Beth's Ruler Collection

Smart Haberdashery

Why does the word "haberdashery" sound so funny to modern Americans? Not sure, but it always makes me smile. Wikipedia says this about the word origin: In British English, a haberdasher is a business or person who sells small articles for sewing, dressmaking and knitting, such as buttons, ribbons, and zips; in the United States, the term refers instead to a retailer who sells men's clothing, including suits, shirts, and neckties.

This small ruler/blotter--un-used as a blotter but who know if it was ever used as a ruler?--was a purchase on Sunday from Cathy & Don Mastrovito of Cheshire Cat Antiques, of Clinton, MA, who had a display at the Boxboro Paper Town fair.

Purchase -- Cheshire Cat Antiques, Clinton, MA, at the Boxboro Paper Town fair -- received 24 October 2021

Oct 26, 2021 5:27:00 PM

A Century Old

Advertising rulers seldom have enough clues to assign a specific year of manufacture; this new acquisition is an exception. We can assume that it was manufactured in 1920 and used by the Bates-Street Shirt Co. (New York, Chicago, Boston, Los Angeles, Baltimore, Lewiston, ME, etc.) to promote their products. (Bates is a big name in Maine!)

This was a purchase yesterday from Steve Bolick, of Aiglatson (= "Nostalgia," spelled backwards) in Framingham, MA, at the Boxboro Paper Town ephemera fair in Boxborough, MA, our first in-person book or paper fair since early 2020. Steve had an envelope set aside (for me?!) labeled "Rulers." We had a wonderful time.

Purchase -- Steve Bolick, Aiglatson, Framingham, MA -- received 24 October 2021

Oct 25, 2021 8:55:15 AM

One Price Clothiers rule

My usual method of buying postcards and other ephemera from Jose Rodriguez, of The Cartophilians in Cheshire, CT, at the annual fair held by the Ephemera Society of America. After a pandemic break, the ESA fair will resume in March 2022, so in the meantime I've been doing more shopping on ebay, and directly from vendors I know.

These two new trade cards are right on the edge of my collection policy. They are certainly made of paper, and they certainly include an image of a ruler, so now they are a part of the collection.

Purchase - Jose Rodriquez, The Cartophilians, Cheshire, CT - received 21 October 2021

Oct 22, 2021 8:58:46 AM

Silk

You probably won't be surprised to hear that many "Golden Rule"-themed items also include rulers. This beautiful silk bookmark arrived on Monday from Portland, Oregon, a purchase through ebay from my friends Judith and Glenn Mason, of Cultural Images.

It's a treasure.

Purchase (ebay) - Cultural Images, Portland, OR - received 18 October 2021

Oct 21, 2021 8:59:59 AM

Deputy Ruler Collector from the Grand Canyon State

...and also from Massachusetts. This new/old celluloid ruler arrived on Wednesday from my friend Sid, who now lives in Paradise Valley, AZ and who has been a generous donor to the ruler collection.

This one advertises the Manhattan-Rome Co., a business in Long Island City, NY (a residential and commercial neighborhood on the extreme western tip of Queens) that sold metal beds, bedsprings, daybeds, etc. The back side has a 1925 calendar, so we know this ruler is almost 100 years old.

Thank you, Sid.

Gift -- Sidney E. Berger, Paradise Valley, AZ -- received 6 October 2021

Oct 8, 2021 9:22:00 PM

Measured by His Good Record

Campaign rulers make up a significant portion of my ruler collection, and this new addition fits all the criteria: it's made of paper, has a ruler printed on it, and has a ruler "joke": "Measured by his good record." C. Howard Johnson (1926-1996) served as Prosecuting Attorney in Franklin County, Ohio, from 1964 to 1970. (With a subscription to newspapers.com and ancestry.com I can find almost anything!)

Purchase (ebay) - "cindtaylo132" = Cindy Taylor, Lancaster, OH - received 7 October 2021

Oct 8, 2021 8:13:14 AM

Rulers and ephemera...

...go together like tailors and measuring tapes.

This new undated trade card advertises B.F. Garrison & Co. of Bridgeton, New Jersey, a purveyor of domestic dry goods and notions. I love the tag line: We have lots of Goods and you can buy them right.

Purchase (ebay) -- "modernmarkey" = Heiden Productions, Holland, OH -- received 18 September 2021

Sep 20, 2021 5:15:00 PM

Mayflower Day 2021

Almost forgot: according to the National Day Calendar, today is Mayflower Day.

Please be sure to check out the home page of the State Library of Massachusetts for information about William Bradford's Manuscript Of Plimoth Plantation.

You can also buy a beautiful facsimile of the manuscript through our colleagues at Plimoth Patuxet Museums. Definitely worth a look!