Thursday, June 26, 2008

Sells-Floto Advance Cars #1


Scan10316, originally uploaded by bucklesw1.

The only dated picture in today's set, April of 1907.
This was the first season "Sells" was added to the title and despite litigation, was made possible by the engagement of Willie Sells, an adopted son of one of the Sells brothers.

Posted by Buckles at 6/26/2008 06:32:00 AM

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

This photograp is by Charlie Puck, one of many forgotten artists with a camera that provided a visual heritage of the circus in America.

26 June, 2008 08:55
Bob Cline said...

You can see the ladder under the car. So here's my dumb question for the day. Did they have a gilly wagon that they used to get around town or did the carry everything where ever they went?
Bob

26 June, 2008 10:12
Anonymous said...

The ladder is for the banner men, also called "tack-spitters."

Both they and the "billposters" (which on the advance meant the brush-and-paste crew as opposed to the "lithograpers"- the guys putting lithos in windows) needed transportation for themselves and their equipment around the town or country routes.

Fortunately wagons with drivers were available for hire almost everywhere in those days.

Eventually the shows with rail advance cars bought panel trucks or "carry-alls" for this purpose and of course they had to be driven from town to town.

26 June, 2008 13:05
Anonymous said...

When did the common use of banners start?

26 June, 2008 22:11
Anonymous said...

I don't know that. Probably a check of old route books would give some clues.

I wish I knew the name of the banner tacker on the cover of the RBBB 1943 program. Allyn Pierson once told me but of course at the time I didn't give it a thought.

30 June, 2008 22:45

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)