Quote:
Originally Posted by ethereal_reality
Found on ebay today.
Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show parade, April 1914. ---> pan right
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Los-Angeles-...item460cbd5ad7
The crenellated building at far right resembles the Los Angeles Times Building..but I think it's a different building.
Great billboards by the way.
__ |
When I looked at this photo, my eyes went directly to the billboards.
The first thing I noticed was the billboard for Jap Rose Soap. What!!?? I did a little research and found out that it was a very well known brand in the early 1900's.
It turns out that the Japanese were well regarded back then in the personal hygiene department. They actually bathed daily, while us grubby Americans considered
a weekly dip in the tub to be sufficient. I'm not sure if the term "Jap" was considered derogatory back in 1914, but World War II propaganda made sure it was by the 1940's.
Here is an ad:
http://www.clas.ufl.edu/users/jshoaf...s/japrose.html
The Arrowhead Hot Springs is also a pretty good story. David Smith went up there in 1864 and decided that it would make a great health spa. He built a hotel for his guests in 1868.
In 1885 the hotel burned down. The hotel was promptly rebuilt, but burned down again in 1896 during a Fourth of July celebration. Hotel #3 went up in 1905 and lasted until 1938,
when a forest fire took it out. The next year, hotel #4 was built and, amazingly, is still there. However, the hotel is now empty, having been abandoned by the owners, Campus
Crusade for Christ.
Here is #4:
http://www.sbcity.org/about/history/...ngs_hotels.asp
What I really found the most amazing about these billboards were the ads for Ghirardelli and Hart Schaffner & Marx. Almost 100 years later, they are both still around and
going strong. That is a real accomplishment.
Also, a small note on "Buffalo Bill" Cody. If you are not familiar with his life, check him out. This guy was a genuine character of the old West. By the time
he did this show in Los Angeles in 1914, he was up in his 60's and only a few years away from death.
http://www.buffalobill.org/PDFs/Buffalo_Bill_Visits.pdf