Uncovering Our History Through The Relics Left Behind
Posted in Advertising, Black history, collectibles, Signs, and slavery
Lest we forget. That’s what came to my mind when I saw the Jim Crow signs in the glass case at the auction house. As I stood there looking at the signs outside the case,…
Posted in Advertising, and Art
I’ve seen plenty of Cream of Wheat posters with the ever-smiling chef holding a bowl of the stuff. But when I saw that a local auction house was selling some of the original paintings, I…
Posted in Advertising, and Signs
The sign was lying on its side, its letters twisted, but its big sunshine-yellow words clicked with the auction-goer. “Ground Round a family fun place to eat and drink” were deeply carved in the sign. He…
Posted in Advertising, African American women, collectibles, and Tins
Both the image and the product name on the metal tin poster surprised me. The tin featured a young black girl wearing a clean dress with a white pinafore, and a bright smile. She had red…
Posted in Advertising, Architecture/Buildings, Businesses, Equipment, and history
The aged envelope bore a large heading above a drawing of the Palmer Hotel in Chicago. The pronouncement would mean nothing without knowing the hotel’s history. “Only Fire-Proof House in the United States,” it blared.…
Posted in Advertising, camera, Ephemera/Paper/Documents, Home, and Lighting
When I saw the pink raffle ticket in the glass case at the auction house, I figured it was like any other ticket. Who hasn’t bought a raffle ticket to help out a church, group…
Posted in Advertising, Ephemera/Paper/Documents, and Medicine
When I first saw the trade cards, I assumed that the women in deep necklines and sexy poses were selling exactly what they were showing. Usually I ignore such images at auction, leaving them for…
Posted in Advertising, Asian, Carvings, collectibles, furniture, and Lighting
One week, the auction house had a larger-than-life figure of Jesus Christ that looked as if it had been taken from a church. A few weeks later, it offered a larger-than-life figure of an African…
