies that accepted President Franklin D. Roosevelt's Re-employment Agreement or a special Code of Fair Competition were permitted to display a poster showing the Blue Eagle together with the announcement, "NRA Member. We Do Our Part." Consumers were exhorted to buy products and services only from companies displaying the Blue Eagle banner. According to Johnson, "When every American housewife understands that the Blue Eagle on everything that she permits into her home is a symbol of its restoration to security, may God have mercy on the man or group of men who attempt to trifle with this bird."

On September 5, 1935, following the invalidation of the compulsory code system, the emblem was abolished and its future use as a symbol was prohibited. (Source: Wikipedia)

UPDATE: Wow I figured this would be bad when I looked at it this morning but not that bad. This is what happens when you mix a piece of fudge at bedtime and an Ambien. Above is the cleaned up version. My best friend alerted me to my stupidity. Sistee Lister indeed!

SANTA SWAPPING stories by the Coke machine

I've said before that I have created, in my mind, a fantasy world for the elves. And I think this just might be proof that Santa is a jolly old soul. Santa caught taking a break next to the Coke machine right before he's about to take off for his eventful flight. He's cracking jokes with the elves while they fill his sleigh. Knows them all by name. Is great with small talk, no height joke intended.

(Source: National Geographic December 1954)  Click on image to see it larger.

Then again maybe this is Santa at the ad agency getting ready to pose for another Coke ad. Who knows. Let your imagination lead you where it will.

Eddie Elephant Update: More Eddie items will be appearing at CafePress within the next twenty-four hours. Yeah, I know, it used to say 12, but things aren't going as fast as I'd hoped.

EDDIE ELEPHANT by Johnny Gruelle, author of RAGGEDY ANN

By now you'll have noticed the flashing introduction to Eddie Elephant next to this post. Well, let me tell you a bit about Eddie.

Eddie Elephant, by Johnny Gruelle, was published in 1921 and was my dad's favorite book as a child. It was given to him by his cousin. In fact it's the only book that has survived from his childhood. He has virtually nothing from those days so whenever he sees this book it makes him smile. So I decided if Eddie can make my dad smile, and he certainly makes me smile, more people should have the chance to be brought on board and become fans of Eddie.

The story of Eddie is very simple. Eddie sets out from home to go visit Granny Elephant and has an adventure along the way meeting all sorts of friends in Jungleville. 

The author, Johnny Gruelle, was born on December 25, 1880 in Arcola, Illinois and died January 3, 1938 of a sudden heart attack in  Miami Beach, Florida. During that span of life he created one of the most beloved characters, Raggedy Ann. 

Johnny Gruelle was an American artist, political cartoonist, and writer of children's books. He is best known as the creator of Raggedy Ann and Raggedy Andy. He also provided colour illustrations for a 1914 edition of Grimm's Fairy Tales.

He was born John Barton Gruelle in Arcola, Illinois. His father, Richard Gruelle was a noted artist affiliated with Hoosier Group of Indiana artists. His first well known cartooning work was Mr. Twee Deedle which Gruelle created after he beat out 1,500 other entrants in a cartooning contest sponsored in 1911 by The New York Herald. Mr. Twee Deedle was in print from 1911 to 1914.

One day, Johnny gave his daughter Marcella a dusty, faceless rag doll found in the attic. Johnny drew a face on the doll and named her Raggedy Ann. Marcella played with the doll so much, Raggedy Ann became like a sister to her. Gruelle figured other children would like the doll as much too. Gruelle's Raggedy Ann doll U.S. Patent D47,789 was dated September 7, 1915. In 1918, the PF Volland Company published Raggedy Ann Stories. Gruelle then created a following series of popular Raggedy Ann books and dolls.

Marcella, after being vaccinated at her school for smallpox, was given an unidentified second shot without the consent of either parent. She soon contracted diphtheria and died, aged 13. After this bitter blow, family friends described him as "possessed, with a heavy countenance, and ... with the only thing he would bear to have near him as a reminder of Marcella a rag doll."

Gruelle lived in the Silvermine section of New Canaan, Connecticut, where the dolls were first mass produced, and later moved his home and company to neighboring Wilton, Connecticut. Gruelle spent a year in Ashland, Oregon from 1923-1924. He died in Miami Beach, Florida on January 8, 1938, of a sudden heart attack. (Source: Wikipedia)

To see more of Johnny Gruelle's work click here to go to Google's image site.

Eddie long ago was out-of-print so I thought I'd start Eddie back on his road to adventure by adding images of Eddie to my CafePress shop. More images are to come so keep checking back. 

Eddie is probably one of the sweetest elephants you'll ever come across, not that many of us come across elephants in our own day-to-day adventures. Oh shoot, just take a look and tell me what you think.

3 -2 -1 -CONTACT!

