Masterpieces

Spotted on a trip to Big Lots: made-in-China emery boards, decorated with images from famous paintings.

Why were these graphics chosen? The images would have been easy to come by, for one thing. While I wouldn't expect the manufacturer to have given it thought, it could be that the images are in the public domain—or they might seem to be, due to being famous.

A pretty Renoir woman and a couple of other designs fit the "beauty product" category well enough.

There was also the Demoiselles D'Avignon model.

Sister J. bought two designs, which I got to scan later.


I know some women react dramatically to nail breakage, but—
really, now:


These products make the case for never leaving home without a camera.

Especially since one of the designs that got away was this Van Gogh.

Tiger Of The Month Club: April

This handsome duo get into the spirit of the spring pagan rites—
with a basket full of pysanky!

Frate Indovino: April Astrologer

"Publicity," says our cartoonist, "costs us dearly!"

The theme continues with the opposing quotes connundrum: is publicity/advertising "the soul of commerce" [H. Ford], or, "commerce of the soul" [M. Marchesi]?

Though I suspect the possibility of some false cognates, Google Translate wants to tell me that a look at the skies deems this month favorable for all human activities that are intellectual and sensitive...

Even without the reminder of being innundated by "publicity," I don't expect the planets to win out on this.

Among Frate Indovino's earthly advice is a monthly section for Donne, beginning with some cliché under the heading, "It is Said Of Women"...

This month:

Nelle donne s'ammira la virtú – ma la civetteria piace di piú!

This seems to be, "Women admire virtue but love coquettery the most"...

Followed by what thought were chocolate recipes—those would occupy the coquettish women productively.

Then I ran the text through the translator: the section is several paragraphs of instructions for removing chocolate stains, fresh or old, from all kinds of fabrics.

Which must be the almanac's secret to a happy home: Mamma feeds everyone chocolate and keeps busy cleaning up after them...

Entertaining Easily - Economically

Pet Milk Company, St. Louis, Mo., 1941

The sponsor also brought radio listeners Saturday nights with Jessica Dragonette [they don't make minor celebrity names like they used to!]


The recipes are introduced by Mary Lee Taylor, hostess of Pet's "Radio Demonstrations of better food made at lower cost"—


The text is quite earnest, beginning, "You may be feeling that the word 'party' doesn't fit at all into your world as you find it today." This was published sometime in 1941—I'm assuming it was before Pearl Harbor, and that the remark refers mainly to the Depression.

The introduction continues for a full page, even including words of more than one syllable. It's always impressive—and more than a little depressing—to see how advertisers of the past expected the public to be literate. On the other hand, this is all in the service of claiming the housewife's cooking will be "extra wholesome" as well as thrifty, when she uses "Irradiated Pet Milk which costs less generally than ordinary milk."

The manufacturer's "scientific" pitch goes on to tout the product, "sterilized in sealed cans...as safe as if there were no disease germs in the world. Pet Milk is irradiated, enriched with extra 'sunshine' vitamin D..."

The appeal of the recipes is about as credible as that pitch. They are good old American stodgy: vegetables are rarely mentioned, with occasional exceptions for celery, parsley, or canned mushrooms.

A few recipes are illustrated with unfortunate period color photography—



Even more unfortunate is the small nod to exotic dishes: "[American] Cheese Fondue," and, "Pet Chop Suey." Although the last is frightening—the actual recipe, that is; forget the double entendre—the canned bean sprouts, celery and onions in the ingredients include more vegetables than most other recipes here. But, who needs vegetables, when you can have healthful Irridiated Pet Milk added to absolutely everything?

The recipes and nutritional pitch may seem completely dated. Yet Pet Fudge still makes its appearance at office pot lucks and family holiday dinners throughout the nation.

Tiger of the Month Club: March

Harbinger of Spring, and fashion trendsetter.

And, in response to those astronomers of 1922
(see this month's Frate Indovino)—
felis rules the world of 2010!

Frate Indovino: March Monk

"And come back accompanied by your parents!"

Some advice from the good brother: "If you want the bread, don't sit on the oven."

Followed by thoughts of gardening, with an enticing list of all that can be started in a protected place, including meloni, basilico, peperoni, pomodori...

Among this month's star lore, there's this—

Curiosity - Extinct Constellation: The Cat was introduced in '700 [1799, according to this] by the French Lalande in honor of his favorite animal, the cat, in fact. To lovers of this cat, it might seem unfair that in the sky are numerous references to the dog and none to him. Although the French scholar had placed the cat in the firmament, in the zone between Indra and the air-pump (two constellations of the southern hemisphere) with the 1922 meeting of the International Astronomical Union, it was removed from official maps.

As to those particular astronomers: a March felis waiting in the wings for the next post might have something to say about them...

Brave New Economy

Russian plastic bag—from a 35-ruble store

Yes: that's about $1, which makes Fixprice akin to a dollar store.

I don't know how many countries have shops on this theme, but we do live in a world full of cheap Chinese crap that keeps large segments marginally able to consume. In this country's hollowed out economy, plenty of shoppers already use dollar stores as the alternative to dog food.

Though Japan also has thousands of 100 yen shops by now, here's something on the vintage side: a Kyoto discount store logo from the 1980s.

Back then, "discount store" was still a novel idea in Japan.

As far as I can remember from my one visit, the store sold decent quality stuff. And the merchandise was not yet imported from the land of totalitarian capitalism.