Rupert Curtis (1 results)
[Trade Catalogue] Rhyme and Reason by Hector Powe; Tendering, with Apologies, Some Doubtful Verse, and, with Pride, Very Important Reasons for Your Continued Patronage
Cox, F. Whitby (Illustrations and Rhymes by F. Whitby Cox Artist & Bard to Hector Powe). Designed by Lovell & Rupert Curtis, Ltd
Published by Hector Powe Ltd. Printer: Spottiswoode, Ballantyne & Co., Ltd, London, 1936
- Softcover
- First Edition
Seller: White Fox Rare Books and Antiques, ABAA/ILAB, New York, NY, U.S.A.White Fox Rare Books and Antiques, ABAA/ILAB
Contact seller4-star sellerCondition: Used - Very good
£ 229.73
£ 5.20 shippingShips within U.S.A.Quantity: 1 available
Add to basketWraps. Stapled brochure. Condition: Very Good. First Edition. Scarce and unusual trade catalogue and promotion for Regents Street haberdasher. With no copies found anywhere. (Not to be confused with similar title by American cartoonist Palmer Cox.) 4to. 25 by18 cm. Unpaginated, 20 pages,eight of which have fold-out flaps. Illust…rated extensively drawn vignettes, many of which are light-hearted and comical, sometimes because the illustration itself is caricature-ish, other times, because of the wry short caption below the vignette. This group of illustrations is rendered with partial color -- red, green, orange -- in contrast to the cover which uses fuller color, even as it is harmonious with the text vignettes in its coloring. A second group of illustrations is entirely black and white, and these are comprised of larger drawings, which clearly are printings of pencil drawings, showing one or two men in the company's attire, which includes sportswear, business suits, formal dress. Below these are smaller black and white vignettes that seek to elaborate on the use and burnish the lifestyle that the company wants to have associated with the look. Loose, but tucked inside the brochure, is a postcard sent with the catalogue for a customer to request the company to send him fabric swatches. With the Regent Street address, not to mention the clothes being showcased, Hector Powe catered to the carriage trade, and we would assume that it was just a notch below the better Savile Row custom tailors in terms of prestige, and the price range. Hector Powe was founded in 1910, or around then, and expanded to six branches. During the Second World War, it got into the business of supplying the British govenment with military uniforms. The company was acquired in 1954 by a concern that eventually merged with or was absorbed by Burberry. Light soiling of the wraps, some of which can be mitigated further, if one so wishes, with an eraser. Staples used to bind now rusty. Otherwise, clean, tight.