Expert: Frank Leeding - 5/21/2009

Question
Hi,
The question is about the technique for the prints in this old sample book. I know without seeing what I'm talking about you can't say definitely, but given the era and the purpose of it, you probably have the experience to suggest an answer.  This is a big book like thing about 24" by 24" with 30 or more pages.  It is from The Chicago Woolen Mills dated 1928 and at one time had actual samples of the material on one side and then colored prints of men(not photographs) wearing the different styles of suits on the other.  Although someone has used it more or less as a scrapbook and it has little value, the prints are okay, sort of. This would have been used as a salesman's guide for stores to order the suits from the manufacturer.  Would this suggest that the prints are lithographs, offset lithographs or something else?
Art

Answer
If they are offset lithos, then they WON'T be pasted in (like the cloth samples).  

If they are actual (stone) litho prints, then those have to be mailed out and pasted in later - some printers did this
in their office and then shipped it out.

This latter case might be the case since the cloth samples are pasted in.
After all a mfg'r would want to put their best foot
forward (w/ or w/out a sock ;) -- oh, bad punning poet ;)

also, as regards "and not of much value" - who is to say what the
"destiny" or an such of any art work is?  After all "The Scream",
the "Mona Lisa", and numerous other paintings have been stolen and
yet they some how (other than "The Stone Cutters") have all shown
up. The book might make a nice centre-piece for a quilting or fashion
show, etc. We all look nostalgically back on the past, but at the
time, it's mostly frantic scrambling to make a publishig deadline.

and then of course:  "on to the next"....

see:  "The Paper" Ron Howard (director)

 and highly recommended:  "Angels and Demons" - much better than
the original (sequel "The Davinci Code"
(which like the original Star Trek) was just too
intellectual.

(i appologise for spelling errors, the spell checker has quarked off on my computer; alas)

- franklin ace (decimal point haute coutier dresser -- dress for less, and yet *still* impress - this month our annual bow tie sale for your favourite decimal point graduate ;)