In the Field

More classic era adventuring gear, this time a selection of canvas tents taken from the 1922 "Jubilee" edition of the Montgomery Ward's mail order catalog. I like material like this because of the insight it provides into the technology of the time period. It also makes handy filler material when you're prepping prop newspaper and magazine pages.

As an aside, I use a tent almost identical to the one in the first ad when I'm camping because it's luxuriantly roomy and almost indestructible. Nylon is far lighter and more resistant to mildew, but it's also prone to UV damage from extended sun exposure. Canvas seems to shrug off the sun, and I think it has superior water resistance in all but the most saturated conditions. Not to mention I get to pretend I'm on an expedition while using it. Ten years ago I was into the whole sil-nylon tarp/titanium cookware/lightweight hiking thing, but now that my back has succumbed to the ravages of time I'm getting a real appreciation for vintage-style camping.

Just click through for the high resolution versions.

Vintage Shotgun Ad

From 1926, a vintage ad for mail order shotguns. This kind of thing makes great filler for faux newspaper and magazine clippings, as well as being a handy price check for the favorite weapon of "Call of Cthulhu" investigators. Impale damage for the win!

Just click through for the high resolution version.

Power

A selection of period generators and power equipment from the 1922 Montgomery Ward mail-order catalog. Something has to be powering all those labs filled with mad science. Click through for the high resolution version.

More Vintage Telephone and Telegraph Gear

More vintage telephone and telegraph gear from the 1922 Montgomery Wards mail-order catalog. These scans complete the page I started posting last weekend. Ultimately I'll be collecting all these together in a PDF of period equipment for adventurers, investigators, and experimenters.

Vintage Telephone and Telegraph Gear

From the pages of the 1922 Montgomery Ward mail order catalog, a selection of classic era telegraph and telephone gear. Click through for the high resolution version.

Vintage Flashlights

More bounty from the 1922 Montgomery Wards mail order catalog- a selection of battery powered flashlights. Click through for the high resolution scan.

Ammo

Vintage firearms ammunition, brought to you by the Montgomery Wards mail order catalog and the fine folks at Remington.

A Good Nights Sleep

More from the vintage Montgomery Ward's catalog, this time a selection of camping furniture.



This is intended for filler in prop documents, but I also like its utility as a historical resource. None of the gear would look out of place today, and in some cases the vintage stuff is superior in strength and durability.

Fiat Lux

More classic era adventuring gear, this time a selection of carbide lamps and camping stoves. Taken from the 1922 "Jubilee" edition of the Montgomery Ward's mail order catalog. Just click through for the high resolution version.

Vintage French Adventure Gear

Kurt Hockenbury sent over a link to Agence Eureka, a French blog specializing in vintage ephemera. One feature of particular interest is a wonderful collection of scans from French outdoors catalogs from the classic era.





Most of the pages appear to be from a 1931 mailer filled with lanterns, tents, traveling trunks, goggles, bicycles, clothing, optics, and a veritable arsenal of firearms. One can only imagine the kind of mischief a typical investigator could cause with one of these massive duck guns:

Classic Era Novelty Ads

More magazine ads from 1926, this time featuring a variety of novelty products from the Johnson Smith company. Click through for the high resolution version. I've been uploading these because they make good filler material for prop newspaper and magazine clippings, but this particular set of ads has some interesting history attached to it. Take a close look at that little gadget at the top.



Johnson Smith is still in the novelty business, and their website makes note of the fact that 1926 was the first year they shipped merchandise from their new location in Racine, Wisconsin. That handy little compass/mirror/telescope/binocular/firestarter pocket tool is based on originals that were manufactured in the 1800's out of brass. By the 1920's those metal models were used to produce molds for the mass production of PVC and Bakelite copies, and you can still find plastic versions based on that exact same pattern today.

Mail Order Adventure Gear

From 1926, a vintage ad for mail order rifles and bayonets. This kind of thing makes great filler for faux newspaper and magazine clippings. Just click through for the high resolution version.


For comparison's sake, the $15 purchase price of a Krag carbine was roughly equivalent to 70% of the average unskilled factory worker's weekly salary. At least according to the wage table in this article.

Vintage Aviation School Ad

Another adventure-themed vintage ad, this time for the Aviators Preparatory Institute. This was scanned from a 1926 almanac and would make a good filler for a faux newspaper clipping or magazine page. Click through for the high resolution version.



In case you were curious, here's what 475 Fifth Ave in New York City looks like today. The building faces the front steps of the New York Public Library.


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Vintage Adventure Gear Ad

I've written about Marbles and their outdoor gear before. Here's a period advertisement for a selection of merchandise that would be perfect filler for anyone putting together some prop newspaper clippings. Just click through for the high resolution version.