Celluloid Collars And Cuffs Frog and Gnome

Posted on August 27, 2017 by Annieoakley

Trade Card for Celluloid Collars and Cuffs. Circa 1878 – 1880s.

Price: $7.00 Size: About 4 x 2 and 1/2″

Frog and gnome-like (for lack of a better description, I know, where’s the beard? Maybe a young gnome 😉 ) character advertising Celluloid collars, cuffs and shirt bosoms. This trade card was one of a set of six. Very charming, especially when viewing the whole series. Here’s a crop from a Google image search showing the others:

Our frog and gnome card is the second one we have for Celluloid collars and cuffs. See also, B. J. Stone Trade Card, New Haven, CT.

A trade name

The term Celluloid was a trade name registered in the United States in 1873, and was used in a variety of applications, including hairbrushes, toys, billiard balls, ping-pong balls and the film industry. See the Encyclopedia Britannica’s article: “Celluloid: Synthetic Plastic.” The collars and cuffs were linen, covered with celluloid on the front and back to make them waterproof, thus drastically cutting the high cost of cleaning, and letting the wearer sidestep the “wilted look” in hot weather. Below, the earliest advertisement we found, which appeared in The Brooklyn Daily Eagle (June 13, 1878).

Another early-ish ad below, this one from The Star Democrat, February 24, 1880 indicating Celluloid collars and cuffs had newly arrived to Easton, Maryland.

And, hundreds of thousands of ads and related articles can be found late 1870s – 1910s and beyond, but at some point Celluloid collars and cuffs started to fall out of favor. When is a good question, but probably at least by the mid-1890s. Their use came to be associated with outmoded fashion, and a need for thriftiness. (The history of celluloid is book subject matter and much too detailed to research here.) Below, a short glimpse from 1910, into the life of a chap called Folsom Peverill (possibly a made-up name) that appeared in the The Topeka Daily Capital.

Last, but certainly not least, there were reports of high flammability, accidents where people were injured or even killed, in wearing Celluloid covered items or using objects made from the material (like hair combs). Some attribute some of these stories to urban myth, however, certainly there were instances of factory fires, which were always a threat, in general. Below, a report, from 1910, that lends credibility to the reports of the dangers of wearing Celluloid covered items. This ad was run in a number of U.S. papers, including The Sedalia Democrat.

Sources: “Wear celluloid collars and cuffs trade cards frog” Google image search. Google.com. (accessed August 24, 2017).

“Celluloid: Synthetic Plastic.” Encyclopedia Britannica. (accessed August 24, 2017).

“Celluloid Collars and Cuffs.” The Brooklyn Daily Eagle (Brooklyn, NY). June 13, 1878. Thursday, p. 1. (Newspapers.com).

“Something New Under the Sun!” The Star Democrat (Easton, MD). February 24, 1880. Tuesday, p. 3. (Newspapers.com).

“Time works great changes.” The Topeka Daily Capital (Topeka, KS). June 16, 1910. Thursday, p. 4. (Newspapers.com).

“Ban on Celluloid in Theaters.” The Sedalia Democrat (Sedalia, MO). January 7, 1910. Friday, p. 9. (Newspapers.com).

The Latest Fashion

Posted on August 20, 2017 by Annieoakley

Trade Card, circa 1872 – 1883 from P. A. Kearney, San Francisco.

Price: $15.00 Size: About 3 and 1/4 x 4 and 3/4″

A trade card advertising Dr. Jayne’s Tonic Vermifuge and Dr. Jayne’s Carminative, as offered by druggist, P. A. Kearney, of 501 Folsom St., San Francisco. The first paragraph describes the eye-catching front of the card as:

“On the other side we present you with a copy of Schlésinger’s beautiful picture, entitled, ‘Le Dernière Mode,’ – meaning in plain English, ‘The Latest Fashion.’ The young girl having adjusted the basket to her own satisfaction, seems by the archness of her expression to inquire, ‘How do you like it?’ This is the sixth of our Album Series, and we trust will be as favorably received and appreciated as the preceding issues.”

