The Museum of Brands, Packaging and Advertising

Unfortunately I’ve not been in England in several years.. but next time I go, I will definitely visit The Museum of Brands, Packaging and Advertising which is located in the Notting Hill section of London.

Museum of BrandsThe Museum was opened by and is managed by consumer historian, Robert Opie, who at the age of 16 saw the need to record the history of the products around us.  He has built the collection to all aspects of daily life – toys, magazines, technology, travel, souvenirs, fashion and design.  He comments on the site:

‘When the thousands of pieces of our social history are assembled into some giant jigsaw, the picture becomes clearer as to the remarkable journey we have all come through’.

It’s interesting that over the years he has built the sponsorship of the Museum to include such well known brands as Kellogg’s, Cadbury Trebor Bassett, Twinings, pi global, Vodafone, McVitie’s and Diageo… many or most of which are European brands.  He also has a number of what he calls “Brand Sponsors” such as Nestlé, United Biscuits, Marks and Spencer, Premier Foods, Tate and Lyle. (again, a number of European brands).

The current exhibition at the Museum is to celebrate the 250 years of Guinness.  The exhibition highlights the very best of Guinness advertising, from posters and TV commercials to drinks trays and beer mats. He tells us that it was the genius of a Mr. John Gilroy with his menagerie of zoo animals that became the memorable face of Guinness posters.

An exhibition in January was sponsored by a company called Tesco, a UK-based international grocery and general merchandising retail chain, and focused on the topic “Waste Not Want Not”. It looked at how, during the war years, Britain had to conserve on everything from energy to commodities and raw materials… and the lessons learned from that. Of course recycling paper was a part of that… and Ephemera was certainly a part of the exhibit.

There are not a lot of pictures on the Museum site, but a blog entitled “Ragged Roses” did a review of the Museum recently… and you can see several of her picture from the Museum on the blog by clicking here.

Will I see you in England for an upcoming exhibition?

I’m Tom Murphy and thanks for helping me give Ephemera the encore it deserves.

Tom

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Technorati tags: Bonanzle, Encore Ephemera, Ephemera, The Ephemera Network, Packaging, Advertising, Kellogs


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The Ephemera Assemblyman

I’ve mentioned the Ephemera Assemblyman before.. and I am continuously going back to Joel’s site to see what he has uncovered of late.

I don’t know much about him other than that he is a student in Davis, CA. UC Davis perhaps?

Slovenian Event PosterToday I found a wonderful collection of some 15 “Slovenian Event Posters” on his site. The one to the left particularly caught my eye, perhaps because of the lovely smiles on the faces of the children.

His site tells us that this was from a Soft Drinks Exhibition in Ljubljana back in 1954. At that time of course Slovenia was part of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. It gained its independence in 1991 and is now part of the European Union.

Ljubljana is the capital of Slovenia and its largest city. It’s located in the center of the country and is a mid-sized city of some 270,000 inhabitants. It’s the cultural, scientific, economic, political and administrative center of Slovenia.

It’s worth noting that this is NOT the personal collection of Joel… but rather his uncovering of the massive collection at the fantastic Digital Library of Slovenia.

I’m Tom Murphy and thanks for helping me give Ephemera the encore it deserves.

Tom

Take a look at my current Bonanzle items or
Visit my storefront.

Technorati tags: Bonanzle, Encore Ephemera, Ephemera, The Ephemera Network, Slovenian Events, Ljubljanat, Ephemera Assemblyman

Society Sweet Scotch Snuff

I must admit, I had never heard of “Sweet Scotch Snuff” until today.

But a quick search of Wikipedia tells me that “Snuff is ground or pulverized tobacco, which is generally inhaled or “snuffed” through the nose.”  That much of course I knew.

What I did not know was that snuff basically comes in two versions… the (primarily) European version, which is dry  and usually scented or flavored and is intended to be sniffed through the nose.   And then there is moist snuff – often called American Snuff  – which tends to be applied to the gums, rather than sniffed. It’s sometimes called dipping tobacco, and like the European versions, comes in many varieties and flavours.  There is yet another type of snuff, unique to India, called “creamy snuff” which is more of a paste sold in toothpaste tubes… and marketed mainly to women.

Sweet Scotch SnuffI became aware of “Sweet Scotch Snuff” when I saw this small piece of vintage ephemera on a blog which is interestingly titled “Paper Dolls for Boys“.  Despite its title, the blog does occasionally display a number of interesting pieces of ephemera.  They are generally part of a weekly category called “vintage photo friday”.

Society Sweet Scotch SnuffIn reading the small ticket, which offered a “lady’s fine linen handkerchief” which normally sells “for 25 cents”, I began to look into just what is “Blue Ribbon Sweet Scotch Snuff” but did not find a whole lot. It’s interesting that back then, and I can’t seem to find a date for the Handkerchief Ticket, a man (presumably) was offered a fine linen hankie for his lady, as part of a “reward” (?) for buying four tins of snuff.

I did find the tin on the right, a different brand, offered on Etsy.  The description reads:

From what I can tell this has never been opened. It is Helme quality snuff. The paper label is in very good condition, a couple of very small spots. My pictures show the front and back of the label.