I did a short piece about redecorating your kitchen at my other blog called Cooking Outside at any Age. So many people offer helpful domestic tips on their blogs. Anyone who reads the goings on here knows I have only mentioned tablescaping once, provided only one dubious recipe, and just generally leave others to do what they do best and I don't. But today, well, I'm going to outdo all of them. I have the ultimate decorating tip. And everything, I mean EVERYTHING will be easily wiped down with a sponge when you're done. I know, I know...it sounds too good to be true. Wellllllllllllll...sort of.

I give you the room of tomorrow or ummmmm yesterday courtesy of Woman's Day September 1970. The modern rumpus room, suitable for wild parties and children.

Click on image to see it larger.

And just think  how nice that bowl of cream corn with bologna and olives will look here. You can basically spray the whole room down with a hose after the party's over. Okay, okay, getting cream corn out of this rug will be a challenge, but now I'm going to offer my own useful hint. LEAVE IT! Tell people it's a shag rug and some of the shag is just more tightly wound. Hey I'd buy it.

Forget the recipe? No problem. Here's a link. Bon appetite and don't worry about spilling any. I've got the garden hose right here.

And you probably thought I was just going to do sweet Christmas posts this month. Ha!

Ladies, HE CAN'T BE COMPLETELY BLAMED

Ladies, and I speak to you as a woman, don't be angry if this year under the tree is a toaster from your husband. It's not completely his fault. Oh wait...ummm...yes it is! However if it were 1957 he should have been given a partial pass. What was a poor guy to do? He hadn't been taught to buy things for women that didn't have to do with the bedroom or kitchen. Those were the options and advertisers simply reinforced the stereotype.

Example A: Toastmaster ad from the 1957 Better Homes & Gardens Christmas Ideas magazine.

Click on image to see it larger.

So guys, this is a warning. Do not, I repeat DO NOT put a thong inside the toaster box and think you're going to get a  jolly Christmas. Just a warning as you head out shopping.

Santa meets the MAD MEN AGENCY

This Santa is cool daddy-o. He's hip. He hangs out in the Village after hours with the cats from Sterling Cooper. They've influenced this version of the iconic Coca-Cola Santa. 

(Source: National Geographic December 1956) Click on image to see it larger.

So sit down, tell Santa everything. Oh, and just to let you know that mirror on the side of the room...yeah, there are five guys in business suits on the other side watching you. They're researching you. Researching how you interact with Santa. They're seeing if you're worthy. But for heaven's sake don't look at the mirror. Just act casual, like Santa. Have a coke and tell the jolly man everything. He doesn't keep track of what you say.

New added benefit found for LOG CABIN SYRUP!

Yes, it's true. Log Cabin Syrup continues to astound the scientific community with its many amazing properties. In February 1934 it seemingly allowed William Archibald Pennington, Jr. to simply disappear. Amazing! Truly astounding! Scientists were left scratching their heads. The military brass  instantly became interested in "Project Log" which until recently was stamped "TOP SECRET" and kept in an old coffee can at the Pentagon. Yes, it's true. Even the Pentagon isn't very good at managing their ephemera.

I'll let you decide next time you try a bottle. Do you get all tingly, feel like you're about to enter another realm? Okay, seriously...have you had your glucose checked lately because I think we're talking some serious diabetes.

THE PERFECT GIFT FOR THE COLLEGE STUDENT in 1956

So what's the gift on the lips of every college student this Christmas? Their lips tell you iMac, but their eyes say Remington Quiet-Riter. Never judge a college student by what you see in their eyes, or for that matter what's on their lips.

If they'd been alive in 1956 perhaps this typewriter would have been exactly what they dreamed would be under the tree (besides Tuesday Weld or James Dean). Alas typewriters have gone the way of too many things to list. Let's just say I learned to type on a Remington that belonged to my mother. It's still in the closet. It's a work of art.

 Source: National Geographic December 1956

SHIRLEY TEMPLE paper dolls 1935

These Shirley Temple paper dolls date back to 1935. They're quite tattered and not a complete set. I purchased them as one item in a huge box I bought years ago on eBay that contained around 100+ vintage paper doll sets, some complete. Shirley was actually thrown in as a bonus. 

The dolls, clothing, and accessories are all double-sided so Shirley looked sensational whether coming or going. There are at least another dozen or more outfits in the bag and lots of little accessories. One of these days I'll get all of it into an album just as I've done with all the other sets I purchased.

As you can see Shirley's been run through the mill more than once. She's bent and torn and one doll is missing a hand. That's okay. I say she's been personalized. You can still occasionally find these dolls on eBay. Complete sets in booklets go for several hundred dollars. Or you can do what I've done and buy some of the reproductions done by Dover. I've put links in the left column at Amazon.

Here comes SANTA CLAUS

Last year I did a post about the iconic Coca-Cola Santa painted by Haddon Sundblom. Of course not a living soul outside my own brain new this blog existed so I'll give a link to that post.