Rendition of or inspiration for….

The artist referenced above Henri-Guillaume Schlesinger (1814 – 1893) was born in Germany (Heinrich Wilhelm Schlesinger) and became a nationalized citizen of France. He was both prolific and popular, and gained the French Legion of Honor medal in 1866.

But we didn’t find any Schlesinger paintings of a young woman with an overturned basket on her head. Indeed! Would one imagine that he even might have created one? (Not to say that he might not have had a fine sense of humor, or a whimsical side….) What’s more likely, is that our trade card artist’s inspiration came from Schlesinger’s “Portrait of a Young Woman,” (below, center) also listed under the title “The Young Beauty” an oil on canvas done in 1873. (And we’ve included two other examples of Schlesinger’s work, just in wondering whether Schlesinger had used the same model for all three.)

Trendy

Trade cards and post cards were often fashioned on subjects that were currently or recently in the public eye: art, music, fashion, movies, politics, “running jokes” etc. I’m reminded of a few postings put up earlier here at Laurel Cottage….the first two regarding fashion and hats and the second, a prime example regarding a card and its likely source(s) of inspiration. (The “from whence it came” kind of thing.)

How The Fashions Came

Trimmed Garbage Pail

By The Sad Sea Waves

Kearney not Kearny

Peter A. Kearney, druggist, appears at the address on the trade card, 501 Folsom Street, in the 1880 San Francisco city directory. The address was both his office and residence at this time. More searches reveal that Peter Alfred Kearney was born in New York City in 1848, started in the medical field as a druggist around 1869, graduated from Cooper Medical College in 1884, and married Mary Whitbeck in 1891. As far as the date for our trade card, the 1872 city directory shows Peter A. Kearney, druggist at the southwest corner of First and Folsom. This may have been the 501 Folsom address. By 1880 – 1883 he is listed in the city directory at the actual address 501 Folsom, so the 1880 – 1883 might be an even better time estimate for our trade card. (Lastly, I had gone running to look up a map re Kearney and San Francisco but our Kearney is with a different spelling and no relation to the well-known Kearny St. in that city; just FYI, in case the name made you wonder for a sec.)

_________________________________________________________________________

Sources: Henri-Guillaume Schlesinger (1814 – 1893) Galerie Ary Jan. (www.galeriearyjan.com). Accessed 08/19/2017.

“Henri-Guillaume Schlesinger Auction Price Results.” (invaluable.com). Accessed 08/19/2017.

“images of paintings by Henri-Guillaume Schlesinger.” Google.com search. Accessed August 19, 2017.

National Archives and Records Administration (NARA); Washington D.C.; NARA Series: Passport Applications, 1795-1905; Roll #: 326; Volume #: Roll 326 – 01 May 1889-07 May 1889. (Ancestry.com).

Henry G. Langley’s San Francisco Directory, 1869. p. 345. Ancestry.com. U.S. City Directories, 1822-1995.

Henry G. Langley’s San Francisco Directory, 1872. p. 361. Ancestry.com. U.S. City Directories, 1822-1995.

Langley’s San Francisco Directory, 1880. p. 495. Ancestry.com. U.S. City Directories, 1822-1995.

The San Francisco Directory, 1883. p. 608. Ancestry.com. U.S. City Directories, 1822-1995.

Pacific Medical and Surgical Journal and Western Lancet. January 1886, Vol. XXIX. p. 223. (elane.stanford.edu).

Marriage records, select counties and years. California State Archives, Sacramento, California. (Ancestry.com)

Queen Anne Soap, Kitties And Basket

Posted on August 12, 2017 by Annieoakley

Trade Card. Detroit Soap Company. Circa 1871 – 1890s.

Price: $7.00 Size: 4 and 9/16 x 2 and 13/16″

“Use Detroit Soap Co.’s Queen Anne Soap. The Best Family Soap in the World.”

This is the third trade card that we’ve found so far, for Queen Anne’s Soap and the Detroit Soap Company. See the prior post for the second.

