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Felix Makes the Picture Better!

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Pam’s Pictorama Photo Post:  Two choice photos from my collection – folks taking advantage of the Felix appeal! From the top – a press photo dated August 19, 1924, (yep, exactly 90 years ago tomorrow!) which reads:

“Felix” expected to bring his luck to British.  “Bubble”, the crack polo pony owned by Lord Wimborne, financial backed of the British Polo team, gives “Felix”, cartoon cat of the movies and official mascot of the English team an exercise.  Having been “rawther” unsuccessful in winning sporting events from Uncle Sam on pure merit, out [sic] British friends will not try a bit of mascot luck – hence Felix.  United Newspictures Incorporated, 461 Eighth Avenue, New York City.

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Next, Dolores Costello takes him up, “DOLORES COSTELLO is now a full fledged start and will again play opposite John Barrymore in an adaptation of the opera “Manon Lescaut” now being made at Warner Bros. Hollywood studio, but she still loves her dolls and makes toy animals her chief hobby. 

He looks a bit like he has a toothache in this one – they can say what they want, but I question if Dolores is a real Felix fan – for that we’ll have to wait until I devote a post to German film star Lilian Harvey!

A late addition, this photo below purchased in ’12 from German eBay.  Don’t know who it is but Felix having a mighty fine time!  It belongs with the other two.

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Mickey and Felix Costumes, Part 1

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Pam’s Pictorama Photo Post: Mysterious applications of Mickey and Felix as costumes really could be their own category! Starting with this is a tiny photo which really defies easy explanation – someone dressed as a long-nosed, slightly off-model (paunchy) Mickey on skies or snow shoes.  Hard to imagine what was going on here, or that he remained standing long.

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Back of card reads (complete with lack of punctuation):

Mrs. W Stoodley
Folly Farms
Lovewkerne (?) Som

mother
am glad it is much cooler now but our place is cooler inside than out.  The children had their carnival yesterday but this is the one.  Will

This Felix costume is much jollier and a lot more sensible – as such.  I’m sure he raised a lot of money for them. In fact, so much, that they did it more than once!

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This card features stuffed Felix dolls for the action – mine of this type is posted too so you can get a better look – irresistible to put these together – another example of rather brilliant photo collage work.  Nothing on the back of this card so we don’t know which came first.  They were purchased separately over the course of several years and the seller of this card said he had never seen anything like it.  I sent him a scan of the other – both of these came from British sellers.  I say Hooray for Felix!

Felix Tintype – Little Gem

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Pam’s Pictorama Photo Post: Came across this while I was doing my post earlier today and thought I would add it. While at some point I want to do something comprehensive on the Felix tintype, they are fun one at a time too.  While the quality on these is generally pretty hideous – they hang on a dark, interior wall in the apartment where they get a minimum of light so they don’t darken further – I find them utterly irresistible, and have paid dearly for most of the ones I have – about a half-dozen.  This is among the least faded images.

Among those that got away was one with a stuffed Mickey Mouse – Australian I think.  Can’t win ’em all – but always surprised I haven’t seen others of Mickey.  (I also lost out on a photo of people posing with Spark Plug the horse – Hake’s auction I think – which went for a fortune.  Again, the only one I’ve ever seen.  Where do these things go?  Were there that many more taken with Felix?)

Anyway, here we have everyone in 1925 all tricked out for their day at the British Empire Exhibition with Felix – the parasol is a nice touch!

Aesop Fable Photo and Art Post

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Pam Pictorama Post: Featured at the top, a splendid press photo The Making of an Aesop’s Sound Fables.  It says, “A close-up of the cameraman at work.  The ‘Frame’ is now down in position over the background and ‘cells.’ This shows a complete single picture about to be taken.” It is dated ’32.

Below are three drawings, original art (I couldn’t be certain until I had them in hand, but there are traces of pencil and the ink is clearly original) on penny postcards. I purchased first two and then a subsequent one months later, on eBay. The first two were acquired from a seller in Great Britain (although these are clearly American and one wonders how they got there) and I can’t remember where or who the third, the one with color, was purchased from, but it was a different seller.

When I originally posted these on Facebook a FB friend (Stephen Worth) told me that he had a similar piece by Mannie Davis – the farmer and several animals, and he posted it for me to see.  They certainly seem to be of the same hand.

No idea what the purpose of these was – there is no writing on them and mine are not signed. Perfectly wonderful though and clearly drawn and inked by a practiced hand that had drawn thousands before.  As a huge fan of the cartoons I find all of it pretty fascinating.

Moon Photo

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Pam’s Pictorama Photo Post:  Allie, This is you and Lonnie, isn’t it?  I love photos of people posing on the moon! While this is a pro card (special for Valentine’s Day evidently) I have a few choice examples I will follow-up with some of the photo studio ones – I have one in my office I am especially pleased with.  I continue to search for an opportunity to have my photo taken on one. I love just sorting through them on eBay and looking at all the different ones.  They could be their own book.

