Get a SCHWINN in 1964

I never owned a Schwinn until I was in college. My first bike was a blue and white Huffy with training wheels. I imagine it was what was for sale at the base exchange. I did love that bike and still remember the time my dad took the training wheels off. I was terrified of falling, but he told me he'd hold onto the back of the bike to make sure that didn't happen. So off we went along the sidewalk (same sidewalk I'd run on to test my PF Flyers) only to discover my dad was not holding on at all. I was on my own. It was exciting. I rode my bike into the street doing circles in front of the house. My parents were proud and I'd discovered that sometimes you just have to take a chance.

Source: Jack and Jill, October 1964

When we moved to Hawaii the Navy shipped my bike with our household belongings. I can remember riding it through the military neighborhood to get down to the beach to watch the ships come in to Pearl Harbor. Eventually my folks bought me a larger bike and my mom used the Huffy. Actually, I think my next bike—which was green and white—was also a Huffy. When we moved back to the mainland Huffy #1 stayed in Hawaii; Huffy #2 came to California.

I didn't know that Schwinn had gone out of business. That's sad to hear. It seems Huffy hung onfor awhile until Walmart did them in. Geez I hate Walmart. I will not enter their store. I find better prices elsewhere with less damage done to local businesses.

The Schwinn Bicycle Company was founded by German-born mechanical engineer Ignaz Schwinn (1860–1945) in Chicago in 1895. It became the dominant manufacturer of American bicycles through most of the 20th century. After declaring bankruptcy in 1992, it has since been a sub-brand of Pacific Cycle, owned by the multi-national conglomerate, Dorel Industries. (SOURCE: Wikipedia)

And then Huffy:

By the mid 1990s, Huffy was in deep financial trouble. The U.S. Bicycle industry had consolidated, sharply reducing the number of channels for selling bikes. High-volume retailers had claimed three fourths of the U.S. market, gaining tremendous leverage over bicycle makers. Wal Mart in particular was pressuring Huffy: it ordered 900,000 bikes at one time, but insisted that Huffy lower its prices significantly. To remain a major player in the bicycle market, the Ohio company had little choice but to agree. Even with Huffy's other non-unionized manufacturing plants, it could not make a profit selling bicycles at the prices Wal Mart, its biggest customer, was willing to pay. After requesting and getting a pay cut for its unionized workforce in Ohio, Huffy returned to profitability for two years only to again crumple under the pricing pressure applied by Wal Mart. This forced Huffy to close its Celina, Ohio plant and lay off all 935 employees. Their other two factories in Missouri and Mississippi soon fell to the same fate for the same reason. Even after subcontracting production to China, where plant workers earned only 25 to 41 cents per hour, it remained unable to operate at a profit. (SOURCE: Wikipedia)

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Tattered and Lost volumes 1 to 8 available at Amazon.

Get enough SUGAR FOR BREAKFAST?

I ate a lot of cereal as a kid. I was partial to Cheerios, Sugar Smacks, Rice Krispies, and Sugar Pops. I was partial to sugar. It's a wonder I could function.

I do remember in the 50s being one of those kids who would see a cereal ad on tv and then beg my mom for it. My poor dad was always the one who ended up eating my experiments. I remember especially wanting a box of Jets. My dad said that one was the worst of all of them. I ate one bite and refused to eat the rest. The saying in our house was, "Give it to dad, he'll eat anything." My family didn't have money to waste so indeed, dad ate the crap.

This ad comes from a 1964 Jack and Jill magazine I found at an estate sale. I was long past Jack and Jill by the time this ad ran and I don't remember this cereal. But, I'm sure I'd have begged my mom for a box.

Click on image to see it larger.

Now watch the commercial and imagine how much parents wanted to kill the creators of this targeted propaganda.

And just for old time sake...



Mind you, I also fell for the PF Flyers ad that said you could fly if you wore them. I used to run down the sidewalk, which went slightly downhill, picking up speed as I went, only to take a leap right before the final curb and the street. I was convinced I would eventually fly. I never did. I always stopped short of the street. However, the neighbors must have wondered about this kid running down the sidewalk full tilt only to take a little leap, land, turn around and walk back up the sidewalk only to do it again and again. So I'm pretty sure I was convinced Jets would have enable me to break the boundaries of gravity.

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Tattered and Lost volumes 1 to 8 available at Amazon.

The BOARDING PASS

A little piece of paper can be far more important than originally thought. Someone's life might be ruined by what is written on the paper. A piece of evidence in a murder case? Believe me, it's possible. A small scrap can send detectives on what could be a wild chase in hopes of a final resolution; or it can lead to a dead end. I've seen it happen.

I recently bought this book at the Goodwill and it wasn't until I was home that I found the portion of the old boarding pass inside. I have deleted the first name of the person who took the flight. I'm sure it was just a simple flight from Atlanta to San Diego, but my mind immediately ran in all directions with all the wonderful story possibilities. I'm sure you can come up with your own so I will leave it at that.

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Tattered and Lost volumes 1 to 7 available at Amazon.

VALENTINES

Here are a few calorie free guilt free valentines from my collection.

