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Gary Hornseth

@garyhornseth.bsky.social

1.3K followers 220 following 2.4K posts

Minnesota ephemerist. History, music, visual arts, a bit of baseball. Work = PR. Posts = else. Also the westerly half of Trademark Issues 🎸

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Reposted by Gary Hornseth

Chris Steller @chrissteller.bsky.social · 6d

Main Post Office, Minneapolis

long hallway with a counter in the middle

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Gary Hornseth @garyhornseth.bsky.social · 6d

On the heels of his live show in Minneapolis this past weekend, (which was great fun), sandwich historian Barry Enderwick gives this #localangle a go.

Sandwiches Of History @barrysoh.bsky.social · 6d

Pastrami, Cottage Cheese, & Banana Bread Sandwich (Mitch Hedberg history) on Sandwiches of History⁣
youtu.be/8WJD0PhJJT8

Pastrami, Cottage Cheese, & Banana Bread Sandwich (Mitch Hedberg history) on Sandwiches of History⁣

YouTube video by Sandwiches of History

youtu.be

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Gary Hornseth @garyhornseth.bsky.social · 9d

Three advertising drawings
Alcoa Aluminum, Pittsburgh
1936-1937

American Architect & Building News
Artist: Lurelle Guild (1898-1985); en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lurelle...

Images: US Modernist Collection via @archive.org; archive.org/details/usmo...

April 1937

A black-and-white drawing from a second-floor view looking down to a retail storefront with a shop window with goods on display on a table, and a large letter M overhead.

Accompanying ad copy:

BEST FOOT FORWARD
It is not a new discovery that the commercial facade attracts more business with Beauty. Not new either, but becoming more widely realized, is the discovery that the exceptional versatility of Alcoa Aluminum and the glory of its lustrous surface offer unlimited scope to the designer. Especially to him who seeks to embody elegance without extravagance. Practical things to remember are that Alcoa Aluminum is available in the form of sheets, shapes, and castings; that special extrusions are economical answers to individuality; that standard extrusions may be ingeniously used for achieving interesting detail; that the Alumilite finish heightens Aluminum's natural resistance to corrosion; that ease of fabrication promises appropriately economical finished cost; that our experienced engineers are available for consultation.

Aluminum Company of America, 2195 Gulf Building, Pittsburgh, Pa.

November 1936

A black-and-white drawing with a view from an upper floor looking down into the lobby of a sleek commercial building. Two revolving doors lead to two escalators. An ornate globe scene adorns the front window. Two retail shops are seen, one signed PARFUM.

Accompanying ad copy:

ECONOMY WITH BEAUTY
The beauty of the many lustrous surfaces of Aluminum needs no fanfare. The economy of Aluminum as a general-purpose
architectural material is equally evident. All forms of Aluminum are easy to fabricate, to handle, to erect. There can be no streaking or staining of adjoining surface. A wide variety of finishes may be used to obtain your most cherished decorative effects. Alcoa Aluminum gives real economy in first cost, real economy in upkeep. No accident is this wedding of economy with beauty. Architectural requirements as to form and shape and finish have been a major program with us for many years. We think you would find discussion with one of our engineers highly profitable.

Aluminum Company of America, 2195 Gulf Building, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

September 1937

A black-and-white view from above of a house.

Accompanying ad copy:

LETS LOOK INTO THE REAL COST OF
WINDOWS

A price is quoted on “Windows.” Is that the final cost, or must a lot of extras be added to get their true cost; labor for assembling knocked-down parts, weather stripping, paint and more labor, and so on? Many builders are saving money by knowing the truth. Only the cost of setting Aluminum windows need usually be added to the figure quoted. Price differentials are, therefore, often equalized when costs are compared on a completely installed basis. With Aluminum windows, less maintenance is required. Because Aluminum is so resistant to weather, they retain their attractive appearance without the frequent painting and repainting required by other windows; they never warp, swell, rust or rot. Property owners are spared much of the upkeep expense ordinarily expected. Aluminum windows are fabricated from extruded shapes like those shown on this page. Designed especially for window construction, these shapes utilize every ounce of metal to best advantage, giving maximum strength with minimum weight and cross section. They account for the reasonable cost of Aluminum windows.
We do not manufacture windows, but supply Alcoa extruded shapes to many well known window manufacturers. They have developed individual types of construction, and will gladly give you detailed information on windows of their own design.