This tin is approx. 2 1/4 inches tall and 1 3/4 across.

It’s listed at a mere $8.00 which somewhat surprised me.

I am assuming that there is a group of “snuff tin” collectors out there.. there seem to be collectors of almost everything these days.  I am wondering if there is also a group who collects ephemera related to snuff?

How about YOU?  Do you collect either snuff ephemera, tins of snuff – or anything that might fit into both the  general category of “snuff” and “ephemera”?  I’d like to hear from you.

I’m Tom Murphy and thanks for helping me give Ephemera the encore it deserves.

Tom

Take a look at my current Bonanzle items or
Visit my storefront.

Technorati tags: Bonanzle, Encore Ephemera, Ephemera, The Ephemera Network, Snuff, Tobacco, Blue Ribbon Snuff

Now one new computer fills all your data processing needs

“… tailored to fit a small operation, a medium size company or a big nationwide company with many offices and plants.  It’s great on commercial problems… handles inventory management simulation, operations research, market forecasting and other problems more efficiently than ever before.”

IBM 1964 adNo, we are not talking about a new laptop from Lenovo or netbook from Dell.  These words come from the 6 page IBM ad that ran sometime in the 1960s and had the lead-in line of “On April 7, 1964 the entire concept of computers changed.”  The ad was for the new IBM System/360.

I know a bit about that as I was with IBM in their Data Processing Division in the late ’60s.  What caught my eye more so than perhaps the words about the System/360 was the IBM logo on the last page of the ad.  IBM logoIt was the logo that the company used from 1947 to 1956.  I’m a little confused as to why it was still used on this ad as according to the IBM Archives, the logo was changed in 1956 to a Paul Rand designed one that survived until 1972.  It was then replaced by the company’s current 8-bar logo which was intended to imply “speed and dynamism”.

You can see the entire set of IBM logos at their website by clicking here.

The ad above is from a website titled “Ephemera Assemblyman” and the full 6-page ad is available for viewing here.

I’m Tom Murphy and thanks for helping me give Ephemera the encore it deserves.

Tom

Take a look at my current Bonanzle items or
Visit my storefront.

Technorati tags: Bonanzle, Encore Ephemera, Ephemera, The Ephemera Network, IBM, Paul Rand, System/360, Ephemera Assemblyman, IBM Logo

Fading of Negro Baseball Leagues In America

An article today in “Live Auction Talk” is about the Negro National Baseball League which offered blacks their only shot at playing organized ball in 1920.

The Negro League was a black monopoly that became the largest of its kind in the country. It was also one of the last times blacks controlled their own major league sports organizations.

Nashville Elite Giants

On March 6, Hunt Auctions of Exton, Pa., featured a selection of photographs, posters, banners, game tickets and other ephemera from the Negro League era in its Sports Memorabilia and Cards auction.

The picture to the right is of five uniformed players of the Nashville Elite Giants from 1935 and sold at Hunt Auctions for $805.

Some other items sold were:

  • Satchel Paige photograph; autographed; Paige pitching in Cleveland Indians uniform; black-and-white; 8 inches by 10 inches; $805.
  • Ticket stub; National Colored All Star Baseball Game; Sept. 10, 1933; $1,265.
  • Souvenir program; Negro World Series; played between Cleveland Buckeyes and New York Cubans; 1947; $1,725.
  • Photographic broadside; Satchel Paige; Negro All Stars game; game between Paige’s Negro All Stars and Louisville Black Colonels; cardboard; circa 1930s; 11 inches by 17 inches; $4,485.

You can read the original article by clicking here.

I’m Tom Murphy and thanks for helping me give Ephemera the encore it deserves.

Tom
Take a look at my current Bonanzle items or
Visit my storefront.

Technorati tags: Bonanzle, Encore Ephemera, Ephemera, The Ephemera Network, National Negro League, Live Auction Talk, Satchel Paige, National Colored All Star Baseball Game, New York Cubans

Tattered and Lost

Ephemera

In my ongoing surfing of the web, I continue to run across some wonderful blogs about our favorite subject… Ephemera.

Today I ran across Tattered and Lost, which unfortunately does not indicate who the author is.  The site is about some of the items in or her collection which she says includes letters, postcards, menus, magazines, greeting cards, paper dolls and many other odd things found in her house.

DelMonteGiven my interest in vintage magazine advertising, it’s this ad that perhaps caught my eye the most.  Talk about politically incorrect!  The author’s comments are worth repeating:

I think it’s hard for younger people today to really grasp how far we’ve come. This ad for Del Monte pineapple juice is from a 1937 Better Homes and Gardens. I don’t really think I need to make any comment. Each person will bring what they want to it. It’s like a scene from one of those 1930s Hollywood musicals where the women were bejeweled and white like snow and the servants were always black and spoke broken English. Even the height difference between the two women was calculated.“  Click on the image to see the larger version.

TeperetteThe other ad that caught my eye was this one for Taperette – a device use to “taper, shape and thin your hair – safely, easily and at home“. Click it to enlarge.

