Price list fall and winter 1938-39; Order Book and Salesman sample counter display case for woolen, and wool blend weaves. Sample case. 20x11x5". Containing 33 thick cards w/ gilt stamping on black (6 x 10.75 in.), with 237 woolen, worsted wool, silk blend, cheviot, gabardine, tweed, and hopsock blends all mounted on cards; sample case w/ original pebbled black cloth over boards, divided into 3 compartments, nickel plate slider hinges, printed advertising on inner lid and drop front. Catalogue: Folio. [22 leaves] printed on thick glossy paper stock, color illustrations throughout, 4 fabric samples mounted on rear inner cover, art deco styling & lettering on front cover, spiral bound. Kling Bros. order book still intact with 30 order sheets, text diagrams, red cloth backed softcovers. Price list. 8vo. [4] pp. printed on thick yellow card stock. TLS on Born Company letterhead announcing Topcoat and overcoat sale, folded.
Spectacular tailoring sample counter display for 1930s men’s suits and overcoats for Fall & Winter. Moses Born (b. 1851) founded M. Born & Company in 1876 which tailored suits and clothing to each man’s measurements for the same price as ready to wear. He essentially developed the textile industry in Chicago known as “tailoring to the trade,” and the company at its height employed hundreds of tailors and seamstresses to fill orders. The company was known for their high-quality wools at a reasonable price, and often incorporated imported wool, wool silk blends, gabardines, and tweeds, especially from France and Great Britain. 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 catalogues on the sales floor for two years, or more, often adding, or subtracting fabrics as they became available. The catalogue included with this case offers invaluable illustrated historical reference for the colors, styles, and fabrics during the era of fashion influenced by the elegance and glamor of Hollywood films, and film noir at the time.