The past several weeks have been super busy with re-arranging the store (Treasures by the Locks in Fenelon Falls), preparing for an upcoming job interview, getting Treasures' social media sorted out, and getting my shops properly set up. Unfortunately, that has meant neglecting the things I want to be doing—like blogging. Especially blogging. This week's offering will be a short one, alas,
The Leather Postcard: A Concept As Ridiculous As It Was Impractical
During a very brief, very dark period in history (typed with tongue planted firmly in cheek, I assure you), postcard publishers decided that the best way to stand out among their competitors was to do something so different that it became impractical: they produced postcards made of leather. Not stiff leather, which can be mailed with few issues, but soft and floppy deerskin. This product of
17 Pages of an Antique Shoe Catalogue, 1912
A really interesting little piece that's in my collection is this Dominion Shoe Company Catalogue of 1912-1913 styles from Hamilton, Ontario. I haven't been able to find any information on the company itself, but this booklet still gives a really interesting look at what was en vogue at the time. Yes, the booklet is in terrible shape on the outside: the cover is torn and creased, yet it's a
Cabinet Card Folder & Cover
I'm rather excited about the piece I have for you this week. You'll have to excuse my tardiness—I had a very sudden bug hit me on Thursday evening and I've been out of commission until today. It's terrible, but it's also the only time I've been sick in several years. I'll take that over how sick I used to get every year when I was working with the public all the time. Getting that sick now
9 Vintage Photographs of Everyday People
The best thing about old photographs is that they show us what life was like in the not-too-distant past. We see the goodbyes, the hellos, the see-you-soons. These old photos represent the memories of people that can't speak to us anymore, and who couldn't leave behind videos the way we can now. Can you imagine how easy it will be for our descendants to understand—or at least know—our time
Sponge Market, Nassau, Bahamas Postcard
There was a time when the Bahamas were a hotbed of sponging activity. Hundreds of ships harvested sponges from the islands' crystal-clear waters, resulting in an export of over a million pounds in 1917 alone for use in homes around the world. Sponging brought good money to families that took part, and spongers could make a decent living diving for the aquatic invertebrates. The sponging
A Hard-Working Postcard
Working hard? Hardly working? I think this vintage postcard does a good job of stating the obvious: Same here. Same here. Unfortunately for me, I'm not programmed to just 'do nothing', and my idea of working hard looks like 'doing nothing' to the people around me! Those of you that do similar work to mine know that feeling all too well, eh? "What are you doing?" "I'm
Have a Hell of a Good Time in… Oklahoma!?
Oklahoma. Out of all the possible places to find yourself black-out drunk, Oklahoma in the early 20th century is not the first on my list, nor does it make it into the top ten. Not even the top twenty. Oil was discovered in Oklahoma at the tail end of the 19th century. That brought all sorts of riff-raff out into the wilds of the state to start drilling for black gold, and every time pay
Wartime Latrine Humour with Exhibit Supply Company
Arcade machines were all the rage in the early 20th century. One company maintained its spot at the head of the pack for nearly one-hundred years by producing machines and their prizes, and that company was ESCO: Exhibit Supply Company. Established in 1901 in Chicago, ESCO jumped feet-first into the very niche arcade merchandising industry and hit the ground running. Penny arcades were still
Daydreaming About Love in This Real Photo Postcard
RPPCs were a playground for the photographers and are little works of art themselves, using a multitude of techniques to help them stand out from the crowd. I'm not being cutesy here: between commercially-offered real photo postcards and those made by private citizens for personal use, there are likely hundreds of thousands, if not more, different images floating around in the world today. To
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