Category Archives: Hats

The Girl In The Plaid Hat

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Divided back, unused Real Photo Postcard. Circa 1907 – 1920’s.

Price:  $10.00

Here’s a Real Photo Postcard of a beautiful girl, age about eleven, posed standing at the side of a doorstep. Is that a gingham dress she’s wearing? I started looking into the definition and history of gingham since the original name for this post was going to be The Girl In the Gingham Dress, however, with close scrutiny (the sleeve cuff on our left shows the pattern best) it doesn’t seem to fit the standard look, but maybe some readers will disagree.

This led me off on a tangent…

The origin and history of fabric is fascinating:  The term gingham is said to derive from the Malaysian genggang, meaning striped; the fabric perhaps first introduced in Dutch-colonized Malaysia, and also manufactured in Indonesia and India. It was imported in its original striped form to Europe in the 17th Century, found the American shores a bit later, at least as early as 1737, and began being also manufactured in checked or plaid form by around the 1750’s in Manchester, England. (Wikipedia) Another fact about gingham is that it has no right or wrong side:  It looks the same on both front and back, and this is because the fibers are first dyed, then woven. Like many I’m sure, I had originally assumed that gingham was a purely Americana thing, but it makes sense now to find that this was (obviously) not the case, and interesting to see how the fabric fits (no pun intended) in other cultures. See examples, and I’m quoting from the lovely article (link below in sources) on the V is for Vintage website,  “Many countries claim gingham fabric to be a staple of their own textile history and culture. Its widespread use throughout the world is due to it being inexpensive to produce, easy to wash, durable and simple in design.” 

Direct from London….

Getting back to the fabric design, here are two examples of Colonial American newspaper ads found in The Pennsylvania Gazette (Newspapers.com.) The first one includes mention of ginghams in its list of the many fabrics available that had been recently shipped in from London. (What were Dittos, Garlicks, Ozenbrigs, Dyaper, Chelloes, Negenaputs, Long Romales, etc?! Tempted to research but not going there for now!)

From The Pennsylvania Gazette, February 3, 1737. (Newspapers.com)

Gingham Clipping

In this second one below we see mention of the term checked gingham. From The Pennsylvania Gazette, dated April 13, 1758. (Newspapers.com)

Clip2

The term striped gingham also shows up extremely frequently in 18th and 19th Century advertisements, but the surprising thing was to still see mention of it as late as the 1970s. Reference to silk gingham and plain gingham can also be found.

Back to the girl….

Coming back from the big fabric detour, what about that hat? It’s hard to tell whether it was straw or fabric, or even a combination of both. It’s a beauty though, and so is the girl. What a lovely dreamy expression she has!

One last note:  If you enlarge the image of the girl, you’ll notice some lettering:  Alas, this is not some exciting mystery (first thought) to solve re the identity of the postcard producer or photographer, but only the back header in reverse imaging showing through. (Chuckle.)

Sources:  “Gingham fabric, a chequered history.” V is for Vintage, September 11, 2012. Web accessed May 16, 2015. [http://visforvintage.net/2012/09/11/gingham-fabric/]

The Pennsylvania Gazette, February 3, 1737, Sunday, p. 4. and April 13, 1758, Thursday, p. 4. (Newspapers.com) Web accessed May 16, 2015.

Gingham. n.d. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gingham. (web accessed May 16, 2015).

The Catch Of The Day

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Here’s a great photo that was found in an antique store in Dearborn, Michigan, showing a  man (thirty-something?) dressed in khaki shirt and pants, wearing a beret, and posing for the camera, with fishing pole, wicker basket and holding a pretty good-sized fish. It’s late morning one would think; he’s smiling and squinting a little in the sun. He stands at the edge of a dirt road out in the country somewhere; there’s a barbed-wife fence behind him and some farm buildings off in the distance. Probably the best way to get a good idea of the age of this photo would be by researching the style of fishing pole. Maybe we’ll get some comments on this at some point in the future, but I’m guessing the photo might have been taken in the 1950s or early ’60s.

Black and white photo, circa 1950s – early 1960s.   Size:  About 4 and 1/2 x 6 and 1/2.”

