Paul Wolff Shirt Company Advertising Card

Pretty simple but great advertising card from the Paul E. Wolff Shirt Company in St. Louis, Missouri.

Paul Wolff got his start in the shirt business in 1881 while working at a factory in Warrensburg, NY. After relocating to St. Louis in 1883, he became a manager at a manufacturing plant for F.J. Dexter & Company. In 1886 Wolff became a partner. In 1889 he bought out Dexter and in 1890 started the firm of A.T. Hungerford & Company. In 1895, Wolff bought out Hungersford and in the following year of 1886 started the Paul E. Wolff Shirt Company.

 

Ad from The Postal Record of 1900

 

J. & P. Coats/Clark's The Wedding Best Man Card

Interesting trade card from J. & P. Coats/Clark's Threads. It is part of a six card set made up of the bride, bridesmaid, minister, bridegroom, best man and the bride's mother. Not quite sure when these were issued, but a similar set issued by Coats/Clark's was issued around 1916. This set had one more doll, the bride's father.

The Homestead Shirt Box Label

Really nice box label for The Homestead Shirt. Not quite sure what company this was produced for. The label does have OK & Co. on it, but a quick search doesn't show anything.

Circa 1870 T.J. Irving & Co., Advertising Envelope

Advertising envelope from T.J. Irving & Company in Baltimore, Maryland. It hard to make out the postmark, but the George Washington three cent stamp on the envelope was issued in 1870. The cover served as an ad for their cashmere and yoke shirt as well as a moving announcement. With all the type on the cover, it's hard to believe this piece was actually delivered to the address hidden underneath it.

Late 1800s Boys Overshirts Size Tag

Really nice late 1800s size tag for boys overshirts. I have no idea what brand this tag originally came on. I like the type on overshirts. It appears to be hand done.

Bayless The Haberdasher Advertising Card

Late 1800s advertising card for Bayless The Haberdasher in Louisville, Kentucky. The card also serves as an advertisement for the Claudent Scarf by Fisk, Clark & Flagg Makers.

c.1887 Lone Star Shirt Company Advertising Envelope

Advertising envelope from the Lone Star Shirt Company in Chicago, Illinois. The envelope is canceled with a "Chicago" stamp but does not have a date of cancelation. I put the piece around 1887 because of the one cent Benjamin Franklin stamp. It appears to be a Scott #212 which was issued in July of 1887.

Circa 1883-85 E.R. Hull & Co. Advertising Card

Established in 1873 as E.R. Hull, the company changed its name to E.R. Hull & Company in 1883 with the edition of S.E. Graves and J.C. McWatters. Graves retired from the company in 1885. In 1890 Wilbur Dutton joined the company and it became E.R. Hull & Dutton. In 1899 the company was bought by the May Department Store Company.

1880s J.S. Preston Jrs. Advertising Card

1880s advertising card for J.S. Preston Jrs., located at 15 Dwight Street in Holyoke, Massachusetts. From what I could gather, it appears they went out of business in 1890. I love the use of the word "Nobby" on the card.

1880s Michaelis & Kaskel Shirt Makers Advertising Card

1880s trade card featuring shirt makers, Michaelis & Kaskel of New York City

Weigert, Meyer, Gross & Co., Pants Makers Advertising Card

Early 1900s advertising card for pants makers, Weigert, Meyer, Gross & Company located in New York City. Around 1910 the company changed to Weigert, Meyer & Company.

1911 ad for Weigert, Meyer & Company's Pennant Pants

Oversized The Royal Tailors Advertising Ink Blotter

Oversized The Royal Tailors advertising ink blotter. This blotter was handed out at various authorized resident dealers for Royal Made-To-Measure Clothes. In this case it came from C. Wright, Custom Tailors in Durham, New Hampshire. Royal Tailors was established in 1886 by Joseph Vehon.

The Royal Tailors Light Up Sign from Showtime Auction Services

1914 Geo. P. Ide & Co., Collar Advertising Fliers

These two 1914 advertising fliers are from the Geo. P. Ide & Co., located in Troy, New York. The company, which started in 1865, was originally called Ide & Ford. In 1867 Samuel Ide joined the company and it became Ide Brothers & Ford. In 1872 it became Ide Brothers & Bruce after S. V. R. Ford left and Charles Bruce joined the firm. That company dissolved in 1878 and became George P. Ide, Bruce & Company. The final name change came in 1884 when the company became George P. Ide & Company.

The piece below is a platinum print by Paul Outerbridge, Jr. from 1922 that was used in a Ide & Company advertisment. The original print was auctioned by Christie's in October of 2000 and sold for $314,000.

From Christies.com

1876 Joseph Schiller & Co., Hats Advertising Card

Advertising card for hatter Joseph Schiller & Company, St. Louis, Missouri. The back of the card has a great graphic celebrating the centennial of the United States.

Peter Robinson, The Rex Shirt, Self-Measurement Form and Price List

Nice 1880s illustrated piece from Peter Robinson's Rex Shirt. Robinson's was located London, England. It was established in 1833 on Oxford Street and soon opened several other locations. In 1903 it was bought by the Cross-Tailoring Company, which is now the Arcadia Group. In 1964 the company launched Peter Robinson's Top Shop. In 1974 Robinson's name was dropped and first stand alone Top Shop was opened.

"Rex" Shirt ad from 1890

Peter Robinson's in 1905 from History.com

Below are some great pieces of postal history from Peter Robinson's. These were taken from the Commercial Overprint Society of Great Britain site which can be found by clicking the link below

http://cosgb.blogspot.com/2010/11/peter-robinson.html

1920s Schulz Brothers Tailors Advertising Postcard

1920s Advertising postcard for Schulz Brothers., The Tailors located in Salamanca, New York. The company originally started out as Lear & Schulz in 1898. In 1905, Lear retired and Schulz Brothers was born.

J.H. Knisely & Company Calling Cards

Two calling cards from J.H. Knisely & Company, practical shirt cutters and manufacturers. The company was located in Mansfield, Ohio and founded in 1872. The business was later sold to Hensley & Schlupp who retained the name. 

In the 1880 copy of The History of Richland County, Ohio it says, "the shirts manufactured by Mr. Knisely possess many excellent features of style, durability and finish: the reputation of his shirts is now  firmly established."