What you see below is the cover of a wonderful book of these very Santas. I've put a link to the book in the left-hand column. It's a  book with beautifully reproduced vintage Coca-Cola ads. Brings back the Santa I remember from my childhood. 

And here is the oldest Santa Coca-Cola ad I have. It's from the December 1939 National Geographic.

Click on image to see it larger.

Now, to read a bit about Haddon Sundblom and see some of his other work click on the following links:

American Art Archives (Dave, make sure you click on this one. There's a surprise there for you.)

Haddon Sundblom at Wikipedia  You'll be surprised to see his last "Santa" 

The Coca-Cola Company

And from the wonderful blog Today's Inspiration:

Christmas Ski Party

The Old School: Haddon Sundblom

The Old School: Actually "The Chicago School?"

Work from home. BE A YOGI! Torn bed sheet required.

Still looking for a way to run a business from home? Selling donuts didn't work for you? Resoling shoes just made a mess on your dining room table? Well, do you have an old bed sheet and a very large barrette? Be a Yogi. Not Yogi Bear. That would be silly. When listed in the phonebook you'd be alphabetically second. No, you need to be Yogi Alpha. See? "A" before "B" makes sense to me.

This ad is from the March 1934 Delineator. Imagine my dismay at finding this ad and thinking there was surely a whole slew of information online about this mesmerizing con-man only to find virtually nothing. I'm so disappointed. I was hoping to discover his name was Ted Smith and he was long ago proven to be a charlatan and was outed while spending his ill gotten gains on hookers and booze. Alas he just seems to be nothing more than leftover ephemera. I will share what I found.

At this site you'll find a large ad for Yogi Alpha from a 1934 Modern Mechanics. I'm thinking Omar Shariff would star in the film version of Yogi's life.

And then there's the following from a book I found on Google Books. An excerpt from Astrology: Science of Prediction 1945 by Sidney Kimball Bennett.

Shortly thereafter I received a letter from Mr. Proskauer. He wrote, in part:

"Dear Mr. Bennett,
Personally, and officially as Chairman of the Press Bureau of Parent Asscmbly No. 1, Society of American Magicians: permit me to congratulate you on the fairness of your Reply to Critics of Astrology as printed by you.

We were particularly pleased with your statements in Wynn's Astrology Magazine that astrologers who are worthy of the name should be examined and licensed by state boards, that 'phonies' should be barred by law from handing out boilerplate 'horoscopes' and that newspapers should be severely censured for accepting advertisements from 'Yogi Alpha' who, under the guise of being an astrologer, gives such predictions as 'You will marry the lady you
have in mind in the second week of May. next year.'

Another thing that pleased us was your expose of the astrological forecasts sold by Simmons of Chicago to the 'trade' [carnival 'astrologers") .. ..

Sincere people, entitled to their own opinions, are not the target for our guns. It's those fakers, who yearly steal large sums from the public, that we arc exposing and showing up in their true colors.. . .

The Federal Radio Commission's action in citing two stations for 'alleged broadcasting of improper astrological programs' should go a long way to warn every broadcast station in the country not to engage any astrologer who predicts definite future events, marriage, deaths, travel. etc, And your stating the Commission did right in these two instances should go a long way toward backing our campaign to prevent fakers from using the air. It is too bad the
innocent must suffer for the sins of the guilty."

Somebody was a little bent out about Alpha male Yogi. So, ol' Yogi was outed, but it wasn't long until another charlatan stepped into his shoes. Anyone remember EST, the Erhard Seminars Training founded and run by a car salesman? Two day seminar with the now famous "No you cannot leave the room to go to the bathroom" rule?

You know they're out there. Hoping to get a fool to part with their money.

Dear Sir,

I am a Prince in Nigeria whose father the King has died and I cannot access  his funds. With your help and bank account number...

You get the point. Yogi is just the old game but he had a costume. You could see him coming...all the way from San Diego, a hotbed of Yogis. Alpha males everywhere!

And hey, if the whole Yogi thing doesn't work for you there's always growing mushrooms in your basement. "Really officer, they're mushrooms. I sell them to the restaurant down the street and I also ship them across the border to Canada. That's where the Mushroom HQ is located."

I hope this has been useful. Be your own charlatan or maybe not. Just grow mushrooms in the shed. No bed sheet required.

LOG CABIN redux and more GLUYAS WILLIAMS

Back from a pleasant Thanksgiving break and whoop 'n tarnations I didn't have any Log Cabin syrup! There were no waffles or pancakes! Not that the extended weekend was without food. Too much food. Of course I didn't have to eat it, but I wasn't going to be rude. I had to consume as much as everyone else or maybe even one-up them.

I return home and go in search of some worthy ephemera and come upon this. Log Cabin redux. On November 11th I posted an ad from an old Saturday Evening Post describing the apparent virtues of syrup as a sleep tonic. Now I come to find it's also a good excuse to avoid work. Log Cabin...multipurpose elixir!

