Pam’s Pictorama Post: Today I have this rather remarkable item I purchased for Kim for his birthday this year. Mike Zohn (@obscuraantiques) has been sort of doing video sales on IG which I always try to catch – some great stuff and this isn’t the only Deitch birthday gift I purchased, more to come.

This antique advertising fan flashed by and I grabbed it right up for Kim – I knew he would see the beauty of it; perfect for his sensibility. It arrived and sat in a box under my desk for a couple of months. (Frankly, I am rarely this organized – for example I accidentally let Kim open his anniversary gift when it arrived in the mail having forgotten I ordered it.) I even remembered I had it when his birthday came around. (My mother was famous for buying things early, putting them away and forgetting about them or where she put them. As a result, she always wanted to give you her gifts early or was finding them and randomly giving them to you late.)

It is fragile and Kim has a vision for where he wants it hung on the wall in Jersey when we head there for the summer. It is resting back in the box under my desk for now. Lots stored up to go on the walls this year, but those are other stories and posts. The fan measures about 8.75″ x 6.5″ and the wooden handle about another 6″.

The rather psychedelic scene depicted is of a nymph painting this amazing, colorful butterfly. She has two sprites as her helpers, holding the jars of colors she is using like palettes. There is foliage in glowing green behind and around them and the helpers perch on purple limbs of a tree which grows and leafs up and around. At the center is this exotic butterfly critter – I say that as my knowledge of butterfly anatomy is admittedly a bit thin. His pinks, yellows, purples and blues play against all the green behind his glowing presence. At the bottom it says, Putnam Fadeless Dyes-Tints.

Putnam Dyes was an early player in the development of synthetic dyes with its origins tracing back to Unionville, Missouri in 1876 first as a purveyor of drugs and other ancillary products, but it wasn’t until 1893 that their line of synthetic dyes was developed. It rapidly took over the company which meant that by 1895 it marketed nothing else. In my opinion its most spiffy advertising saying was, Dying Saves Buying.

Of course, in the early 20th century these new synthetic dyes were used in boiling water (cold water dyes wouldn’t come along for years), and were replacing, I assume, the natural dyes of the day. Their fade-proof quality was another selling point, as I am sure, was the vast color selection. I wonder a bit about the difference between a tint and a dye which I think is answered by the info below.

Personally, I love the advertising patter on these items, so I share below. On the back we are told that this fan was Compliments of Alvin C. Walker Beavertown, PA but no information on what that company may have been. At the top it reads, Putnam Fadeless Dyes + Tints [to dye use boiling water] [to tint use warm water] Colors all materials. Below that it advertises bleach, Improved Putnam no-kolor bleach remaoves color without boiling. Try it. and Improved Putnam no-kolor will not harm any fabric. Harmless as water. Try it. (There are additional small pictures of a man riding a horse with his arm aloft – I guess spreading the word?)

Further below: Why Putnam Fadless Dyes and Tints are best for you. SAVE TIME – LESS WORK. Dissolve instantly – (no melting as with dyes in solid form) – leave no undissolved particles to spot good. BEST VALUE FOR YOUR MONEY. More highly concentrated, therefore dye better – go farther – last longer. Compare Putnam Fadeless Dyes with ANY DYE at ANY PRICE, ANYWHERE at ANY TIME – Putnam Fadeless Dyes will do what any other dye will do and more.

And at the bottom: A FREE OFFER IF YOU HAVE GRAY HAIR. Write to Mary T. Goldman. Dept. X. Goldman Bldg., St. Paul, Minn. Give your Name…City…State…..Street….Color of Hair….
and receive FREE TEST PACKAGE of Mary T. Goldman Gray Hair Color Restorer, that clear, colorless liquid that you simply comb through the hair – the Gray goes and shade wanted is restored. (My gray undyed hair and I tremble to consider – and who the heck was Mary T. Goldman?)

On the other half of the back, Improved Putnam no-kolor will not harm any fabric, harmless as water. Try it. and, PERFUMED PUTNAM FADELESS DYES-TINTS. Leave the garment slightly perfumed. Beautiful pastel shades. (I suspect without knowing that pastel shades were harder to acquire and achieve.)

At the bottom, PUTNAM DRY-CLEANER the original dry cleaner. Putnam Dry-Cleaner works in gasoline and naphtha the same as soap in water. “You would not think of washing clothes in water without soap.” Renews the lustre, prolongs the life of suits, dresses and other clothing at very little cost. Save cleaner’s bills, dry clean at home with Putnam Dry-cleaner. WRITE FOR FREE BOOKLET – “THE CHARM OF COLOR” Address dept. 25 MONROE CHEMICAL COMPANY QUINCY, ILLINOIS. And, Printed in the USA, the…Steiner Corporation, Chicago.

Part of what I find interesting is that in telling you all about what is good about these dyes you get a litany of what the problems with dyes actually were – perhaps still are. It was hard to achieve success it seems.

Dye advertisements and displays have always interested me. The displays seem to often be wonderful little tin or wooden cabinets made up of a series of cubbies. Even contemporary dyes come in appealing and tempting brightly colored disks. I have been very tempted by these antique dye cabinets, as you can see above. That display case is (was, as of last winter) in the Red Bank Antiques Annex where it tempts me. Only having not a clue of where I would put it and what I would use it for have stopped me from buying it. More to come on whether I stay strong or the cabinet wins on that one. Our summer time in Jersey looms shortly on the horizon so we shall see.