A mechanical card in which the girls arm holding the large valentine moves up and down.

Another mechanical card in which the wheel at the bottom is turned and the kids ride up and down.

To see more valentines from years past click on "valentines" in the labels below

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Tattered and Lost volumes 1 to 7 available at Amazon.

How to STOP COMPLAINING

So, how do you take the medicine if you don't have a mouth? Isn't it odd? What would possess the folks who put this pamphlet together to leave off this young ladies mouth?

"Blanche is seventeen. She used to complain of pains in her head and back…"

How do they know this? The poor thing couldn't speak! She doesn't have a mouth!

But really, that's not the most interesting thing to me. I'm fascinated to use Google Maps to look up the neighborhoods where the letters came from. It's interesting to imagine the people long ago writing these letters and then being thrilled when they found them used in promotional material. How thrilled there daughters were is a whole other story.

In some cases there is no there there anymore. Only one address actually aligns with a real house. You can't go home again especially if it's not your home.
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Tattered and Lost: Forgotten Dolls

This one is for those who love dolls!
Snapshots from the last 100+ years of children and adults with dolls. 

Answer These Questions WITHOUT USING GOOGLE

We used to be a lot smarter before search engines came along. Now too many of us are sort of mentally lazy. Why bother to remember details when the answers are always at your fingertips?

Well, that doesn't explain my coming up with an odd answer for question number 27 in the Lydia E. Pinkham booklet of "Three Hundred Brain Teasers" that my best friend gave me for Christmas.

It was late Christmas night and I sat down in the glow of the tree to open gifts from friends. A nice quiet moment when all were in bed except me. It had been a long day with lots of cooking and eating, so I was tired. No doubt about it, I was TIRED. But even I can't use that as an excuse with question number 27.

I went through question 25 easily knowing the answer. I got to question 26 and went "Uhhhhhhh, nope." But then came 27.

I spent four years in art college and have a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree. I have actually been to see The Last Supper in person and told off a little Italian fellow who thought it smart to go on about the history of the painting including the fact that the US bombed the church during WWII. (I looked at him with a sneer then walked away saying, "If you hadn't been backing the Germans it wouldn't have happened.") So I get to 27 knowing I would know the answer. I know the painting. I know the other work he did! I studied this man for years! But the only thought that came to me for an answer was "Liberace." I wanted to scream! How could I not remember the name of this artist? "Liberace." Over and over again "Liberace" was all I could mutter. Complete brain fog. And then I started laughing. It was all so absurd. "Liberace." Okay, I put the booklet away, turned off the tree lights, and headed down the hall to bed. Then with a sigh the correct answer came to be, but I still prefer Liberace.



So go ahead, give the questions a try, but don't use a search engine. See how many you can actually remember from all those years in school when they drilled data into your brain. How much of it have you retained? And if you want the answers…just ask.


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Tattered and Lost: Forgotten Dolls

This one is for those who love dolls!
Snapshots from the last 100+ years of children and adults with dolls. 

A CHRISTMAS CARD from the 1930s

If you don't know about Mr. Roberts from my other site you might enjoy going there and doing a search in the search field. Here is a link to one photo of him with a lovely lady in Yosemite Valley back in the 1920s or early 30s.

In the 1930s Mr. Roberts got married to Lolly and this is a card the happy couple sent out one Christmas.




Click on image to see it larger.
___________

New book NOW available on Amazon.
Tattered and Lost: Forgotten Dolls

This one is for those who love dolls!
Snapshots from the last 100+ years of children and adults with dolls. 

Perfect stocking stuffer for the doll collector on your list!

A Tiny Handmade CHRISTMAS CARD for Montez

Another card from Montez Lawton's scrapbook. This is quite small, handmade using construction paper and what appears to be a photo and text cut from a magazine. There is no signature. Perhaps it was made by one of her students.


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And thank you to all who have bought copies of my new book. I hope you enjoy it.

Tattered and Lost: Forgotten Dolls

FROM BILL to Montez at Christmas

Bill was, I believe, Montez Lawton's husband; I can't be sure. There are several cards in the scrapbook signed by Bill, though there are more from her mom and dad.

I especially like Bill's signature.

I'm guessing this Hallmark card is from the late 40s to early 50s.



You can see that the front of the card has a plastic window allowing the holly inside to be seen.


Click on image to see it larger.


___________

New book NOW available on Amazon.
Tattered and Lost: Forgotten Dolls

This one is for those who love dolls!
Snapshots from the last 100+ years of children and adults with dolls. 

Perfect stocking stuffer for the doll collector on your list!

A SANTA for Montez Lawton in 1947

Another card from Montez Lawton's scrapbook; a Hallmark card from 1947. I don't think I've ever seen this logo before. Apparently until 1954 the company was known as Hall Brothers, Inc. A brief Hallmark bio follows the card.





Love how the little girl initially wrote her signature in pencil and then inked over it.