Again the illustration is by Gluyas Williams and again you can read more about him by clicking on this link. This particular ad ran in the March 1934 Delineator. I have a feeling in time I will find more of these and we'll be even more amazed at the incredible properties of Log Cabin Syrup. 

And here are a few other links with brief information about Gluyas Williams. The first is apparently where his papers are stored at Syracuse University and here is another with a brief biography. The most interesting is a link to a 1984 article in American Heritage. 

One of these days I'm going to find a reasonably priced Log Cabin tin and I'm going to buy it to add to my collection. Yeah, it's true, I collect old tins too. I know, don't even try to imagine what my place looks like. I can tell you my relatives don't understand. You people however would be perhaps more forgiving of my eccentricities.

And todays secret word is: HJJ3UT8UJ5XE

Classic images of POSSIBLE GLUTTONY

Yup, we're heading into the season. The season of eating. American's do it very well. We eat and we eat a lot. Images of food are everywhere now. Images of American's getting bigger only to complain about it in January. Which brings me to a little something that actually has very little to do with this, but it's been driving me nuts for a few years. Can you guess? I doubt it. Nobody is going to see this one coming.

Jane Seymour. Jane Seymour jewelry designer. Now I have nothing against the woman. Saw her in person a very long time ago and she was lovely, but her jewelry.... Each time there is some sort of jewelry buying holiday around the corner Kay's Jeweler hauls out Jane's necklace. She calls it the "open heart collection." Okay, not so sure. Seriously take a look at it next time it's on. Don't just DVR past it. Pause on that necklace and tell me if that isn't the backside silhouette of a naked big bottomed woman? Small top, large bottom. That's all I'm sayin'. If you want to give your significant other a necklace that looks like you're saying "Hey, love your big bottom" okie dokie by me. But don't tell me it's open hearts. It's a rorschach test and I see a big bottomed woman. Which brings me back to where I started...food. 

For your viewing pleasure I give you food. Food in vintage postcards, early 20th century. Yeah, I know, two of them are wild turkeys, but that is still food during the next month. The rest of the year I don't need to worry about my lovely flock outside roaming through the orchard. But for the next month every single time I hear a gunshot I worry they took one of my babes. 

So enjoy Thanksgiving to all who are celebrating. I'll be away with family. Eat slow, chew well, swallow, and repeat. Then find a big chair and fall asleep. It's a holiday. That's what we do.

Catch you on the flipside. And keep your hands off my wild turkey!

Oh, and if you start seeing a turkey staring back at you in your spoon you know you've eaten too much or someone forgot to bake the thing at the right temperature. And now, according to "A Christmas Story" you're going to get worms.

GIVE THANKS for Corn Flakes

This is one of my favorite vintage ads in my collection of ephemera. It dates to the September 1910 issue of The Delineator magazine. I think it's stunning. Unfortunately no information is given about the illustrator. I like the small shadow of people out of view that appears on the left. That little shadow adds extra life to the image. And to think Kellogg had only been in business for 4 years and was turning out advertisements like this. It's now a little over 100 years old. Okay, I'll admit that the box of corn flakes looks absurd, but that's okay. I like the idea of it. Who knew they had Costco's back then?

Click on image to see it larger.

ELVES GONE WILD!

As we all get ready to start partying for the next month and a half until the final tolling of the bell on New Years Eve, I think it's time we take a few moments and silently reflect on elves. Yes, ELVES! What do we know about them? Really, nothing. They're the straight men to Santa's one man show. They're the ones left behind Christmas Eve at the melting North Pole. And what exactly do they do that evening? Okay, so probably they're still working that night in case Santa has any screw-ups along the way. But when the jolly one pulls the sleigh into the barn and says "No, really, no more cookies. I'd like a nice California Chablis, a bag of Cheetos, and my slippers" what do the elves do? I'm thinking...they get plastered! Elves Gone Wild! I give you Beech the dancing party fool, and Ham the mixer of all things lethal. Imagine the YouTube videos of the mayhem. I'm guessing the partying goes on for a couple days before Santa tells them all to chill out and get started on next years haul of consumer items. 

Okay, so maybe it's just my imagination run wild, but I often like to think of what elves do in their time off. Maybe it's just me.

As often is the case there's more to this story. These little fellows are actually advertising promotional paper dolls from the late 19th century offered by the Beecham's Pill company. Want to know why they look like this? I think they might have used the product. Do you know what happens when you take a pill made out of soap? Well...you get Elves Gone Wild! but not in the way they'd hoped for.

Beecham's Pills were a laxative first marketed around 1842 in St Helens, Lancashire. They were invented by Thomas Beecham (1820–1907), grandfather of Thomas Beecham (1879-1961).

