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June 7, 2022 8:51 AM Subscribe
The Jeremiah Rotherman & Co.'s 1904 General Price List mail order catalogue is fun to browse. It becomes interesting around page 10. (via Present and Correct on twitter.)
What was a "toilet pin" used for? For using with one's undergarments?
posted by Ashwagandha at 9:12 AM on June 7, 2022
posted by Ashwagandha at 9:12 AM on June 7, 2022
They were general purpose pins for dressing related purposes. You might use them to pin flowers to your hat, or as a fastening for something that wasn't designed with a button or to pin a modesty panel into place on a dress, or any number of other things that were dressing related.
They typically had small glass heads on them, similar to what we now use as sewing pins.
posted by jacquilynne at 9:30 AM on June 7, 2022 [4 favorites]
They typically had small glass heads on them, similar to what we now use as sewing pins.
posted by jacquilynne at 9:30 AM on June 7, 2022 [4 favorites]
I love these little brass staples with the manufacturer's name on them. I wonder if it was possible to get decorative vanity staples with your own branding?
posted by phooky at 9:48 AM on June 7, 2022 [2 favorites]
posted by phooky at 9:48 AM on June 7, 2022 [2 favorites]
And am fascinated and disquieted by these reels of "continuous whalebone". Thanks, this is an incredible artifact.
posted by phooky at 9:52 AM on June 7, 2022
posted by phooky at 9:52 AM on June 7, 2022
I love notion departments from the bygone big department stores. This catalog has tons of notions. I also learned that decorative ribbon trim is called gimp. And, it must have taken forever to get dressed in those days!
posted by Czjewel at 10:01 AM on June 7, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by Czjewel at 10:01 AM on June 7, 2022 [1 favorite]
I have to close this tab, but there's just so much here. Arc lamps! Xylonite!
How do you like your dolls? Wax? Sleeping? Moveable? Papa? Sailor? Don't worry, all models come cursed.
posted by phooky at 10:14 AM on June 7, 2022 [3 favorites]
How do you like your dolls? Wax? Sleeping? Moveable? Papa? Sailor? Don't worry, all models come cursed.
posted by phooky at 10:14 AM on June 7, 2022 [3 favorites]
This is fascinating. I wonder why the hair pin on page 78 is called "Springbok"?
posted by Zumbador at 10:15 AM on June 7, 2022
posted by Zumbador at 10:15 AM on June 7, 2022
Speaking of whalebone, the "Corset Department" is quite extensive.
posted by mandolin conspiracy at 10:25 AM on June 7, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by mandolin conspiracy at 10:25 AM on June 7, 2022 [1 favorite]
I love all the corset pages. Lots of double page spreads. Like this one.
posted by Catblack at 10:29 AM on June 7, 2022
posted by Catblack at 10:29 AM on June 7, 2022
When I was a kid in the 70s, my best friend's mom was an antique collector. It's thanks to her (the mom) that I have used a pedal-powered sewing machine, and a player piano.
A game my friend and I used to play was to ask her mom for some amount of imaginary money—$5, or $10—and then go shopping in a vintage Sears catalog.
Browsing through this was very much like that.
posted by Well I never at 10:40 AM on June 7, 2022 [4 favorites]
A game my friend and I used to play was to ask her mom for some amount of imaginary money—$5, or $10—and then go shopping in a vintage Sears catalog.
Browsing through this was very much like that.
posted by Well I never at 10:40 AM on June 7, 2022 [4 favorites]
Do Prime members get free 1-day shipping? (Asking for a friend.)
posted by Insert Clever Name Here at 10:41 AM on June 7, 2022
posted by Insert Clever Name Here at 10:41 AM on June 7, 2022
Incredible. John James & Sons gold-eye needles are advertised-- I still use that brand today. I get a weird tiny size (#10 sharps) and have to special order it.
Intrigued to see the "farthing change box." What was that, something where you'd buy a thing for a fraction of a penny and to make change they'd let you choose a little prize? Kind of a good idea. Gas stations are the only place that still charges fractional cents-- but you never get change on it.
posted by blnkfrnk at 10:45 AM on June 7, 2022
Intrigued to see the "farthing change box." What was that, something where you'd buy a thing for a fraction of a penny and to make change they'd let you choose a little prize? Kind of a good idea. Gas stations are the only place that still charges fractional cents-- but you never get change on it.
posted by blnkfrnk at 10:45 AM on June 7, 2022
," it must have taken forever to get dressed in those days!."
