Sears, Roebuck and Co., Hercules "Blue Blood" Overalls Pocket Flasher

Great double-sided pocket flasher from Sears, Roebuck and Co. for their Hercules Overalls. This flasher goes into detail about their Sanforized "Blue Blood" Denim. The "Blue Blood" method refers to indigo dying the yarn all the way to its core. There is no date on the piece, but I'd date it to around the 1940s.

Sears, Roebuck and Co. started using the Hercules name on products in 1908. Their first product bearing this name was a boiler. It appeared on goods such as work clothing, appliances and even insurance. The Hercules name made its last appearance on a bandana in the company's 1964-65 fall/winter catalog.

1936 Lee Jelt Denim Overalls Pocket Flasher

Lee introduced "Jelt Denim" in 1925. This is a 11-ounce cloth that featured twisted threads which provided strength and durability.

1936 Lee Overalls Pocket Flasher

1915 Union Special Machine Company Advertising Envelope

Great advertising envelope from the Union Special Machine Company postmarked November 9, 1915. For more history on the Union Special Company, check out this site.

Front cover detail from a 1917 Union Special manual

1901 Robert Krause Company Billhead featuring Crow Overalls

Illustrated billhead from The Robert Krause Company in Davenport, Iowa featuring Crow Overalls. Bill is dated February 5, 1901. Robert Krause was one of Davenport's most prominent businessmen. As well as founding the Krause Shirt Company along with his brother, he was also the vice president of the Citizens Savings Bank. At one time or another, each member of Krause's family held the position of president at the Krause Co.

The photos below were found on the Scott County Iowa USGenWeb Project site.

Robert Krause

The Robert Krause Company

The Robert Krause Company

Wards War Model Pioneer 8 Ounce Denim Pocket Flasher Circa 1942-1945

Nice pocket flasher advertising Montgomery Ward's War Model Pioneer 8 Ounce Denim. As well as being a great piece of denim marketing, this also has World War II history along with it. The piece dates to around 1942-1945. The jeans were, as the flasher states, made in accordance with OPA specifications. OPA stands for Office of Price Administration. This federal agency was created by President Franklin Roosevelt and tasked with establishing price controls on nonagricultural commodities and rationing essential consumer goods during World War II (1939-1945). In May1942, the OPA passed the General Maximum Price Regulation. This effectively set the price ceiling at March 1942 levels. This is the $1.55 ceiling price you see on the tag. The agency was disbarred shortly after the war's end in 1947.

1886 L.E. Burbank, Burbank's Standard Overalls Billhead

On Friday, January 13th, I posted a small label from Burbank's Standard Overalls. That post can be seen here. At the time the only information I could find online said that Burbank Overalls was founded in 1901 and later became the Buxton Garment Company around 1918. I recently acquired this billhead which obviously shows that Leonard Burbank's Standard Overalls was established much earlier. This piece is dated July 5, 1886. From what I've found since is that the company started out producing suspenders as early as 1878. In a 1882 New Hampshire Business Directory, Burbank is listed as an overall manufacturer along side two other prominent makers Henry W. Carter and Carter & Churchill.

1950s Levi's Shipping Label

1950s Levi's shipping label from Jarratt's Men's & Boys' Wear in Marshfield, Missouri.

Smith Brothers Manufacturing Company Photos

While doing a quick search online for Smith Brothers Manufacturing Company (Big Smith), I stumbled upon these great images on the facebook page belonging to the Powers Museum of Carthage, Missouri. Their facebook pages can be found here and the museum site is located here.

Product Storage

Cutting Room

Production Room

Production Room

Product Storage

Production Floor

Sales Room

Workforce

1950s Big Smith Blue Jeans Pocket Flasher

Nicely illustrated 1950s pocket flasher for Big Smith Blue Jeans produced by Smith Brothers Manufacturing Company, located in Carthage, Missouri.

1962 Big Yank New York Yankees Button Card with Mickey Mantle

Today's post combines two of my favorite things, baseball and vintage clothing. In 1962 Big Yank started an advertising campaign for their line Amblers Leisurewear called "The Big Yanks wear Big Yank." The players featured were Mickey Mantle, Roger Maris and Whitey Ford. At a later date, Elston Howard also became part of the campaign. So far I know of two different button tags from the 1962 promotion. I recently picked up the piece above which I assume is from the early part of the campaign. It is blank-backed and has the Big Yank Corporation address as New York, N.Y. BY 230. The piece below, which was recently in Hunt Auctions, is longer and has details on the back for obtaining an autographed ball by Mantle, Maris or Ford. The address here is New York, N.Y. By 235. I'd love to see if these baseballs had a Big Yank logo.

Hunt Auctions

Carhartt Heart Buttons

With today being Valentine's Day, I thought it would be a perfect time to take a look at Carhartt's Heart Buttons. Carhartt used these buttons on garments from 1900 to 1930.

Union-Made Weekend

I'll be out in Los Angeles catching up with old friends at Inspiration and Rose Bowl this weekend. If anyone is going to be around please let me know. Happy hunting.