I don’t know much about the product itself, but the ad, and the history of the Richard Hudnut family (his daughter was married to Rudolph Valentino, while Valentino was still married to another woman) are very interesting to read.

The blog author has taken the effort to point us to a bit of history of Mr. Hudnut who is regarded as the first American to enter the cosmetics field in a major way. Hudnut’s company eventually was bought out and is today what we know as Pfizer.  It formerly was Parke-Davis and before that the Warner-Lambert Pharmaceuticals Co.

If you’d like to take a look at this fine blog, and see numerous other interesting Ephemera items, click here.  If only we knew who the author of this site was…

I’m Tom Murphy and thanks for helping me give Ephemera the encore it deserves.

Tom
Take a look at my current Bonanzle items or
Visit my storefront.

Technorati tags: Bonanzle, Encore Ephemera, Ephemera, The Ephemera Network, DelMonte, Pfizer, Taperette, Hudnut, Tattered Ephemera

The Evanion Collection

Queens RoomWhile surfing the net today I ran across an interesting blog called “Morbid Anatomy – Surveying the Interstices of Art and Medicine, Death and Culture“. I’ve not investigated the site fully, but what caught my eye was a reference to The Evanion Collection.

In 1895 the British Museum purchased a rich and fascinating collection of 19th century ephemera formed by Henry Evans (1832-1905), a conjuror and ventriloquist, who performed under the stage name “Evanion”. During the course of a long career, he took every opportunity to amass a large collection of material relating to Victorian entertainment and everyday life. Harry Houdini, who described the collection as “full of priceless treasures”, later acquired many of the items relating to magic. These are now in the possession of the Harry Ransom Humanities Research Center at the University of Texas at Austin. The British Library owns approximately 5,000 items from Evanion’s collection. These fall into two main categories – popular entertainment, and everyday life – and include posters, advertisements, trade cards and catalogues.

Evanion CollectionAs the paragraph says, the collection is currently at the Harry Ransom Humanities Research Center at the University of Texas which is in Austin.

There are many many pieces of Evanion Ephemera viewable on a LiveJournal blog located here. I’ve only included a few in this article.  Take a look at them all by clicking the above link.

The Morbid Anatomy blog is part of the Proteus Gowanus Interdisciplinary Gallery and Reading Room in Brooklyn, New York. The Library houses the ever-growing collection of books, catalogs, photographs, articles and artifacts used as source material for the ongoing Morbid Anatomy study.  Sounds interesting.. but clearly nothing I know anything about… nor intend to delve into anytime soon.

I’m Tom Murphy and thanks for helping me give Ephemera the encore it deserves.

Tom
Take a look at my current Bonanzle items or
Visit my storefront.

Technorati tags: Bonanzle, Encore Ephemera, Ephemera, The Ephemera Network, Morbid Anatomy, Evanion Collection, University of Texas

The International Ephemera Fair & Conference

What makes men blushThe Annual “International Ephemera Fair and Conference” is coming up soon at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Old Greenwich, CT  The dates are March 20/21/22, 2009.

Their advertising says that:

“Over 90 truly superlative, internationally prominent Exhibitors from across the United States, Canada, England, and Europe will convene for a fabulous weekend of Conferences, Exhibits, Discussions, an Auction, and the finest Paper & Ephemera Show to be found under one roof!”

Their website also says that they will have everything including Posters, Catalogs, Valentines, Postcards, Pamphlets, Broadsides, Tickets, Invitations, Autographs, Sheet Music, Letterheads, Manuscripts, Trade Cards, Photographs, Playing Cards, Political Campaign items and much, much more.

International Ephemera ShowShown here are just two of the items they are displaying on their website.  It’s not clear if these items will be available at the show.. but they are nonetheless interesting items.

The Conference is on Friday, March 20th from 10am-9pm and on Sunday, March 22 from 9-11am. The Fair will be on Saturday, March 21st from 10am-5pm through Sunday, March 22nd from 11am-4pm.

They also have an appraisal session, run by a John Bruno, on Saturday, March 21st from 12:30-2pm where they charge $5 per item appraised.  Here is a bit of info on John from The Ephemera Society of America:

John Bruno comes to ephemera by way of dealing antiques. He and his wife, Tina, are the owners of Flamingo Promotions, a business that annually manages 25 antiques and collectibles shows on Long Island, Manhattan, upstate New York, and New Jersey. The lion’s share of their shows are conducted for the benefit of community and non-profit organizations.

John and Flamingo Productions are the organizers of this show.

So if you are going to be anywhere near Greenwich Connecticut in mid March, this may well be a show you should attend.  I’ve not been personally.. but from everything I’ve read, it promises to be quite interesting.

If you have attended this show in the past – or any of Flamingo’s other shows – we’d all like to hear from you – a brief report about their shows, attendance, quantity and quality of items etc.

I’m Tom Murphy and thanks for helping me give Ephemera the encore it deserves.

Tom
Take a look at my current Bonanzle items or
Visit my storefront.

Technorati tags: Bonanzle, Encore Ephemera, Ephemera, The Ephemera Network, Flamingo Productions, John Bruno, International Ephemera Fair

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