Price:  $8.00

Bill, Freda And Anna

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Hmmm, well do most people identify people going from left to right? Is it possible that the original image was reversed? (Yes.) But the long and short of it is we don’t know which lady is Freda and which is Anna. How wonderful though, that we do have the first and last names for this snazzy trio. They are identified on the back as:  Bill Hartwick, Freda Smith, and Anna Frank. The young lady in the front, Freda or Anna, dressed in a long skirt and matching jacket with wide plunging v-neck collar, wears a small animal fur (poor guy) fastened around her shoulders. Her hat is very elegant with a large brim that’s turned up on one side and with a feather (poor bird) jaunting out from the other. The lady behind her (Anna or Freda) looks to be a little older, and is also very chic, wearing a double-breasted coat with large buttons, and a high collar, possibly of fur. And her brimless hat (not a cloche) is the perfect compliment. Bill appears in a suit with double-breasted jacket, tie and derby hat, and carrying a small box-like object. (Whatever this is, it seems a might too narrow, too plain, and maybe too small to be any type of box camera.)

It would be doable – to narrow down and maybe identify where this photo was taken, and who exactly these people are. But, it would be extremely time-consuming to compare census records in various cities with the names, and estimated birth dates, so we won’t (alas) go there…but maybe someone working on their family tree will be able to recognize any or all of these three people.

Divided back, Real Photo Postcard. AZO stamp box. Circa late 1910s – early 1920s.

Price:  $15.00

When Last Seen On The Road

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This RPPC has one of the best homemade captions ever! The image shows a couple of guys (we presume them to have a great sense of humor) in their photo prop car, overcoats and derby or bowler hats.

If you’ve noticed that the steering wheel is on the right in this photo, then “good eye.”  So, was the image reversed or the card from Great Britain then? No, the explanation (for those of us who were not previously aware) is that prior to the 1908 Ford Model T, almost all American cars were made with the steering wheel on the right. Ford’s Model T design placed it on the left, to make it easier for the passenger to avoid oncoming traffic. See the link below for a great web article on the subject.

Undivided back, Real Photo Postcard, unused with writing. Sailboat stamp box, manufacturer unknown. Circa 1905 – February 1907.

Price:  $7.00

Source:   “Fact: American Steering Wheels Haven’t Always Been On The Left.”  March 13, 2013. Lost In The Pond. Web accessed March 31, 2015.

Ship Ann?

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Undivided back, Real Photo Postcard, unused with writing. CYKO stamp box shows “Prints at Night” and “Place Postage Stamp Here.” 1904.

Price:  $4.00     Size:  About 5 and 1/2 x 3 and 1/8″

I really do not understand the handwritten caption on this one which appears to say,  “Ship Ann?”  Was Ann the little girl in the photo? Did she like ships? But she’s adorable in her big hat, standing on the shore. This postcard was found along with the prior post entitled “One Of My Favorite Stunts” and most certainly appears to have been written by the same person.

A Family Outing

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Divided back, British, unused, Real Photo Postcard with glossy finish. Circa 1902 – 1918.

Price:  $12.00

I guess this is like an outing within an outing. 😉 But it’s a Real Photo Postcard with glossy finish, presumably taken in England, of a group of seven people. I think there is a family resemblance for the group, and they are posed in a fake car in front of a photographer’s backdrop. Everyone is very stylish, but the hats on the three ladies really stand out. The young girl on the left is holding a box camera. I love the “driver’s” expression, how he is the only one facing the “road” and the expression’s on the faces in general. This family was getting a kick out of posing for this photo, though the gentleman standing perhaps was “suffering through.”….Curiously, on the far left there is some wording. We can make out  “SAIL…”  so was the next scene over one of a sailboat with a seaport backdrop?

There is no writing or date on this card. Playles.com shows this stamp box, but with dates unknown. There’s a hyphen in halfpenny on this one, showing  “Affix Half-penny Stamp.”  (There was another stamp box design that was used with the same words but minus the hyphen.) Various references were found for the half-penny stamp for British postcards running from 1894 – 1918, but the divided back in Great Britian started in 1902. As far as the box camera, there were a number of different models; we don’t see any wording on this one, and similar styles were found online indicating 1900 – 1920, so this angle was not helpful in dating the card. We’d estimate it then to have been taken around 1902 – 1918.

Cina’s Hat

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Divided back, unused with writing, Real Photo Postcard. AZO stamp box. Photographer:  Clement F. Kaylor of Mishawaka, Indiana. Circa 1910 – 1915.

