Hinged sample case with drop front, 27¾x11x7½". Containing approximately 170 thick cards printed in black and red, each with a woolens, worsted wool, imported wool sample (some preshrunk), each mounted on cards. Original sample display case w/ green textured cloth over boards, divided into 3 compartments, nickel plate slider hinges, printed advertising on inner lid and drop front, reinforced corners, a remarkable display case, from the John the Tailor Shop, Suits and Overcoats made to order. Wonderful graphic label on interior of lid featuring dapper dressers and period autos.
Spectacular tailoring sample counter display for men’s suits and overcoats in the Fall & Winter of 1937-1938. Ferris Woolen Company, a subsidiary of Wawak Woolens was originally founded in 1922 in Chicago along with Detmer Woolen Co., Bruner Woolen Co., Mason & Hanson, Inc., and Salter & Wolf to supply woolens and trimmings to tailors and department stores across the United States. The companies were known for their high-quality wools at a reasonable price, and often incorporated imported wool, wool silk blends, gabardines, and tweeds, especially from Scotland, Wales, France, and Great Britain. In 1933, the Wawak Co./Ferris Woolen Co., purchased the exclusive right to all the Detmer, Bruner Co. customers West of the Mississippi. They quickly began commissioning and producing display cases reflecting the change, and proved very successful with the Ferris Woolen Co. catering to the trade into the 1960s. These sample cases were very expensive to produce and so were most often found in department stores, mercantiles, and men’s stores which would have these display on the sales floor for two seasons, or more, often adding, or subtracting fabrics as they became available. The samples included with this case offer invaluable textile reference for the colors and fabrics during the era of fashion influenced by the elegance and glamor of Hollywood films, and film noir at the time. The styles depicted on the inside of the lid, and the drop-down front, are reminiscent of the very popular Thin Man fashions worn by William Powell and Myrna Loy at the time.