Bone shards:
So would this thing actually work as advertised, or was it one of those early Caveat Emptor / Buyer Beware moments?
Wanna see the world’s largest saw? Yes, yes you do.
Wanna hear Ave Maria played on a musical saw? Yes, yes you do.
Why buy a giant riding saw when you can just hire one of these guys?
One of these contraptions still exists! Sadly, they don’t show it in action.
Lastly, and not for the squeamish, a history of the punishment known as Death by Sawing.
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Is he about to push her over the railing?
Or maybe he’s a chiropractor about to make an adjustment.
Bone shards:
“Aveu” is French for “confession”, so “Aveu Confession du désir” means “confession confession of desire”.
“It is a feminine floral, created in 1946. Just at the end of the war, women were looking for beauty, flowers, things that would cheer them up after years of hardship, and Aveu was launched for this purpose.”
I have been unsuccessful in tracking down information on the assumed artist, Cydney. If you know anything, please hook me up!
The sophisticated name for a railing is balustrade. The vertical thingies on a balustrade are balusters. Now aren’t you fancy!?
Check out that sweet ampersand.
I was hoping there’d be a fancy name for those fingerless long/arm/sleeve gloves. Alas. “Gants à manches sans doigts” is a bit of a mouthful.
A 50ml flacon of this vintage perfume could set you back over $300.
A flacon is a bottle.
A falcon is a bird.
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Bone shards:
“What the hell am I smelling and why is it so wonderful? …Whatever the notes are, they’ve converged to create a sexual flower, one that is at its peak of fragrance, like a meadow in full bloom on the hottest spring day, visited by the horniest, healthiest bees.” — from a My Sin review
Lanvin’s My Sin was formulated by a mysterious Russian perfumer named Madame Zed.
What is dusting powder (one of the variations listed at the bottom of the ad)?
Black cats are awesome. You should adopt one from a shelter.
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Bone shards:
Before they were Astaires, Adele and Fred were Austerlitzes.
Adele Astaire was Fred Astaire’s older sister. A year after this ad, she hitched up with Lord Charles Arthur Francis Cavendish, the second son of Victor Cavendish, 9th Duke of Devonshire, and became Lady Charles Cavendish. Also, she was more talented than Fred.
“Can’t Act. Slightly Bald. Also Dances.”
“enormous ears and bad chin line”
— Notes from Fred Astaire‘s RKO screen test
Have you ever seen an actual bandwagon?
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…make a pantsuit!
Bone shards:
A mini-history of Dalton.
Here’s more than you probably wanted to know about palazzo pants.
Trevire — Finally, a replacement for that dreadful crimplene!
Timothy Dalton was the fifth actor to portray James Bond. Or maybe the sixth. Seventh?
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Bone shards:
Looks like I wasn’t the only one trying to figure out who the artist was in this campaign. Not only was the artist identified (Stuart Hay (1889-1969)), but they also include another ad in this circus campaign! Win-win!
Nowadays, Beech-Nut is known mostly for its baby food. They’re the one that isn’t Gerber.
There’s also an unrelated Beech-Nut chewing tobacco. This ruffled some beech-feathers back in 1927.
Want some beech nuts of your own? Go foraging!
Wanna run away with the circus? That’s a bit hard to do these day, so why don’t you find out about its history instead?
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Bone shards:
Working with flour can be explosive.
“I’ll grind his bones to make my bread.”
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What a lovely and fashionable girl.
What do you suppose the 1913 ad she was featured in was selling?
Go ahead, take a guess.
An upscale department store?
No.
The season’s latest fur styles?
No.
A vacation to exotic Canada?
No.
Embalming fluid?
What are you, some kind of wise guy!?
Oh, wait…
You’re right!
It’s an ad for embalming fluid.
D-uh. It’s so obvious now!
Bone Shards:
Ripley’s has a lovely handful of weird embalming stories just waiting for you.
The next time you’re in Houston, don’t forget to stop at the National Museum of Funeral History. Slogan: “Any day above ground is a good one.”
I know! I’m sad I missed out on this auction too.
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Sometimes a cactus is just a cactus.
Elizabeth Arden was born Florence Nightingale Graham.
The history of lipstick? Well, if you insist.
Did you know drinking cactus water might not be such a good idea?
A $1.25 lipstick in 1948 would cost $13.72 today.
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“Does this cereal taste great? Who knows? But at least the box is cute.” — Crazy People (1990)
Do you know the difference between Quakers and Shakers?
In 1969, Quaker Oats owned Fisher-Price.
Quaker Oats paid for the production of the original Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory.
Quaker Oats is currently owned by PepsiCo.
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