Photos, videos and docs of Alan Mays, with the keywords: "Chicago"

Dr. LeGear, Largest Horse in the World

nobody@ipernity.com (Alan Mays) — Thu, 27 Sep 2018 05:07:04 +0000

What would be a good name for the "largest horse in the world," a Percheron owned by Dr. L. D. LeGear, whose company manufactured patent veterinary medicines in the early twentieth century? Well, how about "Dr. LeGear"? That wouldn't confuse anybody, would it?

Dr. LeGear
Largest horse in the world.
21 hands high, weight 2995 pounds.

Owned by Dr. L. D. LeGear Medicine Co., St. Louis, Mo.
Mfrs. Dr. LeGear's Stock and Poultry Remedies.
"One for every ailment."

Printed on the back of the postcard:

"Dr. LeGear" the giant horse is a beautiful dapple seal brown Persheron gelding 21 hands high, takes a 32-inch collar, is perfectly proportioned, absolutely sound, weighed May 1, 1913, 2995 pounds, and is valued at $25,000.00. Owned by Dr. L. D. LeGear Medicine Co., St. Louis, Mo., m'f'g's. Dr. LeGear's Stock and Poultry Remedies.

Putnam Fadeless Dyes and Tints Advertising Fan

nobody@ipernity.com (Alan Mays) — Mon, 04 Jun 2018 05:20:04 +0000

Alan Mays has posted:

"Putnam Fadeless Dyes-Tints."

A late 1920s paper advertising fan with a wooden handle. The elaborate Art Nouveau design of the fan features a green nymph in flowing robes who's using Putnam Fadeless Dyes and Tints to paint colors onto the wings of a quizzical-looking butterfly. Two other leafy green creatures kneel on either side as they hold bowls of Putnam products. Purple gnarly tree trunks and branches along with green leaves frame the fantastical scene.

See also the advertising copy on the back of the fan.

Putnam Fadeless Dyes and Tints Advertising Fan (Back)

nobody@ipernity.com (Alan Mays) — Mon, 04 Jun 2018 05:20:02 +0000

Alan Mays has posted:

Partial transcription of the text on the back of the Putnam Fadeless Dyes and Tints Advertising Fan:

Putnam Fadeless Dyes, Tints

To dye, use boiling water. To tint, dip in warm water. Colors all materials.

Putnam No-Kolor Bleach removes the original color, which enables you to dye material any color desired. No-Kolor will not harm any fabric that boiling water alone will not injure.

Why Putnam Fadeless Dyes and Tints are best for you....

Tint with Putnam (no boiling is required)....

A free offer if you have gray hair....

Putnam Dry-Cleaner. The original dry cleaner.... Monroe Chemical Company, Quincy, Illinois.

The Regensteiner Corporation, Chicago.

Compliments of Geo. F. Hoy, Hublersburg, Pa.

Bargain Water Closets from the St. Louis World's Fair (1904): Front Washout Closets

nobody@ipernity.com (Alan Mays) — Fri, 05 Sep 2014 16:59:12 +0000

Alan Mays has posted:

Over 19 million people visited the St. Louis World's Fair (officially known as the Louisiana Purchase Exposition), which was held in St. Louis, Missouri, in 1904. For one of the attractions at the fair, the Chicago House Wrecking Company bought the world's first Ferris Wheel, originally constructed in 1893 for the Chicago World's Fair, disassembled the wheel in Chicago, and then rebuilt it in St. Louis.

After the St. Louis fair closed on December 1, 1904, the Chicago House Wrecking Company purchased many of the fair's buildings, which the company then dismantled and resold in parts and pieces (the Ferris Wheel, however, met a different fate--it was dynamited and scrapped in 1906).

As this small advertisement demonstrates, all sorts of fixtures were available for sale. If you needed a toilet (or, I suppose, if you just wanted a unique souvenir from the fair), you could buy a "high-grade front washout closet" like the one above for $9.00. Or for a better bargain at only $8.00, you could turn the ad over and select a "hopper closet" (see image below) that was safe even in unheated bathrooms.