Aluminum Company of America, 2195 Gulf Building, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

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Reposted by Gary Hornseth

"smokey stevenson" @kurtblumenau.bsky.social · 10d

A group of inflated hot air balloons. One or two are alight

Several inflated hot air balloons seen on the ground

A group of hot air balloons on the ground in the process of inflating

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Reposted by Gary Hornseth

Mike @mikeyashworth.bsky.social · 19d

25 September 1964; the opening day of that year's Commercial Motor Show at London's Earls Court Exhibition Centre - a major event in the calendar of what was then a major British industry. I wonder if HM the Queen ever went alng to choose a new bus chassis...

↘️ flic.kr/p/2nry4Ge

Commercial Motor Show, Earls Court Exhibition Centre, London, 1964 - official catalogue : cover. The cover to the official catalogue of the 1964 Commercial Motor Sow held at London's Earls Court Exhibition Centre between 25 September and 3 October 1964. The Show was organised by the Society of Motor Manufacturers & Traders and included stands covering vehicles, bodywork, equipment, components and accessories. Needless to say, at this date, the industry was still 'big' in the UK with many famous and now lost names at the show. The cover, sadly with no designer shown, is subtitled "22nd International Commercial Motor Transport Exhibition". The illustration dominates the cover and is on a yellow background showing a low view of a twin axle heavy vehicle with grey tires and bright red centres. The front wheel is the dominant feature. The words Commercial Motor Show appears in yellow across the top with the dates lower left in red and other text in black. The catalogue cost 2/6 (Two shillings and six pence).

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Gary Hornseth @garyhornseth.bsky.social · 12d

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ohiowa,...

Ohiowa, Nebraska - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

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Reposted by Gary Hornseth

高水湧基／UC @watertoweruc.bsky.social · 16d

1964年開業、坂倉準三設計の札幌パークホテル。43万枚以上も使われているという有田焼の青磁タイルが美しい。建て替えのため2027年2月28日をもって閉館するのでその前に一度は泊まってみたい。

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Reposted by Gary Hornseth

Bill Childs @billchilds.bsky.social · 16d

Ooh, Pioneer Press archives are now online from 1861 through 1961:

newspaperhub.mnhs.org

newspaperhub.mnhs.org

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Reposted by Gary Hornseth

Chris Steller @chrissteller.bsky.social · 21d

Saint Paul, Minnesota

marble column close up on left edge, downtown skyline on distance, puffy white clouds in blue sky

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Gary Hornseth @garyhornseth.bsky.social · 23d

(2) An Armstrong factory image from the same catalog, credits as above.

A factory scene showing workers operating a large linoleum press. The workers are seen on three different floors as what looks a single sheet of linoleum, with a tan and reddish-brown checkerboard pattern, threads its way through the press.

“This giant rotary press at Lancaster, Pennsylvania, produces Armstrong's Straight Line Inlaid Linoleum. Standing three stories high, it is so controlled and synchronized that it operates with the precision of a fine instrument.”

Gary Hornseth @garyhornseth.bsky.social · 23d

Four linoleum samples
Pattern book, Armstrong Cork Co.
Lancaster, Pennsylvania
1948

Images: Association for Preservation Technology (APT) Collection via @archive.org; archive.org/details/Arms...

A deep red, marble-looking background with small clusters of light and dark rectangles.

Catalog description

“ARMSTRONG'S STRAIGHT LINE INLAID LINOLEUM
No. 0540
Standard Gauge

Two features of this pattern-its crisp, small-scale design and its wine-red, black, plain white, and willow green color scheme —recommend it for use in kitchens, baths, and halls. And, thanks to the strong background marblization, this pattern is practical also for shops, clubs, restaurants, and small stores.”

A sandy beige background with right-angled stripes and rectangles in various colors.

Catalog description

“ARMSTRONG'S EMBOSSED INLAID LINOLEUM
No. 5340
Standard Gauge

A contrasting background in shades of brown, tan, and beige emphasizes the colorful tiles and accent lines of this handsome pattern. The multiplane embossing serves further to heighten the effect of the design. Streamline embossing keeps dirt from collecting in the depressed areas. This pattern is especially practical for residential use.”

A light background containing monochrome squares with smaller squares and rectangles of bright color atop them.