Queen Anne Soap, Kitty With Yarn

Posted on August 8, 2017 by Annieoakley

Trade card. Detroit Soap Co. Circa 1881 – 1890s.

Price: $6.00 Size: 4 and 7/16 x 3″

We’ve got a short kitten theme going here…the second of three. Nothing on the back of this trade card. But see a previous post on the Detroit Soap Company and Queen Anne Soap. The slogan, “The Best Family Soap in the World,” appearing on our trade card above, seems to be the most common one seen on cards for Queen Anne Soap, so it’s possible that that particular wording became the standardized saying, but that’s a theory, no proof at this point.

See also, our third Queen Anne’s Soap find.

Kitty Photographer For Nudavene Flakes

Posted on August 7, 2017 by Annieoakley

Nudavene Flakes Trade Card. Circa 1887 – 1890.

Price: $12.00 Size: 3 x 4 and 7/16″

From a Throwback Thursday entry from Rockford Buzz:

“The A. M. Johnston Oat Meal Company, said to have been the first oatmeal mill west of the state of Ohio, was located in Rockford in the 1870’s. This firm later became the Rockford Oatmeal Company, and eventually the American Cereal Company, which was the forerunner of the Quaker Oats Company.”

TBT: A. M. Johnston Oatmeal Company

Numerous newspaper ads can be found for Nudavene Flakes and Cormack’s Nudavene Flakes. The example below, from June 1895 in the Detroit Free Press, shows a listing of a particular Monday’s prices from the Hull Brothers Company. Ten pounds of Nudavene Flakes for 25 cents, imagine! (Or, ten pounds of anything for 25 cents.) And how ’bout the canned brook trout and mackerel, there’s a couple of items we don’t see on the shelves anymore. (That’s a typo on the word “Sardeiles.” It should be “Sardelles” – a term used for a small sardine-like fish.)

Sources: TBT Rockford: A. M. Johnston Oatmeal Company. December 15, 2016. rockfordbuzz.com. (accessed August 7, 2017).

Hull Bros. Grocery Ad. Detroit Free Press. June 16, 1895. Accessed August 7, 2017. (newspapers.com)

Gananoque Motel And Cabins

Posted on March 26, 2017 by Annieoakley

Trade Card, Gananoque Motel and Cabins, 1945 – 1958.

Price: $10.00 Size: About 3 and 1/4 x 2 and 5/8″

Are there many trade cards for this 1950s era motel still floating around today? Maybe a family member has a stash somewhere, and one would assume others must have survived. After all, it was only about sixty years ago. But, at the time of this post, we see no others online.

To get our bearings, for those of us unfamiliar, Gananoque is a small town on the St. Lawrence River, about a half hour’s drive north, up Highway 2 from Kingston, Ontario.

The reverse of our card reads:

“Souvenirs, Fishing Licences. Phone 517W. Gananoque Motel And Cabins. Highway No. 2 – Just East of Eastern Gateway. Gananoque, Ontario, Canada. Completely Modern Motel. Private Conveniences in Cabins. Lunch Room and Gas Station on Premises. Prop. Agar & Rombough. Box 402 – Gananoque. Our Motto: It’s a Pleasure to Please.”

G. S. Agar and D. A. Rombough were mentioned in The Ottawa Journal as part of group of honorees of the dealers of the Ottawa Division, Supertest Petroleum Corp., Ltd., who qualified for Long Association Awards in 1952 and again in 1957.

Erin Christie’s article (December 2008) “End of an era for Country Squire” filled in some details for us: Stanley Agar and Donald Rombough’s Gananoque Motel was in business about thirteen years, and was, “…10 small cabins in a horseshoe, five motel rooms, a gas bar and a snack bar” when it was sold in 1958 to Warren, Rita and Wayne Gollogly, who renamed it the Cloverleaf Motel. The rest is history for the Gollogly Family who expanded the business into what became the Country Squire Resort and Spa (now under Best Western.)

Sources: Gananoque. n.d. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gananoque. (accessed March 26, 2017).

“Supertest Dealers Honoured.” The Ottawa Journal. Saturday, April 26, 1952. p. 27. (newspapers.com).