Bargain Water Closets from World's Fair

No. W.F. 100. 2,000 of these high grade Front Washout Closets. They are in first class condition. Outfit consists of porcelain front washout closet bowl, with a top supply closet tank all complete with best flushing devices; strong seat to fasten to wall. N.P. flush pipe and elbow coupling, floor screws, chain and pull, brackets, etc. Special price while they last, $9.00.

Chicago House Wrecking Co., 35th and Iron Sts., Chicago. (Over).

Bargain Water Closets from the St. Louis World's Fair (1904): Hopper Closets

nobody@ipernity.com (Alan Mays) — Fri, 05 Sep 2014 16:59:10 +0000

Alan Mays has posted:

For information regarding the Chicago House Wrecking Company and the world's fair toilets that the company sold, see Bargain Water Closets from the St. Louis World's Fair (1904): Front Washout Closets.

Bargain Water Closets from the World's Fair

No. W.F. 108. 500 of these Hopper Closets. Just the thing for bathrooms that are not heated--as they won't burst. Outfit consists of porcelain hopper bowl, top supply tank complete with best flushing devices, strong seat to fasten to the wall. N.P. flush pipe and elbow coupling, floor screws, chain and pull, brackets, etc. Special price while they last, $8.00.

Chicago House Wrecking Co., 35th and Iron Sts., Chicago. (Over).

Friendly Tavern, U.S. Routes 11 and 15, Newport, Pa.

nobody@ipernity.com (Alan Mays) — Sat, 03 Jun 2017 17:54:58 +0000

Alan Mays has posted:

"Friendly Tavern, Route 11-15, north of Harrisburg, Pa."

The Friendly Tavern was located in Perry County, Pennsylvania, along a stretch of highway where U.S. Route 11 combines with U.S. Route 15. The building that housed the taven is now part of an establishment called TJ's (see the Google Maps Street View from 2015).

Cracker Jack Riddles

nobody@ipernity.com (Alan Mays) — Sat, 03 Jun 2017 01:50:41 +0000

Alan Mays has posted:

Cracker Jack Riddle cards like this one were issued in sets of twenty in 1906. They included well-worn humorous riddles that circulated widely in books and newspapers at the time. A book of Conundrums, Riddles, and Puzzles by Dean Rivers that appeared in 1903, for instance, contained all the riddles on this card and probably most or all of the ones on the other nineteen cards.

Cracker Jack

It is not often one can find
A candy good for body and mind,
But our old doctor says it's true
That "Cracker Jack" is good for you.

This famous confection is manufactured from choice, wholesome materials and blended together in a scientific manner. Cracker Jack is a combination of candy, popcorn, and peanuts, and it is very nutritious as well as palatable. It is more easily digested and assimilated than richly made candies. It is good alike for young and old.

The more you eat
The more you want.

Manufactured by Rueckheim Bros. & Eckstein, Chicago, U.S.A.

See riddles on other side.

"Cracker Jack" Riddles

What relation is a door mat to a door step? A step farther.

What is the difference between one yard and two yards? A fence.

How do we know that Noah had a pig in the ark? Because he had Ham.

When is money damp? When it is due in the morning and missed at night.

What is the cheapest way to buy a fiddle? Buy a little medicine and get a vial in?

How may book-keeping be taught in a lesson of three words? Never lend them.

Why are records brittle things? Because they cannot be lowered without breaking.

When did George Washington first take a carriage? When he took a hack at the cherry tree.

What is the difference between forms and ceremonies? You sit upon one and stand on the other.

Why do girls kiss each other and men not? Because girls have nothing better to kiss, and men have.

Why were the brokers in the panic of 1873 like Pharaoh's daughter? They saved a little prophet from the rushes on the banks.

Send name and address with 2c stamp and receive a full set (20 different kinds) of our famous "Cracker Jack" Riddle Cards.