Joyce Clyde Hall became captivated by a salesman who stopped by his family's store in 1906 in Norfolk, Nebraska. Driven by the postcard craze of 1903, Hall decided to venture from retail of various products to wholesale of postcards. He moved his business to the larger market of Kansas City. As time went on, Hall became more convinced that greeting cards would become more prominent than postcards. Greeting cards, according to J.C. Hall, represented class, promised discretion and "they were more than a form of communication—they were a social custom.”

By 1915, the company was known as Hall Brothers and sold Valentine's Day and Christmas cards. In 1917, Hall and his brother Rollie "invented" modern wrapping paper when they ran out of traditional colored tissue paper. In 1922, the company expanded throughout the country. The staff grew from 4 to 120 people, and the line increased from holiday cards to include everyday greeting cards.

In 1928, the company adopted the name "Hallmark", after the hallmark symbol used by goldsmiths in London in the 14th century, and began printing the name on the back of every card. In the same year, the company became the first in the greeting card industry to advertise their product nationally. Their first advertisement appeared in Ladies' Home Journal and was written by J.C. Hall himself. In 1931, the Canadian William E. Coutts Company, Ltd., a major card maker, became an affiliate of Hall Brothers, which was Hall Brothers' first international business venture.

In 1944, it adopted its current slogan, "When you care enough to send the very best." It was created by C. E. Goodman, a Hallmark marketing and sales executive, and written on a 3x5 card. The card is on display at the company headquarters. In 1951, Hall sponsored a television program for NBC that gave rise to the Hallmark Hall of Fame, which has won 80 Emmy Awards. Hallmark now has its own cable television channel, the Hallmark Channel which was established in 2001. For a period of about 15 years, Hallmark owned a stake in the Spanish language network Univision.

In 1954, the company name was changed from Hall Brothers to Hallmark. In 1958, William E. Coutts Company, Ltd., was acquired by Hallmark; until the 1990s, Hallmark's Canadian branch was known as "Coutts Hallmark". (SOURCE: Wikipedia)

I stopped buying Hallmark products a long time ago because of their propensity to "copy" ideas from smaller companies. Add in the fact that the local Hallmark store became very religious and I decided I'd go elsewhere for cards. It used to be their cards were about the only ones you could easily find; not anymore. Their artists still turn out some very nice work, I just choose to spend my money elsewhere.
___________

New book NOW available on Amazon.
Tattered and Lost: Forgotten Dolls

This one is for those who love dolls!
Snapshots from the last 100+ years of children and adults with dolls. 

Perfect stocking stuffer for the doll collector on your list!

Vintage LION COFFEE PAPER DOLLS

The theme for Sepia Saturday this week was almost too easy for me: vintage advertising paper dolls. I have many in my collection. The following are all from the Lion Coffee "Children's Dolls With Stories" collection. In total there are 30 dolls to collect. I have yet to find all of them.

The Lion Coffee company was owned by Alvin Mansfield Woolson.

Alvin M. Woolson was born in Huron Ohio, October 5, 1840 (always considered a good year for coffee in this office). Brought-up by foster parents, the boy did his share of farm labor, attending school only during the three winter months of the year. He worked in a country store, and later took a turn as a printers devil for the Sandusky Register. At the outbreak of the Civil War young Alvin enlisted in the First Regiment, Ohio Volunteers. In the course of the War, he received as appointment as Sergeant Major, of Artillery, in the Army of the Patomac.

In the aftermath of the war, Woolson moved west with the Union Pacific Railroad of E.H. Harriman, working in the capacity of accountant. In later years he recounted that among his duties was to ward off Indian attacks. With his feelings of wonderlust fullfilled and the railroad complete, Woolson moved back to Ohio where he clerked in a country store for a year prior to making the decision to set up for himself which he did, in the town of Wauseon with a capital of $125.00. He subsequently courted and married Francis (Frankie) Tillinghast and settled in Toledo in 1875. There he opened a grocery store on Adams Street near 12th.

There were opportunities for a fellow with ambition, and a grubstake, in the wholesale grocers trade and Alvin Woolson was not a man to let grass grow beneath his feet. In 1882 the Woolson Spice Co. was formed with a capital of $30,000.00 which represented significant local support from Toledo's business community including John Berdan and James Secor. The old Warren & Bidwell company was in financial straights and was to fall under the gavel at a government forclosure sale. Woolson was the successful bidder.

Woolson was a man possessed. He was tireless in his efforts to establish Lion Coffee as a major brand. It was 10 years before the first profits were realized. Then the tide came in and over the next five years over million profits were realized.

As markets filled and competition became fierce Woolson utilized a program of "premiums" to promote his products and encourage sales. "Save the wrapper" and "Cut out the Lion's Head" became the watchword of the day in households where the Lion Brand was used. Trading cards accompanied packages and toys could be sent for. There was something for everyone in the way of a Lion brand premium from bicycles and jackknifes to lace curtains. (SOURCE: The Free Library)

Click here to see a photo of Woolson.

I wonder if those who created these advertising premiums ever thought about their work still being around long after they were gone. Did they imagine these little scraps of paper would last well over a hundred years and be sought after? I doubt it. These were items meant to be played with and tossed.

I'll admit there are books I've designed that I know will be around for decades after I'm gone. I hope they provide pleasure to those who find them.