Prufrock-Litton - St. Louis, Missouri

I'm sorry! If I had gotten this post to you a little earlier (100 years and a few months), you could have made it to the Prufrock-Litton sale. They were selling furniture at cost and I'm sure it was a fun event.

Prufrock-Litton was based in St. Louis, but eventually had a showroom on Fifth Ave in New York City and also a manufacturers building in Grand Rapids. According to an advertisement in Volume 50 of Furniture World (September 4, 1919), they sold overstuffed leather furniture and American and English Morrocos, tapestry and other fabrics. Not only did Prufrock-Litton occupy a full block, it also operated a French tea garden in the store.

The postcard shows the new building. I'm not sure where the old building was, but clearing it out seems to be the premise for the sale.

Prufrock-Litton was capable of some very creative marketing. The company printed many advertising postcards, and once they even sent up a huge helium balloon with their name emblazoned on it, with an attached letter that promised a free $50 chair for the finder of the the balloon. The balloon drifted 300 miles before it landed and was claimed by a man in Kentucky.

Je Pense à Vous

The front of this card says, "I'm thinking of you. Think of me." This is another example of a Poisson d'Avril card traditionally sent in France for April first. These cards always feature fish. To find out why, click here for an explanation.

The message on the back of the card reads:
I'm thinking of you. (illegible) It's Sunday that you're thinking of coming. I see that we will be free for some days now.  Decide and write pretty soon. Sorry that I do not write more. I don't have room and it's better to save our stories for when we see each other. See you soon. Waiting for your news.

Rochester, Michigan

Here are some real-photo postcards of Rochester, Michigan.

In case you're wondering what makes a real-photo postcard different from any other postcard, here's an explanation:

In 1903, Kodak introduced a camera that took postcard size photographs. Shortly thereafter, they started offering a service called Real-Photo Postcards that enabled anyone to create a postcard from any photograph they took. These cards allowed for rare and candid views that you wouldn't get with a commercial postcard. There are other postcards that resemble real-photo postcards, but you can generally tell the difference by looking for the tiny dots on the mass-produced ones. Real-photo cards, on the other hand, will be smooth.

Thanks to Rod Wilson, President of the Rochester-Avon Historical Society for information on these cards.

The picture shows the Homecoming crowd on Main Street in Rochester. This celebration took place on July 30 and 31, 1914. Main Street was paved with bricks two years later and a second set of tracks was added for the Detroit Union Railroad. According to Rod Wilson, the interurban railway met its demise in 1931.

The text of the card reads:

Dear Mother -  I arrived O.K. and have been busy for awhile and will tell you all when I see you

hope you are well + alright

ans soon,

daughter Emma

address Edith address

The second card shows some of the houses on North Main Street and the streetcar tracks. There is no text on the back. Rod Wilson tells me that these houses are still standing.

 

If you're interested in the history of Rochester, Michigan, be sure to check out the Remembering Rochester blog.