“Receive Supertest Awards.” The Ottawa Journal. Wednesday, April 10, 1957. p. 19. (newspapers.com).

Supertest Petroleum. n.d. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supertest_Petroleum. (accessed March 24, 2017).

Christie, Erin. “End of an era for Country Squire.” December 18, 2008. (www.gananoquereporter.com). Accessed March 26, 2017.

Joseph Chartrand Trade Card

Posted on December 17, 2016 by Annieoakley

Trade card for Joseph Chartrand, Montréal, Canada. Circa 1885 – 1886.

Price: $15.00 Size: 2 and 1/2 x 3 and 7/8″

Not in good shape but rare…

There may be other Jos. Chartrand cards that survived (note artist’s initials at bottom left) but at the time of this post, none are showing online. The front shows a beautiful, evidently popular girl, receiving a letter and flowers from yet another devotee, who delivers his heartfelt admiration in person. (Or is he just the messenger?) It’s a summery scene, certainly not in line with our current month of December, but the back of the card (Oh, to be able to go back in time and shop at this store) advertises, among other things, a couple of items needed for travel in snow. It reads:

“Jos. Chartrand, (Late with F. X. Brazeau & Co.) Dealer in Indian Curiosities, Snow – Shoes, Toboggans, Lacrosse, Mocassins, Bark Canoes, Bead Work, also Childrens Toys. 1687 Notre Dame Street, Montreal.”

F. X. Brazeau & Co.

F. X. (François-Xavier) Brazeau & Co. was found mentioned under the heading of “Indian Manufactures” in the Sixth Parliamentary Sessional Papers for the Dominion of Canada, year 1887.

Joseph Chartrand

We next found mention of Joseph Chartrand, “dealer in fancy goods, etc.” in a January 1886 publication of The American Stationer. Whether this was the same Notre Dame Street business as on our trade card is unknown, and it may not have been. That Chartrand “made an assignment” (a frequently occurring term in 19th century newspapers) seems to indicate he was having financial problems as in General Assignment or Assignment to the Benefit of Creditors (ABC) an alternative to bankruptcy. Not fun….but, nothing ventured, nothing gained, right? (We hope he fared well in subsequent endeavors and in general had a wonderful life.)

Sources: Sessional Papers, Volume 10. First Session of the Sixth Parliament of the Dominion of Canada. Session 1887, Volume 20. Report of Sir Charles Tupper, G. C. M. G., C. B., Executive Commissioner, of the Canadian Section of the Colonial and Indian Exhibition at South Kensington, 1886. Ottawa: Printed by MacLean, Roger & Co., Parliamentary Printers. Wellington Street. 1887. pp. 56 and 57. (Google Books).

“Trade Gossip.” The American Stationer, Vol. 19, no. 3. January 21, 1886. p. 69. (Google Books).

General assignment. n.d. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/General_assignment. (accessed December 1, 2016).

Giesecke Boot & Shoe Manufacturing Co.

Posted on October 30, 2016 by Annieoakley

Trade card for the Giesecke Boot & Shoe Manufacturing Co. Circa 1885 – 1901.

Availability Status: SOLD

Grand! And it is, this lithograph from an unknown company showing two children riding a duck (or goose?) The girl, sitting “side-saddle” holds a parasol, while the boy sits astride holding the reigns and is turning back to gaze at her. The duck or goose, take your pick, is about to be happily paddling his way thru some lily pads. The reverse shows:

“Not how cheap, but how good

For Fit. For Wear. For Economy buy

‘Little Shoes for Little Men and Little Women’

None genuine unless stamped on bottom ‘Little Shoes for Little Men’ trade mark registered.