Uncle Sam Automaton at the Columbian Exposition, Chicago, Illinois, 1893

nobody@ipernity.com (Alan Mays) — Thu, 22 Jan 2015 21:06:30 +0000

Alan Mays has posted:

Although I haven't uncovered any specific information regarding Thomas Edison's Uncle Sam automaton at the Columbian Exposition in 1893, I suspect that it wasn't too far removed from the inventor's unsuccessful talking doll, which appeared in 1890. For info on this, see Gaby Wood, Edison's Eve: A Magical History of the Quest for Mechanical Life (Knopf, 2002); Edison’s First, Less Scary Talking Doll Recording, a posting on The History Blog; a page dealing with the Edison Talking Doll - 1890; and, finally, a short segment on Edison's Talking Doll (with a demo of the doll!) that aired on Discovery's Oddities show.

Uncle Sam

The wonderful Edison talking automaton at World's Fair, delivering 40,000 speeches during the Exhibition, about Highest Award, Gold Medal, Hub Gore.

Hub Gore Makers, Elastic for Shoes. Hub Gore A. Trade Mark.

Highest Gold Medal Awarded. Elastic for Shoes, Highest Award to Hub Gore Makers. Columbian Exposition.

Curtiss Candy Company Mixed Bowling League, Chicago, Illinois, 1949

nobody@ipernity.com (Alan Mays) — Tue, 22 Sep 2015 17:38:54 +0000

Alan Mays has posted:

"Curtis Candy Co. Mixed Bowling League. 1948. 1949. Sheridan Recreation, Feb. 3, 1949."

Group photo of the participants in a Curtiss Candy Company bowling league. Games took place at Sheridan Recreation, a bowling alley and pool hall located at 1002 Wilson Avenue in Chicago.

Theodore Roosevelt and the Roller Skate Craze

nobody@ipernity.com (Alan Mays) — Thu, 17 Mar 2016 22:36:58 +0000

Alan Mays has posted:

I believe it was U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt who said, "Speak softly, carry a big stick, and go roller skating." Or words to that effect.

Joe DiMaggio's Restaurant, Fishermen's Wharf, San Francisco, California

nobody@ipernity.com (Alan Mays) — Mon, 27 Jul 2015 18:25:40 +0000

Alan Mays has posted:

"Joe DiMaggio's Restaurant, Fishermen's Wharf, San Francisco, California. Famous thruout the world. Vincent DiMaggio. Dominic DiMaggio. Telephone: Ordway 2266 - 205-11 Jefferson St. Cocktails."

Printed on the back of this linen postcard: "Joe DiMaggio's Restaurant. Your visit to San Francisco would not be complete without dining and dancing at Joe DiMaggio's restaurant, overlooking the world-famous Fishermen's Wharf, with its picturesque Italian fishermen and their gaily painted fishing craft in full view."

Handwritten note on the back: "1940."

Electricity in a Bottle

nobody@ipernity.com (Alan Mays) — Sat, 08 Aug 2015 23:49:44 +0000

Alan Mays has posted:

"Electricity in a Bottle. Cures catarrh, hay fever, headache, asthma, neuralgia. Price, $1.00. The West Electric Cure Co., Chicago, Ills."

A die-cut advertising trade card for an electrifying patent medicine.

Sunshine, by Joshua Smith, 1883

nobody@ipernity.com (Alan Mays) — Mon, 18 May 2015 16:10:34 +0000

Alan Mays has posted:

This cabinet card photo, created by Joshua Smith, Chicago, Illinois, is a composite image that shows the faces of over fifty smiling and laughing children.

A commentator in the "Notes" section of The Photographic Times and American Photographer, vol. 13 (June 1883): 261, gave this unenthusiastic appraisal of this photo and another one by Smith: "'Sunshine' and 'Showers' are the appropriate names of two groups of baby faces, in which it seems as if the artist-photographer, Mr. Joshua Smith, of Chicago, has shown every possible shade of infantile expression of joy or grief."

Smith evidently compiled a number of these kinds of composite photos of children. For more information, see If You've Got It, Flaunt It!, a May 22, 2009, posting on the Shades of the Departed blog.