The pills themselves were a combination of aloe, ginger, and soap, with some other more minor ingredients. They were initially advertised like other patent medicine as a cure-all, but they actually did have a positive effect on the digestive process. This effectiveness made them stand out from other remedies for sale in the mid-nineteenth century.

The popularity of the pills produced a wide range of testimonials that were used in advertising. The poet William Topaz McGonagall wrote a poem advertising the pills, giving his recommendation in verse. Two slogans used in Beecham's advertising were "Worth a guinea a box," and "Beecham's pills make all the difference."

The pills, and their marketing, were the basis for Beecham's Patent Pills, which became Beecham Estates and Pills in 1924, eight years after the death of Sir Joseph Beecham, the son of Thomas Beecham. The pills continued to be made by a succession of Beecham Pills Limited, Beecham Pharmaceuticals Limited, Beecham Health Care, and SmithKline Beecham. The manufacture of the pills was discontinued in 1998. (SOURCE: Wikipedia)

And so it goes...so to speak.

LOOKING FOR A WAY TO MAKE EXTRA CASH? At home businesses!

Tough times. Really tough times. I know of what I speak. Over the years I've watched more and more of my work being outsourced to foreign countries. Irritating. But, what can you do? It's the way it is. 

The last time I had an in-house job was 1975. I've been a freelancer since October of '75. I'm not really office material. I work better when I'm on my own. I need to be able to get up and walk around a lot so I can think. Couldn't do that in a cubicle. I'd look like a yo-yo bouncing up and down over the little cubicle walls. And the screaming at my computer...well, that just wouldn't sit well in an office environment. 

So, are you thinking of starting your own business? Thinking of the joys of working from home in your pajamas? Here are a few possibilities courtesy of the September 1931 Comfort. Do you think this is how Krispy Kream started?

Seriously, read the copy for a good laugh. In the first ad I like the line that states: 

"Write quick for amazing, big outfit FREE."

What if you were petite? Did you still have to wear the "big outfit" in order to make sales? Did your neighbors look at you like you were nuts as you told them the allure of Paris fashions all the while grabbing at your dress falling off your shoulders?

Or how about Donuto:

"Simply add water and fry."

Was there fine print warning the users to not get the water near the hot oil? You know, sort of like "close cover before striking?" Or did people have enough sense back then to not need fine print? I don't know. 

Or "New Soles" which states:

"No nails or tools necessary. Just an old knife."

Wouldn't knife be considered a tool? Am I getting too picky? Is this why we now need fine print? I don't know. It could be people like me that caused the invention of the fine print. I'm willing to bear that burden.




Okay, I just read the fine print. Donuto...

"Ford Tudor sedan offered FREE to producers as extra bonus."

Seriously, sell some donuts, get a car. Who can beat that offer? Maybe GM should think of working out something with Donuto.

Gotta love ephemera!

Married or unmarried...WHO SHOULD GET THE JOB?

A woman's place is in the home. Them's be fightin' words if you read this column from the September 1931 issue of Comfort. Yes, Comfort, the same magazine that gave us "A Lonesome Mountaineer". The following is from a monthly column entitled "The Comfort Sister's Corner" which was "Conducted by Mrs. Wheeler Wilkinson." I'm not kidding. 

Apparently in an earlier issue a woman from Nebraska wrote a letter stating that married women shouldn't work outside the home. This got the bees a buzzin' across the country. Enjoy! Talk amongst yourselves about our topic for today.

The reason I posted this is because of the photo I posted at my vernacular photography site. Soon as I saw that photo I remembered this column. Geez, the stuff I store in my brain.

There's a TINY THREAD THAT RUNS THROUGH THE POSTS

Okay, stick with me here because todays post actually relates back to several past posts. 

These illustrations, done by Frederic Mizen, are from the good ol' Saturday Evening Post from 1934 that I've been using for source material the past several days. Right off the bat the first thread to be pulled is the man in the chair who reminds me of the man in the chair in yesterday's Log Cabin Syrup post. 

These illustrations are for a story entitled "These Geniuses!" by A. H. Z. Carr. I haven't read it. It has lines like:

 "How are you, Caldecott?" drawled Lord Anthony.

or

"Anthony, will you do something for me?"

"Rather!"

"Father plans to announce our engagement at dinner."

"Yes. Certainly."

"I want him to wait until later--until midnight."

"But, Marion, my dear; it's not done. Really."

"Isn't it? I'd like it so much better that way, Anthony. Be a pie and arrange it for me."

Click on image to see it larger.

Okay, not my kind of story, but hold on...I still have more threads.