The Giesecke Boot & Shoe M’f’g Co. Makers”

Owner and president of the company, William Frederick Giesecke, was born in Germany December 4, 1833. He emigrated to the U. S. around May 1, 1858. City directories show that he was manufacturing shoes and boots in St. Louis, Missouri at least from 1870, with addresses centering on Washington Ave. He paired (no pun intended) with Edward A. Meysenburg from about 1876 – 1881. And 1885 thru 1901 directories show the business name as it appears on this trade card. By 1904 the business is under the name of Giesecke – D’Oench – Hays Shoe Co., and the 1908 directory shows there were factories in both St. Louis and Jefferson, Missouri. The obit below from the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, dated March 21, 1910, gives more information:

Sources: Edwards’ St. Louis Directory, 1870. p. 360. Ancestry.com. U.S. City Directories, 1822-1995.

Gould’s St. Louis City Directory, 1876. p. 343. Ancestry.com. U.S. City Directories, 1822-1995.

Gould’s Street and Avenue Directory, 1881. p. 428. Ancestry.com. U.S. City Directories, 1822-1995.

National Archives and Records Administration (NARA); Washington D.C.; NARA Series: Passport Applications, 1795-1905; Roll #: 329; Volume #: Roll 329 – 20 May 1889-24 May 1889. (Ancestry.com)

Gould’s St. Louis Directory, 1895. p. 554. Ancestry.com. U.S. City Directories, 1822-1995.

Gould’s St. Louis Directory, 1901. p. 707. Ancestry.com. U.S. City Directories, 1822-1995.

Gould’s Street and Avenue Directory, 1904. p. 757. Ancestry.com. U.S. City Directories, 1822-1995.

Gould’s Street and Avenue Directory, 1908. p. 658. Ancestry.com. U.S. City Directories, 1822-1995.

“W. F. Giesecke, Retired Shoe Manufacturer, Buried Monday.” St. Louis Post-Dispatch. 21 March 1910, main edition. (newspapers.com)

Huyler’s Bonbons And Chocolates

Posted on June 11, 2016 by Annieoakley

Trade card for Huyler’s Cocoa and Chocolate. Circa 1903.

Availability status: SOLD Size: 4 and 1/2 x 2 and 7/8″

For the Huyler’s or the Goldberg, Bowen & Co. collector: At the time of this post, this appears to be the only Huyler’s card in this particular design, though the condition is poor due to the creases.

The little scene playing out up top shows two children who’ve found the chocolate stash at home, while the third, the lookout, is in the act of sounding the warning alarm.

On the front: “Huyler’s Delicious Bonbons and Chocolates. Copyright 1903.”
The back shows a design in blue indicating from pod to cup, “without alteration” and “quality unequaled.” Printed in red on the side is:

“Sales Agents Goldberg, Bowen & Co. San Francisco and Oakland, Cal.”

The Goldberg, Bowen & Co. stores were described by a San Francisco Chronicle writer in 1886 as, “paradise for the bon-vivant,” offering local grocery, household and other items as well as those imported from all over the world. The company’s origins come by way of The Bowen Bros. (who started out as fruit merchants) and grocery, wine and tea merchants, Lebenbaum & Goldberg. In 1881 Lebenbaum & Goldberg consolidated with The Bowen Bros. and became Lebenbaum, Goldberg & Bowen. In 1885 Bowen bought out Lebenbaum and the company became known as Goldberg, Bowen & Co. Newspaper ads can be found as late as 1925 for their 242 Sutter St., SF address. They prospered in Oakland, as well, having a couple of smaller stores in that city, but expanding to their 13th and Clay Street location around 1901.

Beyond the rubble…

Below, posted here with permission from the California Historical Society, a compelling photo, taken after the 1906 San Francisco earthquake, of the site of GB&Co’s earlier Sutter St. store. Beyond the rubble, a large ad on one of the buildings still standing in the background reads: “Goldberg, Bowen and Co. Grocers Will Open a Grand New Store, Van Ness & Sutter. Present Location 2829 Cal. St., Cor. Haight & Masonic.” (One hundred and ten years later, this ad could easily mislead us: 2829 California Street and the corner of Haight and Masonic are two different locations.) The 1905 city directory shows all four SF locations as: 230-234 Sutter Street; 2829 California Street; the southwest corner of Haight and Masonic; and 426-432 Pine. In 1909 GB&Co. rebuilt the Sutter St. store at 242-254 Sutter (later just 242 Sutter) and thankfully, the building still stands today. Oh, but the poignant toppled stonework with the fox or wolf’s head, front left (!) The fox has a ring in his mouth, sort of reminding one of a large doorknocker. Wonder what building he had belonged to?

