Jazz

1926 · 58100 — New York & Chicago: J.L. Taylor & Co. 1926. Thick elephant folio 17 x 23.25 x 2.5 ins. 75 3 pp. printed on thick card stock each mounted on linen hinge. With 17 colour fashion plates illustrating Taylor styles of the period verso of almost all pages with 364 of 375 mounted textile samples in wool wool-rayon blends some felt backed silk moleskin corduroy cashmere waistband sample and more -- all samples clearly marked with prices and availability some of the 12 missing samples are indicated in pencil as being “Out†as well as a few present 1 additional pinned-in numerous illustrations throughout in blue-green colour tinting including Chicago & New York factories some diagrams charts and graphs. Original half-green cloth over gray green cloth corners gilt lettering on front cover colour plate w/ J.L. Taylor tailor mounted front cover some wear & minor bumping to fore-edges corners some minor soiling & occasional foxing to interior leaves -- some of it dust from the wool samples 10-15 samples with minor deterioration and evidence of old predation still a very good unsophisticated and remarkably complete example w/ original 9 x 21 in. double-sided stock list in red & black laid-in. First edition of this scarce and unusually complete salesman sample catalogue for Jazz era men’s suits in 1928-1929. J.L. Taylor maintained a huge tailoring operation in both Chicago and New York until after World War II employing hundreds of tailors and seamstresses to fill orders. The catalogues were very expensive to produce and so were most often found in department stores mercantiles and men’s stores which would have these catalogues on the sales floor for two years or more. The catalogue offers invaluable illustrated historical reference for the colours styles and fabrics during the era of F. Scott Fitzgerald and the Flappers. Most of the colour fashion plates illustrating the available styles have elegantly dressed women and settings in the background including with an emphasis on sporting in summer so golf tennis croquet canoeing boating and swimming all make an appearance. Of particular interest is the wonderful dress chart indicating styles needed clothes accessories and shoes which one would need for Day Wedding Matinee Reception Evening Dress and many others offering an excellent marketing opportunity for the store to sell the customer items to compliment his suits overcoats and other fashion wear ordered from J.L. Taylor. The final plate focuses on the lightweight “Palm Beach†& “Mohair†suits at the height of the 1920’s boom in Florida featuring snappily dressed models in Panama straw hats and a lightweight fedora. Worldcat locates 1 partial copy Preserved at the Library of Congress stripped of samples and used as scrapbook for Wilbur’s Drug Store prescriptions of Portland ME -- not an unusual occurrence. J.L. Taylor & Co., hardcover