The illustrator, Frederic Mizen, was born in Chicago in 1888 and died in Los Angeles in 1964. The following can be found at robertlivernois.com:

...Frederic Mizen became a noted western genre and landscape painter as well as illustrator, portraitist, and art teacher. From childhood, he had heard stories of the West from his father who was secretary to three generals active on the frontier. In Chicago, he attended the J. Francis Smith Academy of Art, studied there with Walter Ufer, and then enrolled in the Art Institute of Chicago. He also studied at the Academy Julian in Paris. At age 20, he began an illustration assignment with Joseph P. Berren Studios for a Sears catalogue and continued commercial art, doing the first billboard ad for Coca Cola as well as numerous magazine covers including "Saturday Evening Post," the "American," and "Collier's." He also was successful financially with his advertising work for automobile manufacturers to promote travel, and created illustrations for Oldsmobile, Cadillac, Packard and others. During the summers, he painted in the West, joining Walter Ufer in Taos, New Mexico, which was becoming an established art colony. After Mizen established his own art school in Chicago, he regularly took students to Taos in the summers. In 1931, on illustration assignment from Coca Cola, he depicted a Coca-Cola drinking group of people in a painting titled "Old Faithful Inn at Old Faithful Geiser" in Yellowstone National Park. In 1936, he founded the Frederic Mizen Academy of Art in Chicago and did Indian studies and Southwest landscapes for the Santa Fe Railroad. He also received numerous portrait commissions. For eight years, 1952 to 1960, he Chaired the Department of Art of Baylor University, and he was a member of the Art Institute of Chicago.

See, more threads. Yellowstone, National Park, and Coca-Cola, and the Santa-Fe Railroad. Okay, I know...pretty thin thread, but hey, it was interesting to me and you can just suffer through it.

To see the Coca-Cola illustration at Old Faithful click on this link to the Gene Autry Museum (which if you're ever in L. A. make a point of seeing this museum if you love the myths and realities of the West.).

And it turns out Mr. Mizen painted the very first Santa for Coca-Cola:

My wife's uncle, Fred Mizen, was said to have had some involvement in creating the Coke Santa. Do you have any info regarding his contributions to the Coke artwork?

Posted by: boho | July 22, 2008 at 10:41 AM

boho - Frederic Mizen did create an image of Santa for Coca-Cola in 1930. That image showed a department store Santa taking a break from his duties (drinking a Coke, of course). The next year, we introduced the Coca-Cola Santa by Haddon Sundblom. The Santa by Mizen is different from the Santa by Sundblom because Sundblom captured the man who is Santa -- making Santa human. The artwork by Mizen showed a man dressed as Santa (the department store Santa). I also thought you might be interested that Mizen created other artwork for Coca-Cola, including the image used on our first billboard in 1925. Thanks -- Phil

Posted by: Phil Mooney | July 22, 2008 at 01:51 PM

To see a few other paintings by Mizen click here and here. And for one more thread...a print of a Navajo woman that was owned by the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railroad and used for advertising purposes click here. Hmmmmm...could a thread to Fred Harvey be here? I  don't know.

I'll admit my thread is stretched to the breaking point, but it's always fun to see where a piece of ephemera may lead.

There's a SLEEPING AID IN YOUR CUPBOARD!

The pharmaceutical companies have it all wrong! Well there's a bulletin you didn't see coming. But seriously, and that's what this piece is all about, Serious Situations. The serious situation of insomnia. It's a multi-billion dollar business and who knew we had the very cure hiding in the kitchen. Don't spend your money on Ambien® or Lunesta®. Don't go wandering around an herbal shop trying to figure out if the claims they make are true and where the heck some of that stuff in the big glass jars came from. NO! NO, I say! The answer, the oh so simple answer, has been available since at least 1934. Are you ready? It's so simple you're going to be numb for a moment when it hits you. Okay...Log Cabin Maple Syrup. Would I lie to you? Would I have evidence to show as proof? Yes to both answers.

This ad from the April 14, 1934 Saturday Evening Post is all the proof you need. And General Foods makes the claim so it's not like I'm just makin' this stuff up. It apparently worked for this gentleman, Mr. Dillingham. Was it Mrs. Van der Van's intention all along to get the geezer in the waistcoat passed out in her living room? What were  her motives. We'll never know.

So I'm thinkin' perhaps it would work on kids. I doubt there are any instructions on the side of the can saying "Use on adults only." So it's bedtime, the kids are wired...I think you know where I'm goin'. Give them a couple of doses of Log Cabin Syrup and in no time they'll be sleeping little angels. Has to work. It worked on Mr. Dillingham and he looks to be a person of considerable girth. I imagine a quarter of the dose given him would work on a kid. And just think how wonderful bedtime will be from now on. No more fighting the little dears. You just get out that can of syrup and their eyes light up. Okay, their eyes bug out and stay that way as they hang off the curtains screaming like monkeys from this point on. But seriously (there's that word again denoting I couldn't possibly be lying) I don't think there will be any problems. All children should have a concentrated dose of sugar at bedtime.

