“Keeping Out the Kids and Dogs”

The Strange and the Humorous in an Historic Newspaper Search

Our maternal grandfather lived in a number of boarding houses in 1935 Washington, D.C. I wondered why he moved so much, and how he found his rooming situations. A search in the contemporary real estate sections revealed scores of listings each day. The going price for a room with two meals seemed to be around $45 a month. Hundreds of newly constructed and build-to-suit homes were also advertised, most for less than $10,000. As I clicked through the pages I found myself distracted by a number of odd and interesting items throughout the rest of the newspaper. Each of the following clippings are from the Washington Evening Star via genealogybank.com. Enjoy!

Smoke All You Want!

Yes, But Can You Fry Chicken on Them?

“I’m Lousy With Money”

A “trade puller” brought in customers to a business merely by his presence there. Many politicians probably still practice some form of this, but most wouldn’t be so boldly admit it. Then U.S. Senator and former Louisiana Governor Huey Long, aka “The Kingfish,” was a highly effective demagogue and larger-than life politician who was clearing the way to run for President in 1936. Long was assassinated by the son of a political enemy a mere two days after this item appeared. Even so, his family and political machine continued to dominate Louisiana politics for decades. (Sept. 8, 1935)

Two-Tub Washer

Arthur Jordan’s piano showroom was at 1239 G Street, while Homer Kitt simultaneously had a music studio at 1330 G Street. Jordan Kitt’s is still doing business in the Washington, D.C. area, and claims to have sold 250,000 pianos since 1912. One wonders how many of these two-tub washers they were able to offload, and how the strange design worked. (Both Sept. 8, 1935)

“Keep the Kids and Dogs Out”

An Unfortunate Logo

C.G. Sloan’s partner entered the Washington, D.C. auction business before the Civil War, and like Jordan Kitt’s, the company still exists as Sloans & Kenyon Auctioneers and Appraisers. C.G. Sloan first advertised in the Washington Evening Star in 1891, and his notices appeared almost daily for decades. His unfortunate logo first appeared in November 1901 and disappeared from his advertisements in May 1940. The swastika was originally (and in some cultures still is) a symbol of good fortune, and was formally adopted by the German Nazi party in the 1920s. When in the late 1930s the swastika became internationally recognizable as the symbol of Nazi propaganda, it was no longer “good fortune” to use it to promote an auction house. (Sept. 8, 1935)

“I’m Tired of All This Questioning!”

And Finally… “The Day of the Old Battle-Ax is Past”