For the backmark on the reverse of this cabinet card photo, see Smith's Studio of Photography, Chicago, Illinois:

St. Clair Cocktail Circle, Hotel St. Clair, Chicago, Ill.

nobody@ipernity.com (Alan Mays) — Tue, 26 May 2015 18:42:16 +0000

Alan Mays has posted:

"Greetings from the St. Clair Cocktail Circle, the biggest little bar in all Chicago...and the most novel!"

Printed on the back of this linen postcard: "The St. Clair. Rooms, studios. Chicago's distinguished hotel-home. Ideally located on near north side overlooking Lake Michigan, Outer Drive Bridge, Michigan Ave., etc. Air-conditioned restaurant and cocktail rooms. Ideal home for a day, a month, a year. Hotel St. Clair. 2B-H1202."

Hotel St. Clair was built in 1927, and today it continues in business as the Inn of Chicago Magnificent Mile Hotel. I doubt that the St. Clair Cocktail Circle is still around, however.

World's Columbian Exposition Calling Card, Administration Hall

nobody@ipernity.com (Alan Mays) — Wed, 18 Feb 2015 22:10:20 +0000

Alan Mays has posted:

"Administration Hall. From your friend."

A Victorian-era hidden-name calling card with an illustration of the Administration Building at the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago, Illinois. The illustration is a separate piece that lifts up to reveal the name (in this case, "Harry Owens") printed underneath.

Santa Claus Soap, Best for the Laundry

nobody@ipernity.com (Alan Mays) — Tue, 24 Dec 2013 22:17:35 +0000

Alan Mays has posted:

"Santa Claus Soap, best for the laundry. Made only by the N. K. Fairbank Company, Chicago, St. Louis, New York. Carqueville, Chicago. Fairbank's Santa Claus Soap."

Quaker Oats Metamorphic Trade Card

nobody@ipernity.com (Alan Mays) — Thu, 06 Nov 2014 21:53:31 +0000

Alan Mays has posted:

"Quaker Rolled White Oats. Manufactured by the American Cereal Co. Address: Chicago, Ill., U.S.A. Use only Quaker brand rolled oats. Pure Quaker Oats. 2 pounds. A Family Affair."

Five views of a nineteenth-century metamorphic trade card, which--as it's unfolded--changes from a Quaker Oats cereal box to a scene of children eating cereal at the breakfast table (with the Quaker Oats man lurking in the background).

Two Men and a Paper Moon, Riverview Exposition, Chicago, ca. 1910s

nobody@ipernity.com (Alan Mays) — Fri, 05 Sep 2014 21:56:03 +0000

Alan Mays has posted:

Printed on the back of this real photo postcard: "Post Card Souvenir from Riverview Exposition, Chicago. Foster & Coultry - Official Photographers."

This photo was taken at Chicago's Riverview Park, which was an amusement park that operated from 1904 to 1967 and was known as Riverview Exposition Park for a few years early in the twentieth century (one source says that it was called Riverview Exposition between 1909 and 1913).

Both of the men in the photo are holding cigars, and the man on left has some sort of dog figurine or toy attached to his lapel. The man on the right is holding something under his arm but I can't tell what it is.

Chicago World's Fair Greyhound Lines, 1933-34

nobody@ipernity.com (Alan Mays) — Thu, 23 Mar 2017 18:35:32 +0000

Alan Mays has posted:

For additional photos and information regarding the Greyhound "trailer coaches" that were used in 1933 and 1934 at the Chicago World's Fair (its offical name was "A Century of Progress International Exposition"), see Lord K's Garage #125: The Greyhounds of Progress, an article posted on Dieselpunks.

Handwritten on the back of the photo:

One of the Fair Buses

10¢ one way around the grounds. 25¢ round trip with all the stops you desire. This means anytime and anywhere. You can't see much by riding.

Nick Manoloff's Modern Accompaniment Guide for Spanish Guitar

nobody@ipernity.com (Alan Mays) — Thu, 30 Apr 2015 21:06:55 +0000

Alan Mays has posted:

"To accompany any key the student should know either the name of the key or find the number of sharps or flats in the piece he will play. Then turn the disk until the arrows point to the desired key or key signature...."