Category Archives: Fashion

The Odyssey of the Dorothy’s Ruby Slippers

Posted on September 24, 2011 by lmharnisch

Photo: Dorothy (Judy Garland) is wearing the ruby slippers. But which pair? Reuters is reporting that Profiles in History is auctioning off one of the pairs of ruby slippers used in “The Wizard of Oz.” Auction house owner Joe Maddalena … Continue reading →

Posted in 1939, Fashion, Film, History, Hollywood, Preservation | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Found on EBay – Wetherby Kayser Shoes

Posted on September 20, 2011 by lmharnisch

This pair of women’s shoes from Wetherby Kayser has been listed on EBay. Bidding starts at $49.99.

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‘Zoot Suit’ and History – Part 9

Posted on September 20, 2011 by lmharnisch

Image: Isadore Bernstein’s name appears on a list of  undesirables.  Credit: The National Archives at Riverside. To recap briefly, I have been digging into the historical basis of the movie “Zoot Suit,” which I saw this summer in the Last … Continue reading →

Posted in 1942, 1943, African Americans, Crime and Courts, Fashion, Film, History, Hollywood, Latinos, Libraries, Stage, World War II, Zoot Suit | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on ‘Zoot Suit’ and History – Part 9

Found on EBay – B.H. Dyas

Posted on September 13, 2011 by lmharnisch

This lightly (if at all) used Wilson tennis racket from B.H. Dyas in Los Angeles has been listed on EBay. Dyas was a sporting goods store in Los Angeles, and items don’t show up terribly often. Bidding on this racket … Continue reading →

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Found on EBay – Mullen & Bluett

Posted on September 12, 2011 by lmharnisch

This 1917 postcard from Mullen & Bluett advertising Straw Hat Day has been listed on EBay. For many years, menswear stores in Los Angeles promoted Straw Hat Day or Straw Hat Week at the beginning of summer. And, of course, … Continue reading →

Posted in 1917, Fashion, Found on EBay | Tagged , , | 4 Comments

‘Zoot Suit’ and History – Navy Reports

Posted on September 6, 2011 by lmharnisch

Feb. 6, 1942: Secretary of the Navy Frank Knox warns against “loose talk.” Credit: National Archives. I returned from Saturday’s trip to the National Archives in Riverside with more than 200 images of historic documents. It’s going to take some … Continue reading →

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Found on EBay – Mullen & Bluett

Posted on September 5, 2011 by lmharnisch

This vintage swimsuit from Mullen & Bluett has been listed on EBay. Another one was listed in 2009,  also from Mullen & Bluett. Bidding on this item starts at 99 cents.

Posted in Downtown, Fashion, Found on EBay | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

‘Zoot Suit’ and History – Part 7

Posted on August 30, 2011 by lmharnisch

Photo: June 8, 1943 — A mob of servicemen stop a streetcar on Main Street to remove a passenger wearing a zoot suit. Here’s a second radio address by Los Angeles Mayor Fletcher Bowron, delivered June 16, 1943, on the … Continue reading →

Posted in 1943, City Hall, Crime and Courts, Downtown, Fashion, Film, Hollywood, LAPD, Latinos, Radio, San Francisco, World War II, Zoot Suit | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on ‘Zoot Suit’ and History – Part 7

Found on EBay – Witzel Photo of Dorothy Dalton

Posted on August 29, 2011 by lmharnisch

This Witzel portrait of actress Dorothy Dalton has been listed on EBay. That’s some fur coat she is wearing! The photo is listed as Buy It Now for $14.99.

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Found on EBay – Bullock’s Wilshire

Posted on August 24, 2011 by lmharnisch

This rather amazing cape with hood and feather boa from Bullock’s Wilshire has been listed on EBay. The vendor says she bought this about 1979. Bidding starts at $75.

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Found on EBay – Zoot Suit!

