I’ve been on an ebay shopping spree for Montgomery Ward catalogs (the Archival bible). I’ve secured a few new Fall editions from the 1940s which I’ll be reprinting here–in bits–in the next few months. Copies of the 1930s catalogs are more tricky to source. Inspired by Spokesniffer and Reference Library, I’m capturing auction images as placeholders for items I did not buy. Here are a few frame grabs from vintage catalogs from the 1930s that were beyond my “buy it now” pricepoint. If I could make it so, these would all Archival offerings for Fall 2011. Smitty “Whata Sweater” would be announced as our new Archival mascot.
Smitty Sweater
Heavy weight shawl collar sweaters and cardigans
All wool blazers
Denim jackets, overalls and trousers
Canvas duck field jackets
All wool shaker sweaters
Heritage workwear for women
Pendleton blankets
It’s hard to believe just how relevant this is. Very inspirering.
great post, LL. Lots of interesting things here, but two that jumped out:
1. wearing a tie for duck hunting, and especially
2. a promise that the hard-working man or woman will find “No Prison Made Overalls At Ward’s.” How we got from here to prisonblues.com is quite a saga. Google “Prison Industries Enhancement Certification Program (PIECP)” sometime and you will get the picture.
so very niceeee keep it up
Agreed! I want one with the 3/4 sleeves like this and they eiehtr fit bulky or awkward. Jackets can be harder to fit than jeans sometimes! I wish I could put on a leather jacket. Still 85 degrees here.
I’m searching for tools pages from the ’30s-’40s, specifically looking for Ward’s Bloc Maker to nail down the date of one we have here.
I don’t have any info on tools but I would recommend trying to pick up some of these catalogs via eBay.