Late 1920s or 1930s Levi's Shipping Label

Late 1920s or 1930s Levi's shipping label for Cimarron Mercantile Company in Cimarron, New Mexico. It's interesting to see the line at the top of the label which explains that "Levi's" is a registered mark of Levi Strauss & Co. The company introduced this trademark in 1928.

Sweet, Orr & Co. Factory Workers Cabinet Photo

Courtesy of GM collection

The other day my friend at work came in and said he had something I should post on the blog. He then proceeded to hand me this incredible cabinet photo showing women at their sewing stations inside the Sweet, Orr & Co. factory. There's no date on the piece, but it's easily from the late 1890s or early 1900s. The name Clara Hanlin is written on the front of the piece. A quick search online produced no results to help me identify this woman. There's writing on the back, but it's pretty difficult to make out what it says. Check out the Stifel Indigo Cloth in the bottom right-hand corner.

Courtesy of GM collection

Smith's Double Duty Overalls Pocket Flasher

Nicely illustrated pocket flasher from Smith's Overall Company advertising their line of Smith's Double Duty Overalls. No date, but I'd put it in the 1950's because of the price.

1887 Levi Strauss Advertising Cover

Great advertisng cover from Levis Strauss & Co., San Francisco with a double postmark. San Francisco on the front and San Andreas on the back with the date October 20, 1887. It looks like a stamp collector clipped the stamp from the cover.

The envelope looks to be addressed to C. Agostini in San Andreas, California. I did find a Cyprien Agostini while digging around online. If it is the same person, he was the owner of the D'Agostini Building which was built in 1851. Agostini purchased the building in 1870. It was the first brick building built in San Andreas and one of only a few to survive the disastrous fire of 1858. After attempts to save the building as a landmark by the Calaveras County Historical Society, it was dismantled in 1971.

1938 Signal Work Clothes Presents The Hired Hands Real Photo Postcard

There's quite a bit stuff going on in this real photo postcard produced by Orcajo Photo Art Cards in Dayton, Ohio in 1938.

You have John Rissman & Sons, Signal Work Clothes, The Hired Hands (aka The Four Hired Hands), Lucille Overstake (aka Jenny Lou Carson) and WCFL Radio.

John Rissman & Sons, Chicago, stand out because they're known for trademarking  the name "Windbreaker." I'm not quite sure at what date they took over Signal Work Clothes who used to be produced by Hilker-Wiechers Manufacting Company in Racine, Wisconsin. They stopped producing Signal sometime in 1923 or 1924.

The Hired Hands (aka The Four Hired Hands) were a hillbilly/country band. Pictured in the postcard are Al Viodek, who joined the group in 1938,  Tony "Pitchie" Pacione, Don Giacolett, who left the band in 1938, and Ben "Blinky" Pigotti. The band was a big performer on WCFL and WLS, both Chicago based AM stations.

WLS was founded in 1924 and on its second night on the air debuted a show called National Barn Dance. This was one of the first American country music radio programs and a direct precursor to the Grand Ole Opry.

Another mainstay on National Barn Dance was Lucille Overstake (aka Jenny Lou Carson). She went on to write and record several #1 country hits including Jealous Heart preformed by country music and cowboy film legend, Tex Ritter.

The radio station featured on this card was WCFL. They were called the "Voice of Labor" and was founded by the Chicago Federation of Labor in 1926. They were the first labor union station in the country. Their mission statement was, "influence or educate the public mind upon the meaning and objects of Trade Unions and of the Federation on Labor, correct wrong impressions by broadcasting the truth, and advance progressive economic ideas which when actually put into operation will benefit the masses of the nation."

Below is a WLS Artist Studio photo featuring The Hired Hands.

Late 1890s Murphy, Grant & Co. Advertising Blotters

Group of three oversized ink blotters featuring Murphy, Grant & Company from the late 1890s.

The Murphy, Grant & Company was founded in 1851 by Eugene Kelly, J.A. Donohoe, Daniel T. Murphy and Adam Grant. They were considered the largest wholesale dry goods house on the west coast. They also manufactured "The Never Rip Overall" under the Nonpareil Brand. Nonpareil is French and means without equal. They were considered one of Levi's biggest rivals at the time.

Below is a Nonpareil label by Murphy, Grant & Co., from 1891

From Oregon State Archives

Advertising cover from Murphy, Grant & Co. postmarked 1896

Hamer-Schua Auction Galleries

1890 Henry W. Carter Billhead

Billhead dated January 7, 1890 from Henry W. Carter (& Sons) Overalls, Lebanon, New Hampshire. Carter established his company in 1859. 

Recently there have been several blog posts about the relaunch of H.W. Carter & Sons. The new company is currently offering aprons and bandanas. For more information, visit their site here.

This new company shouldn't be confused with the large baby and children's store Carter's whose roots are from the William Carter Company, an old underwear manufacturer. However, there seems to be another Carter's line that also ties its heritage back to Henry W. Carter & Sons. This line offers children's clothing and also uses the tag "Watch the Wear." For more information, click here. I'm not sure if the new H.W. Carter & Sons and Carter's Watch the wear are related but when you look at their respective history and about pages, they have a very similar look and wording.