Title: Site of Sutter St. store of Goldberg, Bowen & Co. [No. 103.] Creator/Contributor: Knight, George H. Date: 1906. Credit Line: Courtesy, California Historical Society.

The Master Grocer – The World Our Field

Below, one of the cover pages of Goldberg, Bowen & Company’s publication, The Master Grocer, which is a catalogue of goods, and includes recipes, poems and artwork. (Thanks to Jim Anderson HCD for the great find!) Earlier installments were offered monthly until at some point they became quarterly. This is the Winter 1915 edition. Click to browse!

Other Sources: Huyler’s. n.d. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Huyler’s. (accessed June 11, 2016).

“The Epicure’s Resort.” San Francisco Chronicle, December 8, 1886, Wednesday, p. 1. (Newspapers.com.)

“Consolidation!” San Francisco Chronicle, December 8, 1881, Saturday, p. 2. (Newspapers.com.)

“Goldberg, Bowen & Co. Importers of Fancy Groceries and Caterers to Epicures in Table Delicacies and Fine Wines.” San Francisco Chronicle, August 8, 1885, Saturday, p. 2. (Newspapers.com.)

“New Store A Big Success.” Oakland Tribune, February 13, 1901, Wednesday, p. 2. (Newspapers.com.)

Crocker-Langley’s San Francisco City Directory, 1905. p. 2127. (Ancestry.com. U.S. City Directories, 1822-1995.)

Goldberg, Bowen & Co.’s The Master Grocer, Vol. 45, no. 2. 1915. (https://archive.org/details/mastergrocer4521gold_0).

Queen Anne Soap, Detroit Soap Co.

Posted on May 30, 2016 by Annieoakley

Trade card, Detroit Soap Company. Circa 1883. Copyright, Clay & Richmond, Buffalo. N.Y.

Price: $20.00 Size: About 2 and 1/2 x 3 and 3/4″

Here’s an unusual choice for a trade card image, sort of: a knight on a white horse, thundering down a country road. Looks like he’s on a mission, or exhausted coming back from one. You would expect to see a more victorious image of a knight in armor, the well-rested horse and rider….majestic bearing, etc. But that’s one of the great things about pursuing old trade cards: finding the unexpected. Musing on an idea now…of things being less standardized decades ago. Makes sense, and sounds like a good theme for a college paper. Or, maybe more accurately, how images evolve over time. But back to the trade card, which shows:

“Queen Anne Soap. The Favorite Family Soap of America. The Purest and Best in the World. Manufactured by Detroit Soap Co., Detroit, Mich.”

“Copyright, Clay & Richmond, Buffalo. N.Y. 1883.”

From Detroit Free Press newspaper ads and articles the Detroit Soap Company started up in the summer of 1881, or shortly prior, and were originally located at Dix Avenue, between 24th and 25th streets in Detroit. The company was managed by Samuel Post of Ypsilanti, and his sons William R., and Samuel, Jr. (The time-frame for the sons was not researched.) A fire on May 7, 1898 destroyed the Dix Ave plant which then stood abandoned for at least a couple of years. Sometime after the fire in the same year, 1898, the factory was re-built at a different location on 25th St. and another constructed at what was the foot of Leib St. on the riverfront, just west of Mt. Elliott Ave and kitty corner from the western edge of Belle Isle. Queen Anne Soap stores were located on 77 Woodward Ave in Downtown Detroit, as well as in Saginaw, Grand Rapids and Toledo. In 1915 the Detroit Soap Co. was sold to Lautz Bros. & Co., making that a pretty good soap-making run of about thirty-four years.

A couple of “buy local” requests from about 135 years ago….so timely for today, eh?

