Of all the “old stock” I had sitting on my shelves for years, all that’s left is one little box that fits under my bed. It’s mostly old photos and paper ephemera, which I find extra hard to document. I figured it might be a little less overwhelming if I dealt with in in small batches, so here’s some random bits that stood out.
I’m thinking these photos date from the 20s to 30s. I’ve found a lot of x-rays over the years, but these four dental shots are probably the oldest I’ve seen.
Otherwise, we have a car that looks to have belonged to a 1920s eccentric …
… a 23 year old begonia tuber (is that old for a begonia?);
… and a photo of a solar eclipse dated August 31 1932. Photos of eclipses from this era aren’t particularly common, so they seem to hold a bit of value. I think I’ll keep it in my collection though.
And then we have a few old paper things, like this Cox Gelatin(e) recipe book and Egyptian dream book …
… a piece of “Ozone Paper,” which looks to be some late 1800s quackery;
… a grocery flyer (apparently Montreal used “four letter two digit” phone numbers from 1925 to 1958 – I’d guess that this one is from the 40s);
… and for those who like potty humour, a stool sample summary from 1948. I am a fan myself, and plan on sticking this in an 8×10 frame once I find one that suits it. This would be great to put on the wall in a bathroom.
Winter has come early this year, or it at least feels that way. Trash picking is a bit less fun, but I still go out fairly regularly. It’s also a bit less bountiful, but I’ve had one particularly good run each of the last two weeks, which helped to make up for the other meh days. Otherwise I’m feeling inspired to write more often, so that bodes well for a potential book.
In business news, I decided to end my eBay store subscription. It just wasn’t worth the extra expense with sales so far down. The new link is here. With all the regulatory drama I’m not listing as much stuff now as I did in the past, but I still prefer to use it for certain items.
I’m always fascinated by all the cool ephemera you save.
FYI – the same begonia tuber can be grown year after year, provided you take proper care of it.
I’m glad to hear you’re feeling a strong urge to work on that book. 🙂
Ooh, glad you are writing! Looking forward to the book. I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry at the grocery flyer. Lobster @ 19 cents! The ephemera you save is always so fascinating. Comments may be thin due to the holiday season but please rest assured that your posts are so much appreciated by all who follow you. Best of luck with the new eBay site. May Santa be extra good to you this year, and next 🙂
Wow! It’s always refreshing to see what you have found and post for us to gawk at.
We just met an elderly couple (97 and 102) who described that ozone paper approach for treating airway disorders which was quite common back in the day. Even now, the air purifiers people purchase use ozone as a means of ‘cleaning’ the air of allergens so that those with asthma can have their symptoms reduced. The reality is that while these ozone generators can mask odors by changing the chemical composition of particles/other gasses in the air, making the air seem fresher (cleaner), they don’t actually filter out the minute particles that trigger asthma. Ionizers, on the other hand, do remove particles from the air by causing them to attach to nearby surfaces, each other, and thus settle out of the air….but they may generate unwanted ozone, which when inhaled can irritate the lungs.
As Covid taught is, what works best is an air filter that removes small particles, such as high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filters, as they are effective in removing allergens from the air, without posing any ozone concerns.
Fascinating how we live in such a small world where one day you’re talking about medicine in Montreal in the 30s with people who were there and the next day, this blog posts the treatment they were describing. Their version of the Vicks vaporizer spaceship my Mom used in the early 70s to ‘cure’ our congestion/colds.
Thank you for the post. The stool sample analysis was hilarious.