1954 Best and Co. children's catalog

This house... oh my word. So many fascinating vintage relics are hidden away in unexpected places. I opened my old toy chest and found a stash of things that have been fun to explore, including this catalog.

Best and Company sold clothing and accessories for children and teens. The catalog has so many wonderful examples of '50's styles it's hard to decide what to show here. There are pages and pages of dresses, a reminder that we wore long pants and shorts for play and dresses almost everywhere else.

There are so many pictures I used smaller-than-usual images to help the page load quicker. Click on a picture to enlarge it.

GIRLS

My mom loved hand-smocked dresses.

Do children wear hats anymore?

TEENS

The waistlines are bizarrely tiny.

BOYS

Classic saddle shoes and rolled-cuff dungarees.

SHOES & ACCESSORIES

Instead of using photographs all 48 pages of illustrations were drawn by hand. I'd like to know more about the artists!

Oodles of Poodles

While looking through my photos of vintage trash and treasures stored in the basement something caught my eye and I ran downstairs to see what it was.

Old roller skates, a couple of vintage thermos jugs, dead flashlights, boxed Cootie game...

Wait a minute... Is that a POODLE?

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As soon as I picked it up I recognized this desk organizer. A thick spiral of gold-tone medal that looked like a large spring ran down its back to hold letters and envelopes. The tail was a black pen. There's a reservoir on top of its head that holds the remnants of a small sponge used to moisten stamps and seal envelopes.

Sponge remnant on top of head. Photographed on vintage tree stump.

Finding this poodle reminded me of others and I was able to locate them all. It was like a treasure hunt. :) 

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In the late 1950's one of Mom's lifelong friends came to visit and brought me 7 or 8 plushies that appeared to be carnival game prizes. I remember receiving two large teddy bears. And a couple of poodles.

This little guy is mad. He lived in the attic far too long and his ribbons need to be ironed.

My spaghetti ceramic poodle. I named her Tippy because her base is uneven and she rocks slightly.

The only visible damage is chipped paint on her hat.

Little Golden Book published in 1952. Pantaloon the poodle wanted to be a baker and attained his goal through an act of kindness.

Scatter pins. These were a popular accessory in the '50's and usually came in sets of two. Some like my poodles were "twins" while others were related like a horse and colt.

I remember when my mother bought this adorable couple at the five-and-dime. According to the price tags these were $1.19 each and purchased at J. J. Newberry. This could be the store whose name I wasn't sure of in my Christmas post. These may not be poodles but they sure are cute.

 

Years ago I learned an unfortunate lesson while cleaning another vintage ceramic figurine. Painted details that were added after the piece was glazed and fired will wash off. Now I use a drop of shampoo on a soft moist cloth to rub away stains and dirt. I can't remember where I heard of using shampoo but it's a very effective cleaner and gentler than most other products.

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Finally, a paint-it-yourself project from a craft kit. This odd plaster dog looks vaguely like a cockapoo.

Dog? What dog?

1950's Christmas decorations

I took a few quick photos before taking down the tree and un-decorating the house.

1950's variety stores, popularly referred to as five-and-dimes, sold a fascinating assortment of inexpensive products. My mother frequently took me to one of these stores when we lived in Newport, RI. (I think it was Kresge's but 55 years later I'm not 100% certain.) The wide wooden floorboards creaked as customers walked back and forth and there were long aisles of glass counters set on sturdy wooden bases. I can still remember the lingering smell of wood polish. I have some interesting vintage jewelry from the 3/$1 bin but will save that for another time.

Most of these creche figures were purchased at what-I-think-was-Kresge's for less than $1 each and were made in Italy. Four smaller angels were a Christmas gift from relatives. The original cardboard stable was falling apart after being used for 4 decades and I reluctantly retired it to a high shelf. This replacement is adequate but doesn't have that distinctive vintage appeal.

Three Napco ceramic angel figurines. Santa is a mystery. He appears to be made of papier mache covered with wax. There are no identifying marks and so far my online research hasn't turned up anything like him. Any ideas?

This Royalite snowman is illuminated by a small interior light bulb. It appears that he needs a good cleaning but the "dirt" is actually scratches on his legs and stomach. The red plastic boots were a popular '50's novelty that originally contained candy.

A trio of plastic reindeer with Rudolph in the background. 

Years of incorrect storage corroded my old figural glass ornaments and they are now kept safely in a china cabinet. The mushroom, vase and table lamp- and a Santa that's too fragile to hang- are all that remains of a large collection that was destroyed when my dad accidentally dropped the box they were stored in. It was a sad day, indeed. The angel is almost as old as I am. And the cats are modern tree lights.

 

I frequently use eBay as a reference for determining an item's age and manufacturer and was surprised to find that many of the decorations on this page are available there.

Attic treasures #1- USS Yosemite 1956

This afternoon I ventured up to the attic for the first time in at least ten years. Spiderwebs were everywhere and I managed to remove most of them with my body. Blech!

While looking inside forgotten boxes I had a Eureka! moment. I'd been looking for these pictures for a very long time. I thought there were more than three but my old memory isn't what it used to be. :)

When my dad was the commander of the destroyer tender USS Yosemite he arranged to have a car show on her home dock in Newport, RI. It was 1956. And the cars were antiques.

Dad sitting in the car with Yosemite in the background.

Dad in front seat.

Card on window says 1917.