Several years ago, I visited one of my favorite antique malls, the Lake O Antique Mall in Lake Odessa, Michigan. I spotted a set of seven framed chromolithograph prints that were simply stunning. They depicted various interior scenes from retail shops and were all dated 1927. The seller told me they came from a catalog sent to optometrist's offices. Perhaps the catalog was meant to be left in the waiting room to be viewed, or the prints were meant for the optometrist to frame.
Let me show you one of them to get us going:
A slightly closer look of the butcher shop. Notice the light fixtures, the clothing worn by the customers, and the unusual glass booths in which the clerks sit:
This one might be my favorite, because of the bold colors and abundant details:
The little boy is helping his mother by loading his wagon with their groceries. Isn't that sweet?
This is my other favorite: the soda fountain!
I'm sure we appreciate it for the same reason....the mural behind the bar is magnificent, isn't it? And so many other things are wonderful, too:
I like this bakery print a lot. The little boy is holding a pretzel:
The woman is sporting a "Marcel" hairdo, which was all the rage in the 1920's:
Another stop at the butcher shop:
The little girl resembles Shirley Temple, doesn't she?
I love the ceiling detail, the light fixtures, candlestick phone, and the little girl eying the baked goods:
These prints are so precious because they depict everyday life during the "roaring twenties", including the clothing, decor, food, and store displays.
When I bought these, they had been framed with acid free backing and UV-protective glass. I'd love to see them with vintage frames, but they didn't come with frames originally and it will be difficult to find the proper size vintage frames for them. For now, I'm selling them with the newer frames.
Mitzi