Posted on August 21, 2011 by lmharnisch

What appears to be an original zoot suit, with reet pleat, drape shape and stuff cuff,  has been listed on EBay. According to the vendor, this suit was in the wardrobe department of a movie studio. There is no label, … Continue reading →

Posted in 1943, Fashion, Found on EBay, LAPD, World War II, Zoot Suit | Tagged , | 3 Comments

Scarlett’s Costumes Nearly ‘Gone With the Wind’

Posted on August 19, 2011 by lmharnisch

Photo: Crane bathroom fixtures. Credit: Life magazine, April 29, 1957.   We grew up in a sterile, cookie-cutter home, on a sterile, cookie-cutter street, in a sterile suburb of Chicago, where all the people were white and all the bathrooms … Continue reading →

Posted in 1957, African Americans, Architecture, Fashion, Film, Futurism, Hollywood, Interior Design, Preservation, Transportation | Tagged , , , | 9 Comments

Found on EBay – Witzel Photograph

Posted on August 17, 2011 by lmharnisch

This Witzel photo of actress Dorothy Phillips has been listed on EBay. Bidding starts at $19.99. Phillips received a one-paragraph obituary in The Times on March 10, 1980.

Posted in Fashion, Film, Found on EBay, Hollywood, Photography, Witzel | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Found on EBay – Bullock’s Wilshire

Posted on August 16, 2011 by lmharnisch

This hat from the Collegienne department of Bullock’s Wilshire has been listed on EBay. Bidding starts at $14.99.

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‘Zoot Suit’ and History – Coming Up

Posted on August 14, 2011 by lmharnisch

Image: A “zute” suit cartoon from the California Eagle, Aug. 21, 1941. In case you’re wondering, I tracked down the Navy’s 1943 report on the Zoot Suit Riots but I can’t get out to the National Archives in Riverside until … Continue reading →

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The Mystery of J.W. Robinson [Updated]

Posted on August 13, 2011 by lmharnisch

A postcard showing the J.W. Robinson Co. Building has been listed on EBay. And it’s more of a mystery than I expected….

Posted in 1914, 1915, 1923, 1934, Architecture, Downtown, Fashion, Found on EBay, Preservation | 10 Comments

Movieland Mystery Photo [Updated]

Posted on August 12, 2011 by lmharnisch

Here’s another mystery photo courtesy of Steven Bibb!

Posted in Fashion, Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo, Obituaries, Photography | Tagged , , , | 5 Comments

‘Zoot Suit’ and History – Part 6

Posted on August 2, 2011 by lmharnisch

Image: Los Angeles Conservancy’s Last Remaining Seats Program for “Zoot Suit” Credit: Jose Legaspi In Part 5, we looked at the story of Joe Dacy Coleman, “patient zero” in the Zoot Suit Riots, which led to a report at the … Continue reading →

Posted in 1943, African Americans, Black Dahlia, City Hall, Crime and Courts, Downtown, Fashion, Film, Hollywood, LAPD, Latinos, Libraries, Stage, Streetcars, Zoot Suit | Tagged , , | 4 Comments

‘Zoot Suit’ and History — Part 5

Posted on July 26, 2011 by lmharnisch

Cartoon: A troubling moment in “Mary Worth’s Family,” June 1, 1943. Credit: Los Angeles Times June 1, 1943: It is impossible to accurately determine, so long after the fact, why a May 31, 1943, brawl between zoot-suiters and sailors wasn’t … Continue reading →

Posted in 1943, Books and Authors, Fashion, LAPD, Latinos, Libraries, World War II, Zoot Suit | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on ‘Zoot Suit’ and History — Part 5

Found on EBay – Mullen & Bluett

Posted on July 25, 2011 by lmharnisch

This postcard showing the new building of Mullen & Bluett (d. 1969) which became Grodins (d. 1972) has been listed on EBay. And here’s the building as shown on Google map’s street view. Bidding on the postcard starts at 99 … Continue reading →

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