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Circa 1925. The title of this one is "Untitled" because the label fell off eons ago. National Photo Company Collection glass negative. View full size.
I love Mr. Cornet's glasses and stripy shirt.
Also: STRAW BOATERS.
He's a music man
He's a what?
He's a what?
He's a music man
And he sells clarinets
To the kids in the town
With the big trombones
And the rat-a-tat drums
Big brass bass
Big brass bass
And the piccolo, the piccolo
With uniforms, too
With a shiny gold braid
On the coat
And a big red stripe runnin'
To the clarion call of "Hail the Conquering Hero Comes", Walter Sleech, head bookkeeper for the Dreadnaught Cast Iron Thimble Company ("Defending Dainty Digits"), is escorted to the loading dock and the promised land of retirement after 50 years of faithful service. Receiving a gold watch and handsome leather traveling bag from company president Waldo W. Wood, the modest Mr Sleech asked if he could also have the desk chair he used all those many years; into the leather padding of said chair he has stuffed $27,543 in gold certificates as a hedge against inflation.
Also please note that Mr Sleech is the only person present with unwrinkled trousers...he has an additional $2,368 stuffed in his pants and cannot bend at the knees.
Attired for a warm climate, Mr Sleech will shortly board a ship for Havana.
I think we're all better off not knowing who these folks are and what exactly is going on here.
Use your imaginations. It promises to be much more interesting than whatever this was in reality.
Or, maybe not. Any realistic scenario is totally thrown off by the presence of the trumpet player.
The two men are Siamese Twins joined at the knuckles. They are leaving their hometown for the first time; their town pre-arranged a marriage with twin spinsters.
A young Ed Sullivan is behind the trumpet player practicing his new Vaudeville persona.
The trumpet player is being robbed.
The fellows in the back room are passing around some Mary Jane.
The fellow on the front left is the only known human being in recorded history who can actually tickle himself to laughter.
My laugh for today was provided by the comment on the man's desk chair following him out the door!
Last day at the office, the satchel is for all the traveling he will do in his retirement years. He must have saved a few bucks for those bright white shoes!
The passing of the torch. I mean the satchel.
I think the man on the right is obviously Thomas Edison. Or Herbert Hoover. The gentleman on the left is wearing white shoes, so it is certainly between Memorial Day and Labor Day. The shoes & the ties & hats & suits & hairdos seem mid to late 20s. Interestingly enough, his desk chair is following him out the door. Chains to the left of him, coronet to the right, here he is, stuck in the middle with Thom/Herb. The White House chauffeur retires and is given a snazzy new grip. Dang, those shoes are white.
Obviously a demonstration of the sophisticated new alarm system at the original Best Buy Luggage.
"Sir, if you don't have a sales slip I'm afraid you'll have to come with me."
This is Jack "White Shoes" Munsdorff on the occasion of his promotion from "senior cutter" to salesman at the McGee soap factory. President Miles McGee presents Jack with a personalized sample case and display bar of soap. A proud moment for all the guys at the factory!
[And I thought it would take at least two or three hours for someone to figure this out. Silly me. - Dave]
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