Tag: graphic design

Emerson Safety Bicycle Shoe (scan)

Vintage Advertisement - text below

This is an ad from McClure’s Magazine, from about 1900? I can’t find anything about Emerson bicycle shoes, but the Butler Boys were professional cyclists in 1890-1910. Only Nat has a reasonable sized Wikipedia article (Tom has a stub and Frank has nothing at all). While born in Halifax, Canada, they grew up in Cambridge Massachusetts and raced in America and Europe.

I’m guessing the ‘safety’ part of it meant that the laces weren’t long enough to get caught in the chain. Pratt Fasteners are a way to secure the laces without tying – it looks like they’re kind of like keychain rings? You seem to slide the lace between two metal rings. The best image I can find is at Getty Images (I had to turn off my ad-block to see the image) Pratt Fasteners were apparently popular for a while – a google image search finds a good number of ads mentioning them.

Transcription:

The Butler Boys prefer the Emerson Safety Bicycle Shoe

Elastic Gores.

Pratt Fasteners. No knots to tie or untie – Always Sure.

Fast Color Eyelets and Hooks. Never get brassy.

Best on Earth.

The safest, easiest and best bicycle shoe ever made. Strong, light, best of stock and workmanship. The very flexible shank, elastic gores and Pratt Fasteners are essential elements of ease, comfort and safety.

Sold only in our 27 Emerson Stores ore by mail. Send for “Mail” Catalogue. R.B. Grover & Co., Brockton, Mass.

$3.50 or $3.75 if sent by mail.

Please mention McClure’s when you write to advertisers.

(end of Transcription)

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Last of the bookmarks

Here’s the last of the bookmarks. Including color variations, this makes 15 designs, which I think is more than enough. I need to do a test print of all of them, make any needed changes, then buy ribbon and possibly beads for the tops. I’ll make five or ten of each for the show. They’re going to be cheap – probably two dollars each or three for five dollars.

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“Reading is My Favorite Adventure” – Craft show update

Sorry about disappearing. Been busy and not feeling well. I have another cocktail of the night entry just about ready to post, but first I thought y’all be interested in seeing some of the stuff I’ve done for the craft show. Those of you who are Facebook friends have seen the first draft of one of them.

I’ve got three designs done, two of which are in two colors. These are all bookmarks and I’ll be adding ribbons. I’m planning on charging one or two dollars a piece for them. I’ve got 29 other quotes to make bookmarks for – I might do art cards for some of them as well.

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