Workers CDV by Thos. Stomum

Nice late 1800s CDV showing two workers jeans and overalls. Image was taken by Thos. Stomum of Vergennes, Illinois. I did a quick search online for him and couldn't find any information.  

1938-39 Wichita Brand Overalls Pocket memo Book

1938-39 Wichita Brand Overalls Pocket Memo Book issued by the Great-Western Garment Company in Wichita Falls, Texas. This company should not be confused with the Great Western Garment Company (GWG) in Canada. Wichita Brand Overalls were made from Edwin Blue Serge Denim produced by Erwin Mills.

1932 High Point Overall Co., Anvil Brand Advertising Envelope

Advertising envelope from the High Point Overall Company in High Point, North Carolina. High Point was the manufacturer of Anvil Brand work clothes. The cover is postmarked September 7, 1932 from High Point, NC. and addressed to the Singer Sewing Machine Company in Atlanta Georgia.

The High Point Overall Company was established by James Henry Millis in 1892. The first Anvil Brand trademark filing was on July 30, 1910. The Anvil Brand "Hard to Beat" trademark used above was first registered on August 30, 1930. One can only speculate that the trademark was changed because there were several other companies at the time using Anvil Brand on their own products.

1907 Sweet-Orr & Co. Pocket Memo Book

1910 Pittsburgh Wagon Works Real Photo Postcard

Real photo postcard showing a work crew from the Pittsburgh Wagon Works postmarked October 31, 1910. The original sender wrote on the front, "Some crowd, this'" They were obviously refering to the motley crew on the front. They look like a combination of workmen and mobsters. It's interesting that both the postmark and the written description on the back refer to Pittsburgh as Pittsburg.

Pittsburgh was a big player in the manufacturing of wagons. There was easy access to lumber and iron as well as being a shipping point on the Ohio River.

1928 Baker Overall Company Invoice

1928 Baker Overall Company invoice. The company also produced Baker's Best and Tiger Brand work clothes. They were established in 1896 and incorporated in 1919. The company was located in Scottsburg, Indiana.

1892 Orr, Jr. Mfg. Co., Invoice and Envelope

1892 invoice and envelope from Orr, Jr. Manufacturing Company in Port Jervis, New York. I recently picked this piece up from Ozark Dry Goods. In their description, they had this as being a little known division of Sweet, Orr & Company. This might or might not be the case. There is basically no information out there for Orr, Jr. Manufacturing Company. I reached out to Jim Christensen of Your Old Pal, Jim. Jim is the guy for Sweet, Orr history. He thought this piece was a mystery because biographical sketches on James Orr doesn't mention any sons. He thinks James A. Orr Jr. might have been a nephew. Sweet, Orr did have a factory in Port Jervis, New York. Maybe this was part of that factory. If anyone has any information regarding this, please drop me a line.

1922 Forest City Overall Manufacturing Co. Letter

1938 Farah Mfg. Co., Apache Brand Work Clothes Advertising Envelope

Advertisng envelope from the Farah Manufacturing Company in El Paso, Texas postmarked January 17, 1938. The company produced Apache Brand Work Clothes. Founded in 1920 by Lebanese immigrants, Manson and Hana Farah.

In 2005, the Farah Brand was purchased by Perry Ellis International

For a detailed look at the Farah Manufacturing Company history check out the Texas State Historical Association website link below.

http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/dlf02

1904 Henry J. Brock Letterhead

Great illustrated letterhead from Henry J. Brock & Company dated March 21, 1904. Brock & Co., were Manufacturers of High-Grade Union-Label Clothing for Men. The firm was located in Buffalo, New York. Brock retired from the clothing business in 1905 to pursue interests in the motion picture and film business. At the time of his death in 1917, he was the president of the Inter Ocean Film Corporation.

Below is a double page spread that appeared in Men's Wear Magazine, November 21, 1906.

Hercules Work Clothes Match Cover

Sears, Roebuck & Company produced their Hercules branded products from 1908 to 1965. The company even used it for the insurance company they owned, Hercules Life Insurance. The match cover above features Hercules Work Clothes. The piece is undated, but most likely is from the 1950s.

