Scribble-Scrub goes down to Hell

 

 The New York Hooroarer, or, A Story of Newspaper Enterprise, Containing a Visit to the Infernal Regions and Return.

 By the Rev. Charles Edwards.
Published in New York by the Humbodlt Publishing Co. in 1893. 2nd edition.

Reverend Charles Edwards was the pastor of the Freeport Baptist Church between about 1888 and 1893, resigning from the church at about the same time this little volume of satire, poking fun at both the press and religion, was published. Edwards sets his story in the editorial office of the New York Hooroarer, where the editor is lamenting the lack of fresh scandal and gossip with which to entertain his readers. His answer is to send reporter Scribble-Scrub down to Hell to interview the Devil, which Scribbs obediently does, along with a parson and a deacon. Scribby makes it back, to provide the next day’s wonderful headlines. Edwards satire of not only America’s yellow-prose press, but also the popular fire-and-brimstone preacher’s concept of a literal Hell, struck some readers’ funny bones and made other readers apoplectic, a situation he attempts discusses i this edition’s Forward. As was noted earlier, he resigned his church position this same year, so his explanation may not have been well-received by everybody.

Stiff paper covers. 5”x7”, 63 pages, several line illustrations. Covers quite worn, a spot of adhesion loss to the design on the front, both front and rear covers detached but present, spine perished. Rear cover with edge chips and a tear. Last several text leaves detached but present. Page 38 printed very (very) lightly. Basically, cheaply printed on wood-pulp paper and quite fragile.  $75

Pioneering Collector-

 George Rehse American Collector of Indian Arts in Sioux Headdress- Gelatin Silver Photo.

 Inscribed in pen on the back- “George Rehse in full Indian dress a part of his collection”. George Washington Rehse (1868-1939) was a political cartoonist and a collector of American Indian arts and artifacts. The Sioux headdress he is wearing in this image appears to be the one now in the collection of the National Museum of the American Indian. It was lent to the Museum by Rehse from 1922 to 1925, and then purchased by the Museum in 1938.

Silver photo. 6”x8”. Rough, including creases and corner damage, and a crease on the right side that is starting to turn into a crack/tear. $125

Lllies of the Field-

Mid 19th century Watercolor Still Life of Lillies and a Scroll

A delicate and formally naive watercolor rendering of lilies which is just lovely.
 

6.75”x10.5”. Minor soil, light wear, corner bend. $85

 

Here's something you don't see every day-

Four Printer's Proof Color Printing Process Postcards for Rochester NY Store.

An interesting set of four postcards printed for E. Kirstein Sons Co. of Rochester, New York, showing the four-color process of printing.

Four Postcards. Some shadow soiling on the backs, minor wear.  $60

 

Moonies...

 1860 Colored Woodcut Broadside Song Roll on Silver Moon H. de Marsan New York

 An attractive hand-colored woodcut broadside of the song ‘Roll on Silver Moon’, published by H. De Marsan of New York in 1860. Marsan published “songs, ballads, toy books, paper dolls, small playing cards motto verses, &c”.

Single sheet. 6.25”x10”. Edges heavily chipped, some soil, wear; rough, but attractive. $25

 

ground control to major tom...

 Here's something geekalicious for the Holidays!

  Five 1963 Goddard Space Flight Center Satellite Information Cards.

A wonderful set of cards picturing and explaining the Syncom, OSO, Nimbus, Ariel I, and Tiros satellites. Although not dated, Syncom was noted to have been launched in February, 1963, and Nimbus “will be launched in 1963”. So we’re gonna go out on a limb and guess- 1963.

5 cards. 3.5”x2.5”. Minor soil, light wear.  $35

Splitting Hairs-

January 1874 French Hair Advertising Broadside by Leon Pelleray & Fils Paris.

A handsome and informative broadside pricing sheet for a Paris hair and wig dealer for the Season starting January, 1874. We had a beautifully illustrated billhead from this firm a few years ago, and the Joseph Downs Collection of Manuscripts and Printed Ephemera at Winterthur holds an illustrated advertisement from the firm dated 1869 which notes that they supplied "hair for men and women, long, frizzed, straight or crimped of first and second quality, priced by weight, partings for ladies called 'cachefolies' (early 19th century name for a lady's wig)". They also sold hairdresser's supplies, including a line of razors.

Single sheet. 10.5”x17”. Folds, edge chips, and short rips; printed on onionskin paper and very fragile. $250
 

Country Roads -

 Virginia Archdeaconry of the Blue Ridge 1910 Fundraising Circular.

An appeal for monthly pledged contributions for “An army of over forty missionaries consisting of Clergy, Deaconesses, Teachers, Nurses and other workers”, who were “engaged in seeking to change and transform the conditions existing among the mountain whites of the Blue Ridge”.

Single sheet. 5”x6”. Minor soil, light wear, slight creasing. $15

A Basketful of Opportunities...

 1890s Washington State Agriculture & Business Opportunities Folding Trade Card.

The Northern Pacific Railway Co. owned huge land grants in the Idaho-Oregon-Washington region, and marketed them avidly in the last part of the 19th century. This 1890s folding trade card promises “Something you can depend on- Opportunities are waiting in Washington to be plucked by the fruit grower, farmer, dairyman, canner, lumberman, logger, fisherman and miner”.

Folding card. 3.5”x5.5”. Some soil, minor wear.  $75

 

 

Everybody Must Get Stoned-

 

Richters Vorlageblatter Nr 5. Anchor Stone Architectural Block Design Book.

The Deutsches Technik Museum website explains- “At the end of the 1870s, Gustav Lilienthal was able to combine his enthusiasm for architecture, technology and art into a single invention - the first stone building block kit. The kit contained stones made of quartz sand, chalk, linseed oil and color pigments. They came in three colors that stand for bricks (red), sandstone (yellow) and slate (blue). 

Children could build castles, buildings, towers and bridges by following finely designed assembly instructions. Nothing but their own weight held the stones together. The children coincidentally learned the architectural language of form and the basic principles of statics as they assembled the building blocks. Kits to supplement the basic set were also available. The boxes had passwords. For example, the password for Basic Kit 9 of the roof tile series was “Erpel”. A dealer was thus able to locate all matching supplementary kits - in this case the “Herne” kit with the number 9A. 

Gustav and his brother, the aviation pioneer Otto Lilienthal, tried to market the kits in Berlin without success. They then sold their invention to the businessman Friedrich Adolf Richter. Despite the contractual condition that “they cease manufacturing any such kits”, Gustav Lilienthal produced new kits in other countries. This led to a lawsuit. Richter won. The legal costs and penalties were settled by handing over the production facility and distribution network. The building blocks marketed by Richter as “Anchor Stones” achieved worldwide fame.”  

Paper covers. 8.25”x5”, x pages plus 18 color plates. Some soil, scattered wear.  $60

 

play that funky music -

M.J. Paillard Music Boxes Victorian Folding Diecut Trade Card.

An exceptionally lovely folding trade card for M.J. Paillard & Co. of New York, “Manufacturers and Importers of Musical Boxes”. The lid of the diecut box-shaped card lifts to reveal the inner workings of the box and its “playlist”. The lid was lifted once too often and is now detached, much like so many actual 19th century music box lids after a few too many sherries and a round of rambunctious parlor games. 

Folded card. About 6”x4”. Minor soil, light wear. Hinge cleanly split so the card is now in two parts. Removed from an album, with glue points on the blank back.  $125