Detroit Free Press, August 10, 1881

Detroit Free Press, August 14, 1881

From the top, Michigan in 1881 is still considered to be “in the West.” And from the article above, “All things being equal, home industries should be patronized exclusively, for the support given by the people of a city to its manufacturers, encourages and sustains them. Without manufacturing enterprises no village could ever hope to become a city.” Funny to think of Detroit as a village, but then in 1881 that village image was not as far removed, time-wise. Fast forward to today, in 2016, and here we are talking about, getting involved in, and cheer leading for, the continued resurgence of the city of Detroit. (If one could be in two places at once…anyway, Luv baby, 313 😉 )

Fire at the original building on Dix

Detroit Free Press, May 8, 1898

From the above, seven fire engines were called to the scene, firefighters Edward Bates, Joseph Hockenfeldt and Frank Gaffney of Engine Company 10, miraculously escaped death. Other names mentioned are Fire Chief Broderick and Night Engineer Bullock who discovered the fire and Night Watchman, William Robbins who sounded the alarm.

Detroit Free Press, January 1, 1899

According to the above, which was under the heading, “Building in Detroit in 1898. Operations show an improvement despite contrary figures” it appears the company re-built at a different location on 25th Street, as well as building a new factory at 304-312 Wight Street. The Wight St. address must have been what became referred to as “foot of Leib St.” and would be the location in the drawing below.

The Riverfront, Detroit Soap Company and civic pride

Detroit Free Press, May 27, 1906

The riverfront location for the Detroit Soap Co. was at the foot of Leib Street, just west of Mt. Elliott Ave, at what is now the Harbortown area. Leib is no longer at the river, only a portion of it remains, a little further north. Present-day: check out the Detroit Riverfront Conservancy website, mouse over “The Riverfront” heading at the top to get “Before And After” photos of the riverfront (awesome transformation!) Below, that’s part of Belle Isle at the bottom right on the 1901 map.

1901 map showing Leib St.

The partial Riverfront map above is from Polk’s city directory for Detroit, 1901. It’s a great reference if you’re looking for a city map from this era, and will be found at the beginning of the directory, right before the cover page.

Detroit Free Press, May 27, 1906

May 1906: 50 soap wrappers per adult and 35 per child would get you a trip and back to Bois Blanc on the “magnificent” steamer Columbia and 75 per adult and 40 per child would get you a trip and back to Put-in-Bay on the “flyer of the lakes, the handsome” steamer Frank E. Kirby. If you notice, the offer says Queen Anne Soap has been around for 30 years, but nothing was found for them or Detroit Soap Co. prior to 1881, so maybe the facts were stretched a little.

Detroit Free Press, Sept. 13, 1915

Above, the Buffalo, N.Y. firm, Lautz Bros. & Co. acquire the Detroit Soap Co.

See also our second and third trade card finds for Queen Anne Soap.

Sources: “Patronize Michigan Manufacturers!” Detroit Free Press, Wednesday, August 10, 1881. p. 5. (Newspapers.com)

“Business Points.” Detroit Free Press, Sunday, August 14, 1881. p. 1. (Newspapers.com)

“Reduced to Ashes.” Detroit Free Press, Sunday, May 8, 1898. p. 20. (Newspapers.com)

“Factories.” Detroit Free Press, Sunday, January 1, 1899. p. 7. (Newspapers.com)

“Sayings and Doings” Detroit Free Press, Wednesday, August 15, 1900. p. 5. (Newspapers.com)

“Plant of Detroit Soap Co. Where Improvement of River Front Began.” Detroit Free Press, Sunday, May 27, 1906. p. 4. (Newspapers.com)

Detroit city map. R. L. Polk & Co.’s Detroit City Directory, 1901. (Ancestry.com. U.S. City Directories, 1822-1995).

“Free Excursions to the Users of Queen Anne Soap.” Detroit Free Press, Sunday, May 27, 1906. p. 14. (Newspapers.com)

“Detroit Soap Co. Sells Business to Buffalo Firm.” Detroit Free Press, Monday, September 13, 1915. p. 5. (Newspapers.com)

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