Object of the Day: Don't Cry Johny

Click image to make Johny cry.

“DON’T CRY JOHNY.” WE HAVE A NEW WHITE SEWING MACHINE, THAT WILL SEW YOU ALL UP SO YOU WILL STAY. 

“Don’t cry, Johny. We’ll misspell your name and I’ll lead you into a dangerous situation where you’ll not only rip your clothes, but, apparently expose your innards. But, it’ll all be all right. You see, we’ll sew you up when we get home. There’s a new white sewing machine with your misspelled name on it. It’ll fix you up so you’ll stay, Johny. Oh, yes. You’ll stay.”

Is it just me or does the little girl look like the Devil complete with horns?

No matter that Johnny’s bleeding so much that it’s coming out of his armpits. Mama can fix his coat and torn breeches just fine with her new white sewing machine.

And, that’s it. We know nothing more. We can’t really be sure if this Victorian card is advertising a new white sewing machine or a new White Sewing Machine or a New White Sewing Machine because of the capricious Victorian use of all caps.

The card is stamped by one Mrs. M. M. Wilcox of Horseheads, New York. Was she a retailer of white sewing machines? Was she a seller of dangerous sleds? Was she a devil? We’ll never know. 

The card was printed by W.J. Morgan and Co. of Cleveland, Ohio.  There's nothing on the reverse.  

Object of the Day: Domestic Sewing Machines

Click on image to see the girl behind the curtain.

HAVE YOU SEEN THE LATEST LIGHT RUNNING “DOMESTIC” SEWING
                                               MACHINE? 

So asks this lovely card. I confess I find it especially enchanting because of the wholly Victorian turquoise blue. Look how brilliant it is? Contrasting with the coral and shell pink of the young lady’s cheeks, the blue is even more powerful.

Of course, in true Victorian fashion, this image of a little girl poking her head through a drape has nothing to do with sewing machines.

But, who cares? It’s very pretty and because of it, ideally suited for it’s purpose.

The back is not even printed, it’s been stamped with a retailer of the machines. In this case:

E.D. BLISS 
DEALER IN PIANOS, ORGANS 
Sewing Machines and School Furniture, MILTON JUNCTION & EDGERTON, WIS.

Object of the Day: Don't Cry Johny

Click image to make Johny cry.

“DON’T CRY JOHNY.” WE HAVE A NEW WHITE SEWING MACHINE, THAT WILL SEW YOU ALL UP SO YOU WILL STAY. 

“Don’t cry, Johny. We’ll misspell your name and I’ll lead you into a dangerous situation where you’ll not only rip your clothes, but, apparently expose your innards. But, it’ll all be all right. You see, we’ll sew you up when we get home. There’s a new white sewing machine with your misspelled name on it. It’ll fix you up so you’ll stay, Johny. Oh, yes. You’ll stay.”

Is it just me or does the little girl look like the Devil complete with horns?

No matter that Johnny’s bleeding so much that it’s coming out of his armpits. Mama can fix his coat and torn breeches just fine with her new white sewing machine.

And, that’s it. We know nothing more. We can’t really be sure if this Victorian card is advertising a new white sewing machine or a new White Sewing Machine or a New White Sewing Machine because of the capricious Victorian use of all caps.

The card is stamped by one Mrs. M. M. Wilcox of Horseheads, New York. Was she a retailer of white sewing machines? Was she a seller of dangerous sleds? Was she a devil? We’ll never know. 

The card was printed by W.J. Morgan and Co. of Cleveland, Ohio.  There's nothing on the reverse.  

Object of the Day: Singer Sewing Machines Presents “Edinburgh”

Click image to see an old lady.

This card is another of the varied series of informational trade cards which were issued by Singer Sewing Machines in the late Nineteenth and early Twentieth Centuries. Beyond the usual collectible trade cards, these strove to be educational as well as attractive—so much so that the advertising references to Singer were kept to a minimum. Singer issued cards about places around the world, famous and historical people, flowers, wonders of the world, animals and plants among other subjects. This particular one, copyrighted 1894, tells us about Edinburgh, Scotland. Instead of overtly singing the praises of Singer, it subtly shows us some Scotch girls engaged in their needlework, conveniently using a singer sewing machine.

The reverse reads (and, I’m not going to reproduce this in all caps as it really is):
EDINBURGH.

The capital of Scotland and county town of the Shire of Midlothian,
is situated in 55° 57’ North Latitiude, and 8° 11’ West Longitude.
By rail, it is 393 miles North North-West of London and 47 ½ miles
East of Glasgow. Edinburgh occupies a peculiarly high place in the
regard of the civilized world, and draws to herself the devoted attachment
of Scotsmen, partly on account of the charm of her situation, but even more so
by reason of the many tragic events of Scottish history enacted within her walls,
which have been made of world-wide interest by the genius of her great
townsman, Sir Walter Scott. Edinburgh is particularly noted for the high order
of its educational universities, libraries and museums. This picture represents what are
called “Newhaven Fish-wives,;” that is fisherwomen of Newhaven, a fishing village
within three miles of Edinburgh. The woman standing to the right of the machine and
behind the baskets wears the costume of a married woman; and the woman to the left
of the machine wears the costume of an unmarried woman; while as may be seen
the operator at the machine is an old lady.
________________________________
THE SINGER MANUFACTURING CO. 

Well—that was perhaps the most tragically dull description of Edinburgh I’ve ever read. It’s perhaps one of the dullest descriptions of anything I’ve ever read! But, thank God they decided to remind us that the operator of the machine was an “old lady.” That’s a relief!