Saw a presentation where a woman donned Victorian era clothes while explaining the hows and whys, and yeah it was a process. Not to mention there were three or four full changes each day with morning clothes, day clothes, going out clothes, dinner clothes, etc
posted by calamari kid at 11:10 AM on June 7, 2022
Saw a presentation where a woman donned Victorian era clothes while explaining the hows and whys, and yeah it was a process. Not to mention there were three or four full changes each day with morning clothes, day clothes, going out clothes, dinner clothes, etc
posted by calamari kid at 11:10 AM on June 7, 2022
If you're wondering, the ladies' hygienic towelettes are on page 506.
posted by bleep at 11:15 AM on June 7, 2022
posted by bleep at 11:15 AM on June 7, 2022
To me, this book becomes interesting before page 10, because it describes the order process and all the "fun" of working in non-decimal currency. For a human touch, there's the ghost of someone long deceased's order next to the "How to Order" page
posted by scruss at 11:21 AM on June 7, 2022 [5 favorites]
posted by scruss at 11:21 AM on June 7, 2022 [5 favorites]
This is really interesting. My great-great-grandfather was a presser of "ladies tailoring" in Stepney around this time, so may well have produced work sold here.
posted by fight or flight at 3:20 AM on June 8, 2022
posted by fight or flight at 3:20 AM on June 8, 2022
First, I love how old catalogs like this seem to have some kind of rule where the first few pages are dedicated to showing off their warehouse or headquarters, like "Look at our totally modern and (then) gigantic 5 story brick warehouse! We are a legitimate business company doing business things!"
Sears and Roebuck catalogs did the same thing. The tradition still seems to exist today, notably with office/industrial supply companies, often with group staff photos.
I can't imagine Amazon doing the same thing, like "Hey, look at our totally soulless and mostly dark automated warehouse staffed by temporary worker wage slaves!"
Second the Victorian and Edwardian era of clothing and the industrial textile revolution is totally wild with how many moving parts there are involved. Suddenly the masses could (somewhat) afford to dress like nobility and suddenly there was complicated lace, findings and bric-a-brac everywhere. It was the high tech status symbol of its era and age and people went absolutely nuts with it, and not just with clothing or women's clothing.
Third I would eat bugs for a few boxes of those good vintage safety pins. It's almost impossible to find strong, sharp and well plated or rust resistant safety pins these days. Everything I find is made out of the cheapest, softest wire that folds like wet cardboard and has all the closing power of chewed gum.
The last time I managed to buy some decent safety pins it was at my local Goodwill, where they had an endcap of newly packaged boxes of what was probably new old stock for some strange reason. They are the only "real" safety pins I've been able to find in like 10-20 years, and I should have bought a dozen boxes of those things.
I have a feeling that someone else discovered that they were good, strong pins and went back and bought out the whole stock because when I went back less than a week later to buy more the whole end cap and display was just gone.
posted by loquacious at 9:56 AM on June 8, 2022 [1 favorite]
Sears and Roebuck catalogs did the same thing. The tradition still seems to exist today, notably with office/industrial supply companies, often with group staff photos.
I can't imagine Amazon doing the same thing, like "Hey, look at our totally soulless and mostly dark automated warehouse staffed by temporary worker wage slaves!"
Second the Victorian and Edwardian era of clothing and the industrial textile revolution is totally wild with how many moving parts there are involved. Suddenly the masses could (somewhat) afford to dress like nobility and suddenly there was complicated lace, findings and bric-a-brac everywhere. It was the high tech status symbol of its era and age and people went absolutely nuts with it, and not just with clothing or women's clothing.
Third I would eat bugs for a few boxes of those good vintage safety pins. It's almost impossible to find strong, sharp and well plated or rust resistant safety pins these days. Everything I find is made out of the cheapest, softest wire that folds like wet cardboard and has all the closing power of chewed gum.
The last time I managed to buy some decent safety pins it was at my local Goodwill, where they had an endcap of newly packaged boxes of what was probably new old stock for some strange reason. They are the only "real" safety pins I've been able to find in like 10-20 years, and I should have bought a dozen boxes of those things.
I have a feeling that someone else discovered that they were good, strong pins and went back and bought out the whole stock because when I went back less than a week later to buy more the whole end cap and display was just gone.
posted by loquacious at 9:56 AM on June 8, 2022 [1 favorite]
"Ground floor: perfumery
Stationery and leather goods
Wigs and haberdashery
Kitchenware and food
Going up
First floor: telephones
Gents' ready-made suits
Shirts, socks, ties, hats
Underwear and shoes
Going up"
posted by juniper at 12:45 PM on June 8, 2022 [2 favorites]
Stationery and leather goods
Wigs and haberdashery
Kitchenware and food
Going up
First floor: telephones
Gents' ready-made suits
Shirts, socks, ties, hats
Underwear and shoes
Going up"
posted by juniper at 12:45 PM on June 8, 2022 [2 favorites]
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