Old West Stage Show Photo Postcard
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The cowgirls are pretty, the cowboys good looking, but who is that hideous minstrel figure in the background? This rather mysterious real photo postcard seems to be a photo from…
The William T. Coleman Story – 1880s British Columbia Promotions
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In 1884 William T. Coleman officially became a megalomaniac. That was the year that he hired Forbes Litho Company in Boston to produce for him a thirty-page, 10″ X 14,”…
Anatomical Eyeglasses Fit The Earth
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Imagination is a wonderful thing. And when lithographic artists were let loose on an ad campaign back in Victorian days, the images they produced would often be imaginative. With an…
Ojibwa Indian Tobacco Progressive Label & Proofs
The Lithography Printing Process Illustrated Surprises are common in the world of antique printing. The companies were numerous, their products diverse, and their work broad ranging, with subject matter covering…
Ambrotype of a Cowboy from the Early 1860s
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When I first laid eyes on this image I was stunned. This is impossible, I said to the computer screen. Tom Cruise in the 1860s? – dressed as a cowboy?…
Catch the Express Train! – A Great Tobacco Label
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Those artists at Clay & Cossack in Buffalo sure did love color. They pushed the color limit both in intensity and with the use of unusual color combinations. At the…
That Nasty Ol’ Uncle Sam – stunning 19th Century Advertising Litho
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Ever seen Uncle Sam look so mean? Can’t this Uncle Sam afford the heat? Is this Uncle Sam a racist? Is this Uncle Sam a xenophobe? This little sign was…
Getting That Poster Up On The Wall – Not the best job in the world!
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It had been a long day, and the guys were tired. The photographer, Mr. Quick, wanted to record the moment and asked the guys to line up in front of…
Billy Carroll the Clown
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Billy Carroll the clown was so obscure that he is not even listed on the Circus History biography page. Clowns in general do not get lots of historical notice, but…
Pictorial Daily
