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I know this post has nothing to do with fashion, but it still is something I really think is absolutely charming. I love kits of things- especially outdoory kits of things. The old picnic baskets with the silverware placed “just so”, all matching, makes my heart sing. Tents and things that convert or add-on to other things (like the automobile tent at the bottom of the image) bring out the kid in me and I want to take over the fortress and “hide out”. How much fun would it be to do a vintage automobile picnic, as pictured on this page? There’s only one thing I see missing- a portable phonograph.
*Edit- I just found out from Ann of A Sudden View that portables generally weren’t around until a few years later, as they were used by servicemen in WWI. The picnic models weren’t around until the early 20s. (I’ve got a much beloved Victor 50, and I knew it was an early one and after many years of wanting one I finally saved up and bought one a few years back, but I didn’t realize it was one of the first! Neat!). For a history of portable phonographs here’s an article online.
*Edit- I just found out from Ann of A Sudden View that portables generally weren’t around until a few years later, as they were used by servicemen in WWI. The picnic models weren’t around until the early 20s. (I’ve got a much beloved Victor 50, and I knew it was an early one and after many years of wanting one I finally saved up and bought one a few years back, but I didn’t realize it was one of the first! Neat!). For a history of portable phonographs here’s an article online.
This article is from the Ladies Home Journal, July 1916, page 25. Click on the image for a high res file to print or save.
Amanda
July 28, 2010 at 3:08 am (14 years ago)>Very cool!
casey
July 28, 2010 at 11:24 am (14 years ago)>Oh! How I wish things like this were more widely available (and affordable ;) nowadays! There is nothing I like more than going on a jaunt for a picnic! ;)♥ Caseyblog | elegantmusings.com
Ann
August 3, 2010 at 12:35 pm (14 years ago)>Thanks for this! It's so fun to see how people lived in that era. I especially enjoyed the menu…I collect old cookbooks for gems like this. Oh, and if this feature was done a few years later, a portable phonograph would have been a must. But in 1916, they were just beginning to make such a thing, and those were primarily marketed to servicemen. The "picnic" variety didn't come about until the early '20s. (Sorry, phonographs are a hobby of mine!)
Wearing History
August 3, 2010 at 5:00 pm (14 years ago)>I'm so glad you gals like this post!Thank you so much, Ann, for that information! I've edited the post so I could include the information you posted :)