Academics or Businessmen

 

Who are these guys?  Academics, maybe.  They have that studious look, and college academics to boot.  Women have been teaching in elementary and high schools since the 19th century, but all-male faculties? Considering this photo looks like it's from the thirties or forties, an all-male faculty screams university.  But then again, maybe these are businessmen of some kind.  The writing on the blackboard is difficult to make out, but the word "plant" can be read, and a few dollar signs as well.  

It's Square Format Thursday!

Alright, to start with, there's no such thing as square format Thursday.  Fact is, after 1300+ posts, it's getting harder to think up good titles.

 My first thought, when I saw the old woman's head resting on the man's shoulder, was The Incredible Two Headed Bi-Gender Monster.  But after I scanned it into the computer and blew it up, I noticed her hand on his waist and figured they were probably a couple that had been together for fifty years, and that didn't seem so monstrous.   And that big, blown out, white blob in the second photo, well, I'm not sure, but I'm thinking a cake, so The Office Party seemed like a safe, though, boring title.  What to do?  Collecting old photos is easy, titles are hard.  Much like death and comedy.

Biking Along The Russian River

Two women, two bikes, but only one camera?  So what's a lady to do?  Why hand off the camera, of course.  But why did each woman pose on the same bike?  I am puzzled.

What's really puzzling is how I knew  these photos were taken along the Russian River in Guerneville,  Sonoma County, California, when theirs nothing written on the prints.  Well, that took some figuring.  I started with the building in the background.  It didn't take too much to figure out that the sign was for the Henry Hess Co., Lumber and Building Material.  I was pretty surprised when a Google search brought up some info.  And not just info, but a photograph of the same building, damaged by a 1937 flood of the Russian River.  The building was located on Ca. Route 116, at the intersection of River Road and Gravenstein Highway North.

Good old Henry was a bit of a local tycoon, owning the lumber yard, some logging interests and a shipping company.  I couldn't find out what kind of shipping, but my guess would be either cartage, or local ferries, or maybe even some coastal steamers.  In any case, he was successful enough that he could build a summer lodge near the Hacienda Bridge, overlooking the Russian River in the 1920s.  At some point Henry lost control of his business.  How, I couldn't determine.  I do know that Giuseppe "Joseph" Bacci got a job there after World War 2.  He stayed with the lumber yard through several ownership changes, and along with two partners, bought it in the 1970s.  All that from Giuseppe's obituary.

Anyway, going by the hair does, I'm guessing sometime in the late thirties through early forties.  If anyone out there knows when the roads were paved, that could narrow things down a bit.

Tussy Cream Deodorant

Oh that strange, disembodied face staring out from the top picture. A bit of advertising , of course, but with all the reflections, a bit weird. Tussy Cream Deodorant has been manufactured since 1925, and according to it's manufacturer's web site, Suite-K.com., it's available in dollar stores everywhere. Stamped on the back of the top picture, "APR 28, 1951" If the regular price for a jar of Tussy was $1.00 in 1951, and it's for sale in dollar stores today, that means that the price hasn't changed in 61 years. Now that's a bargain!

The German American Collection, The Album 15

Business partners who enjoy a good walk in the woods? As good an explanation as any.

Ira R. Crouse Lumber Company

Before Home Depot, before Lowe's, hardware stores and lumber yards were locally owned. Support small, locally owned businesses.

Moo

The J1 visa program was started in the 1960s as a cultural exchange program that allowed foreign students to enter the United States. It also allowed those students to accept jobs. Since their stays were supposed to be of a limited duration those jobs were exempt from social security and medicare payroll taxes and not subject to prevailing wage requirements of other guest worker programs. It seems that Hershey, America's favorite chocolate manufacturer, has been sponsoring J1 visas, paying low wages, and no payroll taxes as a cost cutting measure. So much cheaper than hiring American workers. I promised myself that I'd keep my socialistic politics out of the photo blog, but I did own this old postcard and I needed some text to go with it. Oh well. At least the cows seem to be well paid.

Polarine From Standard Oil

Even though this postcard is of a Detroit city bus, it was mailed from and to Kansas City. The postmarks, for sending and receiving are both "KANSAS CITY NOV 5 1911" The times are "7-PM" and "8-PM" Mailed and sent to the same post office. It's addressed to "Mr Raymon Walker, MC book" No street address or city name, so it might have gone to a box in the building, or it was for counter pick up, or the mail man knew everyone on his route. And the message, "Mr. Walker, Dear friend thank you verry much for your remembrance towards me. Will leave KC November the 6th for Va by the way of Atlanta, Georgia. Your G. McWilliams" Mr Walker, Dear friend, a strange mixture of the formal and familiar. And he misspelled dear friend's first name. Very strange.

Prims USA

I found a lot about this company. In 1530 in Aachen, Germany, goldsmith Wilhelm Prym began manufacturing household goods of brass and copper. In 1642 the Prym family moved the business to Stolberg, Germany. Jump ahead to 1924 when company president, Hans August Prym set up William Prym, Inc. USA as an exclusive importer and sales agent for Prym products in the United States. In 1939 the American branch of the company moved its headquarters to Dayville, Connecticut. In 1946, Herman Koehl, working with Hans Prym, invented the cover your own button and buckle. In 1988 Prym acquired the Dritz Corp., a major maker of sewing notions, sewing gadget and beaded hand bags. Now Prym Dritz Corporation, the company, with it's factories in North Carolina, became a major manufacturer of sewing notions. After several other aqusitions, the name of the company, in 2005, was changed to Prym Consumer, USA. There is a lot more out there, both on the Prym website and from other sources, but way to much for me to transcribe. There was a press release pasted to the back of the horizontal photo of the model, "QUICK-CHANGE BELT combines the quaint charm of Lucy Locket pockets with the practical efficiency of G.I. money belts. Prims cover-your-own slim buckles at each side reiterate cheery red of bright plaid pockets; are readily adjustable to insure snug fit over either slim or gathered skirt. Prims cover-your-own halo buttons are used for fashion as well as function, repeating the gay yellow of the belt's all-purpose cotton. FROM: Press Release, Inc. 220 East 42nd Street New York, N.Y. For: William Prym, Inc. Dayville, Conn. WILLIAM PRYM, Inc. 350 FIFTH AVENUE NEW YORK 1, N.Y." I found it a little strange that a company involved in women's fashions would advertise something as being like a G.I. money belt.