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Friday, March 30, 2018

A Guarantee That it's Going to be a Happy Easter

#greetingcards #danbury #art #easter #estatesale #urbanarcheology
An awesome find last weekend turns into a larger story yet to be told. And it was told...on my other website. Read it here.  


Monday, March 26, 2018

If you’re going to have a porch light you’re going to need..... Actually, some may recognize this as an added benefit from owning a Lane Cedar Chest. In 1937 this came with your purchase but you still had to send away for it - to have in in your name and get the $100 benefit should moths snack on the contents. #found #legal #insurance #aetna #1937 #estatesale #urbanarcheology


If you’re going to have a porch light you’re going to need..... Actually, some may recognize this as an added benefit from owning a Lane Cedar Chest. In 1937 this came with your purchase but you still had to send away for it - to have in in your name and get the $100 benefit should moths snack on the contents. #legal #insurance #aetna #1937 #estatesale #urbanarcheology

from Instagram

Sunday, March 25, 2018

“There no Cleanser like blood cleanser like no cleanser I know” Found a scrap book full of trade cards from the late 1800s. If they weren’t all glued I would have been tempted. I was able to take a few images and cure my need for old paper temporarily- another false Panacea. #found #tradecards #advertising #drugs #pharmacy #cures #quackery #1800s #Victorian #estatesale #urbanarcheology


“There no Cleanser like blood cleanser like no cleanser I know” Found a scrap book full of trade cards from the late 1800s. If they weren’t all glued I would have been tempted. I was able to take a few images and cure my need for old paper temporarily- another false Panacea. #tradecards #advertising #drugs #pharmacy #cures #quackery #1800s #Victorian #estatesale #urbanarcheology

from Instagram

Saturday, March 24, 2018

“Can I have a receipt for that recipe?” If you opened this booklet from 1879 you might expect to see Aunt Matilda’s ledger, and why would you? It turns out that the words Receipt and Recipe at one time meant the same thing. Both are derived from the Latin recipre which means “to receive.” A visit to the apothecary in 1400 would have been due to the recipe given by a physician. Before 1760 the word “receipt” meant the same thing - to receive ingredients for a specific combination and result. The little advertising booklet for The dubiously names “Dobbins Electric Soap” which combines recipes and testimonials shows that the word Receipt, even in 1879 was still in strong use - ultimately, the use of that word in this context would go the same way as “Electric Soap.” I wonder why? #found #advertsing #ephemera #soap #food #recipes #1879 #funny #humor #estatesale #urbanarcheology


“Can I have a receipt for that recipe?” If you opened this booklet from 1879 you might expect to see Aunt Matilda’s ledger, and why would you? It turns out that the words Receipt and Recipe at one time meant the same thing. Both are derived from the Latin recipre which means “to receive.” A visit to the apothecary in 1400 would have been due to the recipe given by a physician. Before 1760 the word “receipt” meant the same thing - to receive ingredients for a specific combination and result. The little advertising booklet for The dubiously names “Dobbins Electric Soap” which combines recipes and testimonials shows that the word Receipt, even in 1879 was still in strong use - ultimately, the use of that word in this context would go the same way as “Electric Soap.” I wonder why? #advertsing #ephemera #soap #food #recipes #1879 #funny #humor #estatesale #urbanarcheology

from Instagram

Sunday, March 18, 2018

In these waning days of the winter doldrums I have been listening to REM and relaxing to the song “Man on the Moon. I ” It wasn’t until I listened to the lyrics and wondered the significance of the line “Mr Freddie Blassie and the Breakfast mess...” It was around the same time I was pulling this gem from one of my unsorted piles of found paper. I don’t know who the future champ “Kyle” is, but I wish I did. Classy Freddy Blassie went from top wrestler to top manager of Hulk Hogan and others. I remember Andy Kaufman’s obsession with wrestling and watched some of the spoof film he made called “My Breakfast with Blassie.” It was a Mess indeed, mainly ultra dull on purpose as a jab maybe at the film “My dinner with Andre” with Wallace Shawn. Andy and Freddy have a lot of questions to answer, I guess we’ll see them heaven if we make the list, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.... #found #autograph #freddyblassie #andykaufman #foundpaper #REM #movies #obscure #estatesale #urbanarcheology


In these waning days of the winter doldrums I have been listening to REM and relaxing to the song “Man on the Moon. I ” It wasn’t until I listened to the lyrics and wondered the significance of the line “Mr Freddie Blassie and the Breakfast mess...” It was around the same time I was pulling this gem from one of my unsorted piles of found paper. I don’t know who the future champ “Kyle” is, but I wish I did. Classy Freddy Blassie went from top wrestler to top manager of Hulk Hogan and others. I remember Andy Kaufman’s obsession with wrestling and watched some of the spoof film he made called “My Breakfast with Blassie.” It was a Mess indeed, mainly ultra dull on purpose as a jab maybe at the film “My dinner with Andre” with Wallace Shawn. Andy and Freddy have a lot of questions to answer, I guess we’ll see them heaven if we make the list, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.... #autograph #freddyblassie #andykaufman #foundpaper #REM #movies #obscure #estatesale #urbanarcheology

from Instagram

Saturday, March 17, 2018

Happy St Patrick’s Day! This image was a gift from the New Milford Historical Society after my presentation there. Somewhere around the turn-of-the-century and between Kilkee and Clonmel, Ireland artist photographer Peter Collins would take your picture and then offered to enlarge it to “life-size“ or paint it in oil or water-color. I don’t know if anyone ever took him up on the offer but this tiny Irish lass might have. I wish I could find more about him but alas, it’s a long long way to Tipperary.... #found #photography #newmilfordhistoricalsociety #foundphoto #stpatricksday #lass #estatesale #urbanarcheology


Happy St Patrick’s Day! This image was a gift from the New Milford Historical Society after my presentation there. Somewhere around the turn-of-the-century and between Kilkee and Clonmel, Ireland artist photographer Peter Collins would take your picture and then offered to enlarge it to “life-size“ or paint it in oil or water-color. I don’t know if anyone ever took him up on the offer but this tiny Irish lass might have. I wish I could find more about him but alas, it’s a long long way to Tipperary.... #photography #newmilfordhistoricalsociety #foundphoto #stpatricksday #lass #estatesale #urbanarcheology

from Instagram

Saturday, March 10, 2018

Pry-A-Lid Kitchen Gadget

#gadget #kitchen #wilton #connecticut #estatesale #urbanarcheology
Hanging out at a Windy Cats sale in Wilton CT. I found this item in a mini-dig. Now I can open all my jars with this “Pry-a-Lid” from Housewares Inc. in Baltimore, Maryland. And, if my hat’s on too tight I'm sure this would be the tool to have.

from Instagram

Sunday, March 4, 2018

Glass negative processing In The Wild!

#foundphoto #glassnegative #estatesales #technology #photography #urbanarcheology #newyork #portchester
Glass negative processing In The Wild! What tech we possess! I’ll be posting a video how-to later today, because although it’s rough, I was able to demonstrate at the sale in Port Chester, NY how easy it is to take found negatives to the finished state.

from Instagram

Friday, March 2, 2018

Gas light Me Will Ya!? Not without a Union Card!

#unioncard #gaslight #connecticut #1900s #urbanarcheology
In the gas light era you had to be in the union. This Danburian was a member for 3 years. I wonder who did the letter design for this card? ...Awesome! Do you think the words "United Association" are designed to look like pipes? It's ornate, but I wish someone had gone over the top to make it more obvious.  I also don't see the apostrophe after the "S" in Steam fitters Helpers...after all possession is 9/10th of punctuation law.

from Instagram