Availability Status:  SOLD

“How do you like my Merry Widow. I think it is great (big) Cina.”

Addressed to:   “Mrs. M. E. Battees, Gladwin, Mich.” 

Yes, that is quite a hat! and a wonderful photo of a beautiful young woman posing for a studio photo, in dark skirt and tailored jacket with satin trim, dark gloves and white blouse with high-necked ruffle, and of course, that gorgeous hat; a large brimmed straw, we presume, with two or three layers of artificial leaves and flowers on top.

I couldn’t resist to add in the hubby’s comment as he walked by  “Holy smokes! Looks like she’s got the garden on her head.”  Very true by today’s standards.

The lady in the photo turns out to be Mrs. John L. Battees of Mishawaka, Indiana, and she sent this card to her mother-in-law, Mrs. Mary E. (Richards) Battees.

Lucina Belle “Cina” Freeman was born in Ohio, September 1889, the daughter of Charles C. Freeman and Jennie Henry. John Louellen Battees was born in Jackson, Paulding County, Ohio, February 11, 1872, the son of John Casner Battees and Mary Ellen Richards. The application for their marriage license shows that John L. was a widower, and had been twice previously married. He was doing general farming, and Cina was working in a factory in Mishawaka.

See Clement F. Kaylor for the photographer’s information.

Sources:  “Ohio, County Marriages, 1789-1997,” index and images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/XZ66-Y8G : accessed 31 January 2015), John C. Battees and Mary E. Richards, 08 Jan 1871; citing Union, Ohio, United States, reference P 491; county courthouses, Ohio; FHL microfilm 573,777.

“Ohio, Births and Christenings, 1821-1962,” index, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/XDB3-6NL : accessed 31 January 2015), John Luellen Battees, 11 Feb 1872; citing Jackson, Paulding, Ohio, reference v 1 p 56; FHL microfilm 925,298.

John L. Battees. Year: 1880; Census Place: North Baltimore, Wood, Ohio; Roll: 1078; Family History Film: 1255078; Page: 41A; Enumeration District: 090; Image: 0311. (Ancestry.com)

“Indiana, Marriages, 1811-1959,” index and images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/KZCP-Y3J : accessed 31 January 2015), John L Battees and Lucina Belle Freeman, ; citing county clerk offices, Indiana; FHL microfilm 1,503,526.

Seven Women In Alaska

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A blurry but interesting Real Photo Postcard that was marked  “Alaska”  on the little sticker on the plastic sleeve, showing a group of seven smiling ladies posing in front of what might be a wooden train depot or station of some type. That looks like a set of tracks on our right. All the ladies wear hats (nothing unusual) but three of the hats have an upright feather in the hatband. It looks like it’s summer or spring; they are dressed for mild weather, and there’s a couple of umbrellas in the group. Their skirt hemlines vary slightly above or below the ankle, except for that one daring lady in the back with the hemline just below the knee! The AZO stamp box with all four triangles pointing upward, and the fact that it’s a divided back, places the date at about 1907 – 1918.

Divided back, unused, Real Photo Postcard. AZO stamp box. Circa 1907 – 1918.

Price:  $3.00

How The Fashions Came

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Divided back, unused postcard. Circa 1907. Publisher:  A.T.F. Company, Chicago, Illinois.

Price:  $10.00

Heee heee. A great one, eh? Is that a horse or mule on the left? I don’t know. To me the image looks a little moose-like. This one appears to be showing a printing error, but if so, in this case it works really well with the subject. The publisher is A.T.F. Company of Chicago. When enlarging the back header in Photoshop to see the publisher name, a really cool effect happened. (The same thing did not happen in the regular Photo Viewer for Windows. I don’t know what that says about the pixels or technology or what have you!) Anyway, check out the stripes. The lines surrounding the words “Post Card” changed a little with each slight enlargement. I did a screen shot of this one to display here.

ATF Co Chicago Back Header

Hmmm. The publisher A.T.F. Company of Chicago shows up for other old postcards online circa 1905 – 1907. So, some undivided back and some divided like we have here. But nothing detailed for the publisher was found, as of the date of this post. In browsing the other various entries found online it seems this company must have published a number of humorous cards.