There is some truth in this piece and here it comes so stay still for a moment or you'll miss it. Gluyas Williams. That's it. That's the truth. It's right there in front of you. Gluyas was famous and he did very nice work. Want to read more about Gluyas, see examples of his comic strips, book illustrations? Click on gluyaswilliams.com, a site devoted to his work.

Well, that's all the medical advice I'll be dispensing today. Drink a Coke and have a tablespoon of Log Cabin Syrup and call your doctor in the morning...for that glucose test you've been putting off.

Pick me up and LETS GRAB ONE AT THE HOSPITAL

Feelin' tired, feelin' low?

Feelin' blue, feelin' slow?

Drink two Coca-Colas and call Dr. John S. Pemberton in the morning.

What? You say Dr. Pemberton is not listed in your physician's group? Who cares. He's as close as the nearest drug store, right next to the chips and dips aisle.

Does anyone remember taking coke syrup for a boo-hoo belly when they were a kid? Dreadful tasting stuff. My mother used to say absurdly, "It's just like Coca-Cola." Uh, no mom...it's not. But my family doctor did prescribe it. Over the counter bottle of brown stuff to sooth the wretching flu stomach. I guess it worked. I'm still here.

This ad is from the back cover of the April 14, 1934 Saturday Evening Post. It's tattered. Notice the tattering? I love it. All along the bottom it appears to mirror the ice cubes or perhaps an old tattered piece of lace. The black mold stain in the upper right corner? Not going there. Black mold. A friend's house is suddenly besieged by it. Long story. Nightmare. State Farm...of limited help. Perhaps soaking the house in coke syrup would help. I doubt it or State Farm might have mentioned it instead of trying to run as fast as they could in the opposite direction. Perhaps it's because though she lives in a state she doesn't live on a farm. Ahh...the fine print.. Gets ya every single time. Anyway...

Click on image to see mold larger.

Dr. John S. Pemberton is the inventor of Coca-Cola, originally called Pemberton's French Wine Coca and was pretty darn popular in Atlanta back in the 1880s. Dr. Pemberton himself was no fly-by-night tonic salesman.

"He studied medicine and pharmacy at the Reform Medical College of Georgia in Macon, and in 1850, at the age of nineteen, he was licensed to practice on Thomsonian or botanic principles (such practitioners relied heavily on herbal remedies and on purifying the body of toxins, and they were viewed with suspicion by the general public). He practiced medicine and surgery first in Rome and its environs and then in Columbus, where in 1855 he established a wholesale-retail drug business specializing in materia medica (substances used in the composition of medical remedies) . Some time before the Civil War (1861-65), he acquired a graduate degree in pharmacy, but the exact date and place are unknown." (SOURCE: Georgia Encyclopedia )

Pemberton's French Wine Coca was, according to Pemberton:

...composed of an extract from the leaf of Peruvian Coca, the purest wine, and the Kola nut. It is the most excellent of all tonics, assisting digestion, imparting energy to the organs of respiration, and strengthening the muscular and nervous systems." He explained that South American Indians considered the coca plant a sacred herb and praised its beneficial effects on the mind and body. With the aid of the coca plant, the Indians had performed "astonishing" feats, he said, "without fatigue." Pemberton then admitted that his coca and kola beverage was based on Vin Mariani, a French formula perfected by Mariani and Company of Paris, which since 1863 had been the world's only standard preparation of erythroxylon coca. (SOURCE:Georgia Encyclopedia )

In 1886 Atlanta introduced prohibition which forbid the sale of wine thus taking some of the ummmm...spirit out of Dr. Pemberton. Not to worry. He reformulated, dropped the word "wine" from the title, substituted sugar for the wine, and voila...Coca-Cola was born and the rest is history. Coca-Cola was once a product developed by a pharmacist, "served in leading hospitals" and is now simply another reason Americans look like inflated floatation devices. I'm just sayin'.

I'd sure like to find one of those old wooden boxes the fella is carrying. Lot's of little pukas to fill with what-nots. And I sure have a lot of what-nots around here and most of my pukas are full.

To read a bit more about Dr. Pemberton go to Television Advertising.

And no, there's no logic as to why I've posted so many Coke ads the past two months. They're just sort of there, staring back at me. Think I'm kidding? I've got an old National Geographic with a Navy Wave holding a glass of Coke smiling up at me right now from the floor. She's freakin' me out.

Back from where TREES ARE BIG AND MEN ARE LITTLE

I've been on vacation and I wish I hadn't come home. Things were better on the road. I return to have my dog become partially paralyzed. Yes, things were better just a few days ago, but....

It was a short vacation, but peaceful. I'm always happiest when a vacation is amongst nature. Not a fan of cities no matter how much culture they offer. I'd still rather be impressed by that which humans cannot make.

Days in the redwoods followed by days at a lake in the Trinity Alps. One day of rain, the rest perfect mixes of fog and sunshine. It wouldn't be the redwoods without some fog. They thrive in the fog, coastal fog. The majority of my life I have been little more than 1/2 hour away from the Pacific Ocean. Ocean, trees, and mountains are a perfect mix for me. And redwoods my favorite.

