Featured 1930s USA handkerchiefs

This seems to me to be one heck of a find. I suspect someone went on a trip and took the equivalent of an autograph book. Hope they stay together.

 

This collection may have started very simply because she wanted an autograph from someone & the only thing she had was a handkerchief, as every lady would have had in her purse at that time. Then it happened again & eventually she started the collection.

We all know what happens when we see something that appeals to us & we buy it telling ourselves it is only one little thing. Then we see a similar piece that somehow seems to worm its way into our house. All of a sudden there are 3 pieces & that constitutes a collection.

These are very cool indeed & you may have found something a whole lot better than you thought when you first opened your package.

 

Bear, I bought these against internet and room bidders, so I had been planning to split them up to get a decent return. But do you think these would sell as a collection?

 

Ancestry is a bit wonky this morning, but this too shall pass.

(Harry) Risser Patty was born 1878 in Iowa, in 1915-22 (at least) he was a Professor of Voice at Coe College, Cedar Rapids, Iowa. In 1923 he travelled to England. He seems to have spent the rest of his life domiciled in Los Angeles, California and died there in 1949. Unfortunately his Find A Grave record does not have a biography attached.

 

Another opera singer! Marion Talley

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marion_Talley

 

Hm. I'm inclined to think they would get more as a complete collection. You're more likely to get the completists and those with a sense of history. Where are you thinking of selling them? It might be worth hanging on for one of the bigger entertainment or memorabilia auctions.

 

Hadn't thought about it, (usually ebay) but for the moment just enjoying the research and in awe at Bakersgma!

The remaining c25-30 are a mix of autographed and unautographed and I'll photo them all for this thread.

 

Ernest L Waldorf was a Bishop of the Methodist Church, assigned to the Chicago area in the 1930's.

https://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=43836782

 

I'm tempted to plot the locations, as I haven't got an inbuilt sense of US geography!

But that's another Illinois?

 

We have several themes going - a number of people with Illinois connections, a number of radio personalities, a group of Methodists, Opera singers, organists, writers (both published authors and newspaper) and the "flood group" focused on Evansville, Indiana. And the groups may overlap a bit.

 

#27 was harder to figure out, signature-wise. I started with John M Tornack, switched to Tormack and Google said McCormack? And look what that gave me - an Irish tenor, who appeared with Mary Garden, became a naturalized US citizen, but ended up returning to Ireland before dying there in 1945. Quite popular!

What do you think?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_McCormack_(tenor)

 

It makes sense but the signature varies in parts from ones online.

But signing flimsy handkerchiefs is enough to mess up any signature!

 

The signature on the hankie does look like the fabric got in the way, but I did not look for online signatures for him. I just thought the coincidence of singing with Mary was very interesting.

I've run into walls for both Martha Jayne Tibbs and Charles G? or F? Madison, so I'm taking a break for a while. OK?

 

a mighty fine collection.......if only hankies could talk !

 

Many thanks Bakers

 

This is so interesting! Here is an article referencing autographed handkerchiefs (so it seems like it was a thing at one time):
http://www.hutchnews.com/news/local...cle_4b6f1bf2-3a51-5bfc-8a54-7fb7b7bbcd58.html

And an excerpt from a book about collecting autographs:
https://books.google.com/books?id=4...I#v=onepage&q=handkerchief autographs&f=false

 

Well done Bakersgma !!! Joy.

 

I'm back for bit. But while I was off I realized that I had never looked to see where Zane Grey was in the 30's.

Admittedly he could have travelled elsewhere - book signings, lectures or other appearances - but in the 30's he lived in Pasadena, California - no where near any of the Midwestern places we've identified with some others. That may mean nothing. It might be that this is one that was actually requested by mail or maybe he was in Chicago for an event the "collector" attended. Or the collector was in California on the US equivalent of "The Grand Tour."

Probably not important, but thought I would mention it.

 

Bakers, I think there are some more places outside the Midwest in the final ones, but it does seem to be concentrated there. Will post more photos shortly.