Catalog description

“ARMSTRONG'S EMBOSSED INLAID LINOLEUM
No. 5341
Standard Gauge

Mottled shades of ivory, gray, and black are combined to give a distinctive appearance to the background of this modern tile pattern. An intriguing interplay of rectangular color accents in Chinese red, goldenrod yellow, and willow green adds a bright touch to the floor and makes it excellent for kitchens and bathrooms.”

A deep blue/grey background with an array of rectangles containing curved lines and a few wheel-looking shapes within.

Catalog description

“ARMSTRONG'S EMBOSSED INLAID LINOLEUM
No. 5740
Standard Gauge

This richly decorative embossed pattern draws its inspiration from the fine sculptured fabrics that are so popular today. Featuring muted tones of blue, this design provides a smart floor not only for living rooms, halls, bedrooms, dens, and other rooms in the home but also for smart shops and stores.”

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Gary Hornseth @garyhornseth.bsky.social · 24d

I’d be for this.

Reposted by Gary Hornseth

Mike @mikeyashworth.bsky.social · 27d

A selection of Pieter Byl's leaflets for London Transport Advertising in 1948; even by LT's standards of #graphicdesign & publicity these are remarkably adventurous. One for the Underground is alone by "KAT" #transport #advertising #1940s

The full series : flic.kr/s/aHsmNoSN3y

One of a series of post-war folded leaflets issued by London Transport Advertising and mostly designed by Pieter Byl. Using graphic design and typographical elements to produce a varying range of treatments these are, in many ways, amongst the most 'experimental' typographical treatments ever commissioned by London Transport; that is quite a statement given the company's long history and association with graphic design and publicity.

LT has always made significant income from advertising on stations, vehicles and other sites and these promotional brochures give details of the various options available to advertisers along with basic costs. They would have been a simpler supplement to the expensively produced full advertising rates book produced! I can find little or nothing out about Pieter Byl.

This leaflet shows the important exterior Double Front position posters that were always sold in pairs; these were available on Central Area buses and trolleybuses as well as Country Area buses at varying costs. The use of the double inclined Printers Index or fists is very clever.

One of a series of post-war folded leaflets issued by London Transport Advertising and mostly designed by Pieter Byl although this one is credited to "KAT". Using graphic design and typographical elements to produce a varying range of treatments these are, in many ways, amongst the most 'experimental' typographical treatments ever commissioned by London Transport; that is quite a statement given the company's long history and association with graphic design and publicity.

LT has always made significant income from advertising on stations, vehicles and other sites and these promotional brochures give details of the various options available to advertisers along with basic costs. They would have been a simpler supplement to the expensively produced full advertising rates book produced! I can find little or nothing out about KAT.

The leaflet shows the costs of the major 16-sheet posters available on trackside walls opposite platforms mostly found in deep tube stations.

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Gary Hornseth @garyhornseth.bsky.social · 25d

Baked-down

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Gary Hornseth @garyhornseth.bsky.social · 25d

Even The Tubers

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Reposted by Gary Hornseth

Chris Steller @chrissteller.bsky.social · 28d

RIP the man in the greatest one-shot five-minute phone call to Minnesota in movie history m.youtube.com/watch?v=Qeem...

Watergate - Dahlberg scene

YouTube video by International School History

m.youtube.com

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Reposted by Gary Hornseth

Chris Steller @chrissteller.bsky.social · 28d

A few years ago, @garyhornseth.bsky.social and I wrote an entire researched local-history article about the Minneapolis phone book that Robert Redford pulls off the shelf at the Washington Post in that scene from "All the President's Men"

Hennepin History magazine
Dialing Dahlberg: A Minneapolis phone book's moment of Hollywood Fame
tl;dr the movie production team went to great lengths to use the correct prop, but due to the unusual publication schedule of the annual phone book, they got or mocked up the wrong edition, not the one the real Woodward would have pulled off the shelf, if he hadn't just called Directory Assistance as in the book.

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Gary Hornseth @garyhornseth.bsky.social · Sep 14

bsky.app/profile/gary...

Gary Hornseth @garyhornseth.bsky.social · Dec 28

Metro 500 Service Station
600 14th St. E
Minneapolis

Undated, but some quick searching suggests 55¢ cigs and 60¢ oil would put it at about 1978.

Image: Elliott Park Neighborhood, Inc. Records, Hennepin Co. Library; digitalcollections.hclib.org/digital/coll...