One of the things you see when traveling through redwood country are eventually photos of people standing next to or on the stumps of the trees. People love to pose next to these giants. I recently took a photo of a man taking a photo of a group of people posing next to a fair sized tree in a nearby park. The group were giddy to be near a tree so large, but I kept thinking "Boy, you ain't seen nothin' if you think this is big." But they were happy and had a photo to take home of themselves next to a redwood that made them look small. The boys in this old postcard were experiencing this same giddy joy. I've had this card for several years. It was not purchased during my vacation.

Click on image to see it larger.

This is the Boy Scout Tree located in the Jedediah Smith State Park. A stunning place. On the back of this card it says "The 'Boy Scout Tree' near Crescent City contains over 147,000 feet of lumber and is 31 feet in diameter at the base." I love when people see lumber when they see these trees. I see natures cathedrals. Others see track homes. 

Which brings me to the photos you also see of people standing on or next to fallen trees or stumps. The most bizarre one I saw on this trip was taken at a great distance from a tree being cut down. The thing was huge, thousands of years old, and the lumberjacks had put in a large notch and were now standing on what would become the stump, in the notch, tree above them. HUGE tree above them. They would have been squashed like ants if that gentle giant had come down. The tree below with the un-squashed fellow is tiny compared to the really large trees unless he was the height of Paul Bunyan. Still, on the back of this vintage postcard it states "Millions of feet of lumber are made from the Redwoods annually." There they go again, seeing dollar signs. It's like someone picking up a rock and thinking it won't have any value until it has been polished. The natural form is not sufficient for its use.

Click on image to see it larger.

If you've never been in a redwood forest where the ground is covered with ferns you might enjoy this interactive panorama by G. Donald Bain which allows you to stand in the middle of the trail to the Boy Scout Tree and turn a full 360 degrees. Make sure to place your cursor over the photo and then spin to your hearts content in the ancient forest.

And to read and see more about the redwoods go to the National Geographic link to their October issue.

FRED HARVEY on the road

Just a quick drop-in from along the road. 

Went to The Trees of Mystery today. Let's just say there's a HUGE statue of Paul Bunyan and his ox Blue standing out front. They're famous. I believe I even have some old postcards with their images, but just in case I bought a couple today. For decades I've driven by this place and never stopped. I'd laugh when I'd see Paul and Blue and think of roadside tourist attractions from my youth. Well this was worth the trip. An interesting walk through a forest, a ride in a tram to overlook the forest and the Pacific Ocean. Then they get you when you come to the finish. You walk through the door at the end of the trail into the gift shop and after paying for your visit you hear a woman saying "Free fudge sample." Oh man...I left a pound heavier...in a box to eat later. 

What really drew me to this place was the collection of Native American items in their museum. Beautiful baskets, including Pomo and Yurok, plains Indians clothes, all sorts of implements. A case of Kachinas that had me mesmerized. And then I saw this. I usually post items from my collection. I only wish I owned this. Fred Harvey Souvenir Playing Cards depicting various Native American tribes in the Southwest, all from tintype images. So though this is not in my collection, the photo of the photos is so I'm...oh geez, I'm going to say it...fudging things a bit this time.

Click on image to see it larger.

Back on the road. Catch you on the flipside.

The EYES have it

In 1873 Butterick Publishing Company began publishing a magazine, The Delineator, to show off it's various clothing patterns. The magazine was published until 1937. It was THE women's magazine of its day. 

During the 1930s many of the covers were done by the illustrator of the cover below, Dynevor Rhys. I've never been able to find out any information about this illustrator, but these covers are very collectible. To see more of the work from the 1930s click here. 

Click on image to see it larger.

He also did illustrations for ads within the magazine as shown below. This one is on the inside cover of this issue of Delineator.

Click on image to see it larger.

I love these illustrations. They're stylized, vivid, and even if the eyes creep you out they draw you in. And they really do feel like the movies of the 1930s when people wished that life could maybe be truly grand even if their reality was something else. Wishes are like ephemera. Gone in a moment, replaced by something else.

The evolution of a PSYCHOTIC PENGUIIN

The penguin was content with his lot in life. 

He worked as a scientist for Sears and Roebuck in the Coldspot department. 

It was a good fit. He was used to fishing and keeping some of his catch on ice.

He lectured widely about the products he invented, giving clues to the clueless.

In his spare time he was a gentleman farmer. 

Planting.

Harvesting.

Cooking.

Enjoying.

But then he realized the true benefits of a Coldspot and farm life was never the same. I'll let the pictures speak for themselves. They were used as evidence in the trial.

Little Penguin had an ax,

He gave the chicken 30 whacks,

He gave the steer 30 more

Then opened up a butcher store.