Spotted on ebay: Early 1900s Levi Strauss Salesman Sample

Ozark Dry Goods has a killer pair of Levi Strauss salesman sample 201s with the buckleback on ebay. For the complete listing and more photos, click below. Also check out their website.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-1902-1911-LEVI-STRAUSS-CO-Buckleback-Denim-201-Salesman-Sample-Jeans-/271030700501?pt=Vintage_Men_s_Clothing&hash=item3f1ab049d5#ht_500wt_1413

Circa 1908 Real Photo Postcard with Bricklayers

Circa 1908 real photo postcard featuring a group of bricklayers. The card is postmarked March 7th from Freedom, Pennsylvania. This is a very small town in western Pennsylvania. I put the card around 1908 because of the postage stamp. It appears to be a Scott #331 which was issued in '08.

1882 Levi Strauss & Co., Envelope

Levi Strauss & Company envelope postmarked May 30, 1882 San Francisco, California.

Irwin-Phillips Co., Big Dam Overalls Salesman's Flyer

Nicely illustrated salesman's flyer for Irwin-Phillips Company, Keokuk, Iowa. Irwin-Phillips was the manufacturer of Big Dam & Indian Head Overalls. 

For more great information and images of Irwin-Phillips go to the following link:

http://www.lyndonirwin.com/irwinkeo.htm

Big Winston Overalls Advertising Ink Blotter

Nice Advertising Ink Blotter from Big Winston Overalls, Winston-Salem, North Carolina. The piece is undate. I tried to get a date off the back, but could find any.

Late 1950s Early 1960s Stephens Brand Advertising Card

Late 1950s, early 1960s advertising card for Stephens Brand Genuine Western Jeans. These were manufactured by W.E. Stephens Mfg. Co., in Nashville, Tennessee. W.E. Stephens also produced Years Wear Brand and Three Season Brand clothing.

The company is still around, but apparently only doing womenswear.

Below are some ads that appeared in LIFE magazine.

The Well Dressed Gent

I've questioned recently if I should add more than just work clothes and denim to Union-Made and have come up with an answer. A brand new blog called The Well Dressed Gent. Just like Union-Made, I be looking at the rich history of mens' clothing through ephemera and collectibles. The first post is up and many more are lined up and ready to go. Please take a peek and tell a friend.

1932 Levi Strauss & Company Advertising Envelope

Advertising envelope from Levi Strauss & Company postmarked San Francisco, January 1932. It looks as though the postmark was done internally with a postal meter and that the, "Levi's, A new pair free if they rip" stamp was part of the company's postmark.

1948 Lee Riders Pocket Flasher

1948 Lee Riders 101-Z pocket flasher. The "Z" indicates that this model has a zipper fly. Lee was the first company to use a zipper fly when they introduced it in 1926. They also produced the 101 B, which was their button fly model.

1946 Lee Riders Pocket Flasher

1946 Pocket flasher for Lee Riders 101. This was the year that Lee switched from the Hair-on-Hide waistband label to the "Twitch" label. This was done to replicate a steer's twitch when it was branded.

1889 Rider Wallis White Elephant Overalls Salesman's Advertising Postcard

Great salesman's advertising card from Rider-Wallis, makers of White Elephant Pantaloon Overalls. The card was sent by E. Pearson of Altona, Illinois to R. Morr & Co., in Oquawka, Illinois on August 9, 1889. The card has two full postmarks and a partial third. The company was originally established as John Bell and Company in 1864 and renamed Bell, Rider and Wallis in 1865. John Bell's interest in the company was purchased in 1866 and the name changed to Rider-Wallis. The firm was incorporate in 1889.

Roadside Carhartt Overalls Signs

Undated roadside Carhartt Overalls signs.

c. Early 1920s Snapshots with Blue Buckle Overalls Posters

I found these two great snapshots in a scrapbook. I love the size of the Blue Buckle posters in the background. These pieces a re undated but I'd say they're from the early 1920s because the illustration  style is similar to Blue Buckle ads I've seen from that time period.