New Home Sewing Machines

Here are two 1880s trade cards from Watertown and Cortland, New York.
The New Home Sewing Machine company was formed by William Barker and Andrew Clark in 1882. They continued to manufacture sewing machines under that name until the brand was bought by Janome of Tokyo in 1960. If you want to find out more about the history of sewing machines, check out the website for the International Sewing Machine Collectors' Society. You could even attend the 2011 US Convention in Nashville, Oct 14-16, 2011. I posted another trade card recently that showed a similar graphic, with a head bursting through a newspaper. It must have been a trendy graphics technique at the time.

 

John Is Thrilled

Here he is - excited about riding the pony.

Here is John again - excited about relaxing in the sun.

And here he is, excited about riding his tricycle.

The truth is that John really was very enthusiastic about many things. It just doesn't show in these pictures. I think it's fair to say that he probably didn't like to pose for pictures. John Korinek, born in 1926, was my father-in-law.  Here's a picture of him getting excited about a new pair of glasses he got in 2003.

And since Tracy asked, I have added this wedding photo too. There's definitely a smile this time.

If it's unbridled enthusiasm you're after, head on over to Sepia Saturday.

Hood's Sarsaparilla Saved My Life

If you read the back of this 1884 trade card, you can discover how Hood's cures what ails you, and how it saved the life of J.H. Martin of Delight, Kansas. Then you can head on over to G.L. Swift & Son in Marathon, New York to buy 100 doses for a dollar.

George Lucien Swift was the first grocer and a prominent businessman in Marathon, New York until his death in 1900. After visiting his daughter in New York City in the summer of 1900, he became ill with some ailment that sarsaparilla could not cure. His health declined as the year progressed. Although he was able to get up for Thanksgiving dinner, he died a few weeks later.