safety suit for aviators (1910)

From the pages Popular Mechanics, which was a lot more badass in 1910 when the emerging science of aviation was in full flower. I like how the safety suit is accented by a crisply creased pair of dress trousers and freshly shined shoes.

bulldog cigarette cards (1910s)

Bulldog cigarette cards, 1910s-- Patrol Call: "Graa-ow"

Beacon Falls Shoe Co. - Husky Shoes for Rough Work

click to biggie size

THE BEACON FALLS RUBBER SHOE COMPANY.
"The Beacon Falls Rubber Shoe Company was established in 1898 and is now splendidly housed.... Both water and steam power are used in the operation of the factory and there is electric connection for emergencies. That the business is today one of the most important and extensive industrial enterprises not only of Beacon Falls but of the Naugatuck valley is indicated in the fact that the company today employs fifteen hundred people, fifty-five per cent being male. They manufacture rubber boots and shoes and outing footwear. The plant has a capacity of twenty / thousand pairs of rubber shoes per day. ..Their product is sold all over the United States and also in Europe and the company has offices in Boston, Chicago, New York, Minneapolis, Kansas City and San Francisco. They are represented upon the road by one hundred and ten traveling salesmen, who travel from their own branch offices. This is the main industry at Beacon Falls...The history of this organization is largely the history of Beacon Falls, for no other business enterprise has contributed in more extensive and substantial measure to the growth and commercial development of the city. "

- from "The History of Waterbury and the Naugatuck Valley, Connecticut (1918)

Beacon Falls was bought out by US Rubber in 1921. In 1930 the name was changed to UniRoyal.

I accidentally learned something...

World War I aircorps pilot's jacket detail

Sold for $305 on eBay. I really dig the winged propeller button!

Girls basketball team uniforms (1910)

Flouncy skirts and sailors' scarves are hardly conducive to fastbreaks. Fortunately, this squad seems to have a deep bench since there were apparently 32 girls on the team!

Kids always look older than their years in vintage photos, no?

Munsingwear factory (1912)

click for embiggenment.

"The Great Manufacturing Plant of the Northwestern Knitting Co."
The banner at the top of the penthouse offices (?) reads, "The Home of Munsingwear"

The Anderson Shoe Company catalog (1915)

I love the color scheme and illustrations on this one. When was the last time you read a clothing manufacturer bragging about cementing their seams? There's not much about this company on the internet, any info is welcome!

Excerpt from "Boot and Shoe Recorder" a trade magazine from 1922:

"Baltimore- Big Fall Business Ahead- The local retail merchant has been experiencing the usual between-season business but is looking forward to a banner season this fall. About all the stores are showing advance fall styles...indications are that perforated patterns will sell big this coming season."

Dull as dishwater, but again, tells a little something about the hidden history of America. There are HUNDREDS of small time shoe companies listed in this boring yet facinating trade magazine. There used to be a thriving domestic shoe industry, scattered throughout the country and highly responsive to local tastes, valuing quality of construction, but at the same time, looking to expand out of market by producing snappy catalogs such as the one above.