The French took the moon postcard into a whole different realm – naked women, even cats – all sorts of variations. I am less fond of these, preferring the unexpected and unique ones taken at fairs and seaside resorts, but some are quite wonderful. I look forward to organizing these into their own section and sharing more of them.

Flapper Page – Photo Album Continued

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Pam’s Pictorama Photo Post: Shortly after my cat photo collage post (August 10) I found this interesting page on eBay and decided to stretch a point and buy it – no cats, but a sort of wonderful glimpse into what was likely a young woman’s life in the twenties. It is a small page, less than 8×10 – so each image is quite tiny. I am wondering which, if any, might be the owner of the album and page maker – maybe the girl with the fur collar and pearls at the top in the middle? Or the one with the hat above her? Blurry photos were not beneath use in their place, see lower left – and the line of legs and shoes at the bottom is what really does it for me. Were these showing off the new shorter skirts of the day? Or just the fashionable shoes – or both?

When I posted the other one someone speculated on how attempts at making contemporary collages never have the same charm. I tend to agree, although I think it is more difficult than it looks and you need a good eye for it. I also believe that there’s something to it being a less cynical time – no striving for irony and a sense of real wonder and fun with the availability of the new medium of photography.

(I just realized that you can’t blow this up unless you drag it to your desktop – please do and have a good look!)

Felix Mask-a-rama

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Pam Pictorama Photo Post:  There are times when you really do wish you knew what the heck was going on in a photo and this is one of them – although the speculation is entertaining too.  Halcyon days of the past when people got together and all dressed up like Felix.  (Over time I have come to realize that this was much more common with Mickey Mouse masks – people seemed to put those on at the drop of a hat.)  I always think of these guys as a glee club or something like that – of course I would like it better if they were all wearing their Felix masks – maybe I will find that variation some day if I am very lucky.

 

Match safe – Ya Gotta Make Calls

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Pam Pictorama Post:  This match safe is a favorite and I have a postcard from the same era (side two drawing or at least a similar one) pinned above my desk at the office. Everything else aside, I believe it is true, Ya Gotta Make Calls if You Want Results!  I like to be reminded.

I missed the match safe era by several decades.  I gather the small box of wooden matches slipped in the middle – keeping them, well, safe I guess.  I have seen photos of match safes that held loose matches – some cat ones too although I don’t own any and the general theme seems to run more to dogs for some reason.  These are standing affairs of heavy metal which I imagine lived next to the stove. Many of the ones meant to be carried around are of silver and sometimes parts of sets.  Cigarette or cigar case and tools, and match safe.  The occasional cat there.

This match safe, the only celluloid cat one I have seen of this type – I’d have a whole collection if I could find them – was purchased on eBay a number of years ago. (Although this blog is having the effect of reminding me that I should go back to ferreting out this and that I haven’t looked for lately.  Just what I need – more stuff!)  Much to my surprise, it came from the collection of and was sold to me by Sally Cruickshank. She did not, ummm, acknowledge the Kim Deitch connection when the purchase was made, despite his name on the email.  Probably for the best. I guess it is a small world of cat collectibles. Anyway, this is on a shelf at the foot of our bed and I am very fond of it indeed. Now get out there and make some calls!

Cat Costume – Photo Album Pages Continue

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Pam Photo Album Page Post:  These were an anniversary gift, back in ’12 I think.  Ain’t I the lucky girl?  And weren’t these folks having a high old time?

A short post since these speak for themselves, I think.  This is one of a few groups I will ultimately share of catty costumes from more or less the same period.  (Although my all time favorite is a series of Devils in Brooklyn…and I have one strange story about buying photos that appear to be from the same session from different sellers in different states at different times.)  I like to keep photos of a group together when possible, even if I don’t display all of them.  I am sad that the one has damage – in some ways it is the best one.

Not much else to say except, Halloween sure isn’t as cool as it used to be!

Happy Hooligan

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Pam Photo Post:  People love to take photos of themselves with their cats (look through the paper and see how many people, when having their photo taken, grab up the cat for the portrait or family photo – as they should of course!) but the other impulse is to immortalize the family cat.  From blurry tintype and daguerreotype (those cats just wouldn’t stay still long enough for slow exposure) to the several hundred of Blackie and Cookie on my iPad today, it is an irresistible inclination for cat lovers.

Cyanotypes like this one had speedier exposures and were less expensive than the processes of even a few years before, so they were very popular and the family cat was a frequent subject.  This card of Happy Hooligan and the little story about having moved into the new house nearby – but most importantly that it ends with Happy as Happy can be! – is a great little cat tale.  I have tried to buy others similar to this, but always get outbid – everyone loves a cat with a little story I guess.