Cutex, 1921

We're having some visitors this weekend so I've been doing some extra cleaning (that means making things normal), shifting things about... this has given me the rebellious opportunity to find even more time to eff about and slack. Naturally, I've turned to the ephemera for escape/comfort during such periods! Some of it is contained in metal file cabinets, another portion is in a 'banker's box' (sorry, working on that), and yet more exists in a large metal bin. Talking of the latter, well, its contents are what I've been digging into tonight. I am very careful with the treatment of this stuff (again, apologies for the 'banker's box' situation), so the following is a mystery to me: damp. Only one item--which has always given me trouble in various ways--seemed as though someone had misted it from within its folds. No mould, foxing, nothing like that. Just that damp feeling. It affected the two proximate items slightly. I am grateful that this dampishness, only just manifested in the other things.

Scanned here is a leaflet which at one time accompanied a product I do not own ('Cutex Dermatized Powder'). It was not affected much by the phantasmagoric moisture, and actually, neither was the main 'perpetrator' (should have said so by now, the perp's a part of the San Francisco Chronicle called 'Rotagravure Pictorial Section', a regular feature of eight pages, this one from 12 August 1923, will see if I can scan in later).

Right. Here We go with the aforementioned 1921 Cutex leaflet.

Naiads and Dryads

From:


1950s.

Source: that's yours truly again, scanning random ephemera. I want to be the naiad, that lovely nymph in the water...

1956 Hudson Estate (Station Wagon)

From Hudson Family Magazine, a winter issue, I presume. Gorgeous I-wish-it-were-winter cover: bare trees, snow, girl bundled in a wooly kerchief.


Source: moi, scan of ephemera. Oh how encouragingly cool the nights have been as of late...

Moulin Rouge Las Vegas 1955, 'America's First Interracial Hotel'

Really fascinating article on a Las Vegas nightclub/hotel that advertised itself as 'America's First Interracial' hotel. Las Vegas was seriously unfriendly towards non-whites during this era (the place opened May 1955). Sadly, it shut down in early '56. The theories as to the reason for its demise are many. From Smithsonian magazine, January 2013.











Source: Moi (scan)

Smart Knitting Needlecraft - Ephemera 3 cinq

Again, I'm not a baby person, but hey-ho, enjoy the goodies.

Smart Knitting Needlecraft - Ephemera 3 quatre

Another scanning session with the knitting, needlecraft, and crochet book/magazine. Good gifts for the holiday season... neat little knitted animals and such. And I'm not into babies, toddlers, or children of any sort. I am keen on these things, however, nod in admiration at those who create them, and happily, yes, keep a menagerie of stuffed/knitted/crocheted animals myself.

Smart Knitting Needlecraft - Ephemera 3 trois

More from the knitting and needlecraft book/magazine.

Trojan

I remember being alarmed by the sight of this thing, steaming (though it had been inactive for years--why steaming, then?) when we removed house to Portland in 2002. For a while there was some discussion of turning it into a Cold War museum, which would've been so very cool. Alas, instead, 'they' decided to implode it. My apologies for the diminutive photo, not sure where the original is, probably on one of our many 'dead' HDDs awaiting data-recovery. But there it is. Longview, Oregon, I believe? Source: Gus and I, digital photo, 2003.

They Look Something Like This

Always: tall, larger lower third of face, unusual nose, full mouth, slender, boyish hands, tendency towards weight-gain. Explaining the eyes doesn't seem within my power just now. Though the beau is not pictured here (yet), he fulfills all requirements listed--and then some (not braggadocio on my part, rather, fathomless gratitude). See here, could they be the same person? Well, not exactly, because one of them is 'The Parallel Gus' (free answer: top chap, William DeWolf Hopper Jr.).

PS - The top image is a George Hurrell photo from 1940, hence the... well yes of course it's still a gorgeous photo, but, sadly, heavily airbrushed. I realise a great deal of that goes on today, too, particularly in images of females, however, I do wish Billy had been 'shot' artisti-casually at some point during his career in the vein of Mr Collier (doppelganger, second piccie), you know, mussed hair, a bit of stubble, fist against lips... Clark Gable, Robert Montgomery, and James Cagney were indeed photographed in similar fashion, even in the '30s and '40s--they were massive stars, though. Billy wasn't. Minor players seemed to have been done up traditionally only. Hell, at least Billy had some Hurrell sessions, nothing to sneeze at, thank you very much! Or I reckon we ought thank his weirdo creepy-powerful gossip-columnist mum. At least she was good for something besides hats. And wit. 'Fraid, for me anyway, that all of that doesn't manage to outweigh her membership to the American Nazi Party (neither did it for Billy, who disowned her for many years).

Timberline - Kubrick's Overlook

A break from the scans; thought I'd upload a couple of my Android photos from our visit to Timberline Lodge earlier this year. If you've seen Stanley Kubrick's interpretation of Mr King's 'The Shining', you've seen Timberline (at least during the external shots; the interiours were done at a studio). Funny... I'm utterly bonkers, I write stories, and enjoy boozing rather too much and too often very probably, yet feel with great longing the nourishment I'd soak up as caretaker of a haunted hotel during my favourite season of the year (snow, snow, snow!). No roque mallets or axes for me, however, thanks.

Apart from the transporting gorgeousness of winter, and the way being eleven-something thousand feet high will sift one's consciousness into never-neverland, one of my fondest memories of this visit is the thumbs-up and smile I gave to a guest who sang to his mate's accompaniment (one of the communal areas contains maybe twenty chairs and an upright piano). The pianist seemed confident, but the vocalist rather less so--and he had such a lovely voice! They were the only ones in that room; Gus and I were down below at the central fire, some distance away. After a while I ascended a few stairs, watched, listened, and when the young and talented chap turned, his eyes lighted upon me! It was that instant I seized to show my appreciation for his talent--thumbs, grin, nod. I'm not usually the outgoing type--quite the opposite. And, admittedly, I'd love to sing (to an audience that thrills rather than cringes), so it was very important to me to encourage this mellifluous boy-sylph. He was visibly gratified. Hurrah! What lovelier feeling is there than bringing someone joy? Source: Moi or Gus, camera piccie (Droid or DroidX).

Smart Knitting Needlecraft - Ephemera 3 deux

Second scanning session from the knitting book/magazine. Thank you to 'Paul Martin's Handmade Revolution' for reminding and inspiring me! Mr Martin's lovable wackiness, massively apparent joie de vivre, and I must admit, cuteness, first got me hooked on his presentation in 'Britain's Hidden Heritage'. The addition of Mary Jane Baxter, milliner extraordinaire and all round lovely-seeming girl (the other two hosts are good as well), make this programme a hoot and a half. So very much crafting--top drawer! (Even if it is excruciatingly obvious that some 'fine art expert' is making the actual decision as to who wins the prize, and not the host-'judges'. It's the inspiration and lovely junk people make that count for me.) Cygnoir, once again, pour vous:

Smart Knitting Needlecraft - Ephemera 3

Cygnoir, this is for you. Wow. I feel like a DJ.

More to come from this magazine.