1910s Archives - The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit

Jan312014 by Chris HolmesNo Comments

A Pair of Suffragette Valentine’s Day Cards

I thought I had seen every type of Valentine's Day card there was, but apparently I was wrong. Apparently it was a thing in the early 20th century to give out cards with a suffragette theme, as evidenced by the two cards I am sharing with you today. They both directly address the issue of a woman's right to vote, which as we know was granted with the ratification of the 19th Amendment in 1920. The first card, which I'm guessing was printed pre-1920, is pretty blunt in its message: I'll give you time to think it over! Fairest Suffragette Be My Valentine And With This Bracelet Link Your Hands & Fate With Mine The imagery of the handcuffs is pretty evocative, wouldn't you agree? The second card, which looks like it might have been produced after the 19th Amendment was ra...

Jul172013 by Chris HolmesNo Comments

Vintage Photo Wednesday, Vol. 37: Smokin’ Outside the Pool Room

Vintage Photo Wednesday

From St. Louis in May 1910 comes a scene you won't see much of anymore. The photo description from the Library of Congress reads as follow: "A Pool Room Branch (Chouteau & Manchester). These boys were playing pool and smoking in the pool room while waiting for papers. The smallest boy is 9 years old and sells until 9 P.M." Click for a larger version. Photo credit to Lewis Wickes Hine. For another shot from the same session, check out this Shorpy page. I love the smirk on the dapper gentleman standing in the doorway. His face pretty much says, "Yeah, I'm watching these young kids smoke, what of it? As long as I get my paper on time I'm fine and dandy."

Jun262013 by Chris HolmesNo Comments

Vintage Photo Wednesday, Vol. 35: New York Horsecar Scene, 1910s-1920s

Vintage Photo Wednesday

I'll admit that this one has me a bit puzzled. What I can gather is that this is a shot of a horsecar in front of a building owned by the Hartford and New York Transportation Company. The company operated steamboats, barges, skiffs, tugboats, and other water craft and carried passengers between New York and Connecticut -- making frequent stops along the Connecticut River. In 1906 the company was taken over by the New York, New Haven & Hartford Railroad. All this is to say that I can't really nail down a date for this very nice photo. Click for the full-size version. The main clue for dating offered here is the horsecar in the foreground of the photo. Horsecars -- which differed slightly from horse-drawn trolleys -- were pretty much phased out of New York City by 1917 or so, w

Jun172013 by Chris HolmesNo Comments

Here’s a Terrifying Popular Mechanics Magazine Cover from World War I

Ephemera, History

I find images and illustrations from World War I to be more frightening on average than almost anything -- the Holocaust excepted -- from World War II. There's something morbidly fascinating about the weaponry used in that conflict. It certainly was new and cutting edge for its time, but looks curiously antique now. It gives drawings like this one from the July 1915 issue of Popular Mechanics all the more sinister. It showcases a German soldier wearing an oil tank with a mask and goggles, which can all be used for just one thing: shooting liquefied fire at his enemies. And just to complete the look, he's got a service pistol at the ready. This sort of military ensemble would probably be called steampunk now, if it weren't so cruel in its very design. I suppose I shouldn't be s...

Dec192012 by Chris HolmesNo Comments

Vintage Photo Wednesday, Vol. 21: New York Santa & Mobile Xmas Post Office

Vintage Photo Wednesday

Sorry for the dearth of activity around these parts lately, it's been a hectic holiday season. To make it up to you I'm doubling your vintage photograph pleasure this week! Up first is a familiar site -- Santa Claus collecting donations for the less fortunate on a street corner, circa the early 1910s. This is from the Library of Congress's Bain News Service collection. Click for a larger version. The sign on the faux chimney reads, in part, "Volunteers of America -- Ballington Booth Christmas Dinners." According to Wikipedia, Ballington Booth was an officer in the Salvation Army. His parents, William and Catherine Booth, founded the Salvation Army in 1865. Booth and his wife Maud left the Salvation Army in the late 19th century and started their own charity organization -- God

Nov142012 by Chris Holmes1 Comment

Vintage Photo Wednesday, Vol. 18: Thanksgiving Maskers, 1911

Vintage Photo Wednesday

Before Halloween became the de facto holiday of choice in America for children seeking goodies, there was Thanksgiving Masking. On the last Thursday in November, kids dressed up in costumes -- typically made up of adult-looking clothes and either masks or dark, smudged faces -- and go around the neighborhood begging for treats or scrambling for pennies. The tradition started in the 19th century and, as far as I can tell, was mainly relegated to the northeastern U.S. Once the now-accepted traditions of Thanksgiving and Halloween took hold in the 20th century, masking vanished. Certainly one of the major developments that pushed it into obscurity was the first Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in 1924. Here's a shot, most likely dated 1911, of a group of Thanksgiving Maskers scrambling fo

Nov72012 by Chris Holmes2 Comments

Time Capsule: Puck Magazine Thanksgiving Political Covers, 1894-1913

Capsules, Ephemera

Published from 1871 until 1918, Puck magazine was America's first successful humor magazine featuring cartoons and political satire. Their Thanksgiving covers, while not always political, usually were and are still fun to look at today even if the relevance has been lost to time. Their choice of makes sense when you know that they were based out of New York City. Tammany Hall, which we all heard about in history class but have since forgotten, figures prominently. Here's a selection of Puck's Thanksgiving covers from around the turn of the 20th century, courtesy the Library of Congress. That's prominent New York politician David B. Hall, who we'll see again in 1902. He lost the NY gubernatorial race in 1894 to Levi P. Morton. Tammany Hall was a frequent target for ...

Oct312012 by Chris HolmesNo Comments

Vintage Photo Wednesday, Vol. 17: Memories of Atlantic City

Vintage Photo Wednesday

The cleanup from Hurricane Sandy has barely begun here in New Jersey. In fact, I'm writing this from somewhere other than my home due to a lack of power. I think it's safe to say that large parts of the state -- the Jersey Shore especially -- will never be the same. So for this edition of Vintage Photo Wednesday, let's remember one place in particular: Atlantic City.

Oct102012 by Chris Holmes1 Comment

Vintage Photo Wednesday, Vol. 15: Vintage Halloween Costumes

Vintage Photo Wednesday

The internet is full of pictures featuring vintage Halloween costumes, so do we really need another gallery? Yes, yes we do. OK, so maybe this last one stretches the definition of vintage a bit. But hey, it's Kiss and that's good enough for me. I only wish there were existing photos of me when I dressed like Gene as a kid -- with actual face paint no less! Related articles Halloween Costumes From Yesteryear Let's Look at Some More Vintage Halloween Ads A Gallery of Vintage Beistle Halloween Decorations, Part 2 Vintage Photo Wednesday, Vol. 14: The Kitchen of Tomorrow (Life, 1943)