Monthly Archives: November 2023

Round Oak Stove Trade Card

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Trade Card. Lithograph by Gies & Company, Buffalo, New York. Circa 1888 – 1895.

Price:  $12.00

“The Name Tells”

A lithograph by Gies & Co. of Buffalo, New York:  A pretty brunette in profile, gazes up and off in the distance. She’s wearing a dress of muted gold with blue, almost poinsettia-like flowers and a double strand of pearls.

“Makes ’em Hustle”  probably means the stove is so good and sales are brisk, making the salesmen hustle, or meaning the competition is hustling to try to come up with something just as good. Below, a September 1892 ad in The Huntington Democrat:

P. D. Beckwith was Philo D. Beckwith (1825 – 1889). See Find A Grave’s entry for detailed information, and for a better image of the Round Oak stove.

As for our trade card, it was distributed by Ramsay, Lerdall & Guldermann. The following announcement appeared in the Wisconsin State Journal, May 30, 1888:

Full names per the above, DeWitt Ramsay, Herman T. Lerdall and Jacob Guldermann, The hardware store was located on the corner of Main and Carroll streets, in Madison. By January 14, 1895, Guldermann had left the firm, according to a quick mention of an architect working above the Ramsay & Lerdall store. Ramsay then sold out in March 1899, per the article below:

Sources:  “The Round Oak Stove.”  The Huntington Democrat (Huntington, Indiana). September 29, 1892. Thursday, p. 2. (Newspapers.com).

Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/15327221/philo-d-beckwith: accessed 19 November 2023), memorial page for Philo D Beckwith (6 Mar 1825–10 Jan 1889), Find a Grave Memorial ID 15327221, citing Oak Hill Cemetery, Battle Creek, Calhoun County, Michigan, USA; Maintained by Gerrie (contributor 46794434).

“A New Firm.”  Wisconsin State Journal (Madison, Wisconsin). May 30, 1888. Wednesday, p. 4. (Newspapers.com).

“Another Architect,”  Baraboo News Republic. (Baraboo, Wisconsin). January 14, 1895. Monday, p. 4.(Newspapers.com).

“Ramsay Store Sold.”  Wisconsin State Journal (Madison, Wisconsin). March 23, 1899. Thursday, p. 1. (Newspapers.com).

Another Unusual House

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Divided Back, Real Photo Postcard. Circa 1910’s – 1930’s. 

Price:  $12.00

The overexposure in this one makes it easy to miss at first, but there’s a chimney in our top right-hand view. (Click twice to enlarge.) And see how oddly it’s placed, cutting into the second-story roof eave? Probably the second floor and porch were later additions, right? Not that that would be unusual; it’s just the strangeness of how and where the chimney and roof intersect that gets us. (Maybe other examples are out there online but I didn’t see any). Then specifically it’s that very small overexposed bit (where the edge of the porch roof and chimney corner intersect) that tricks the eye so that the top portion of the chimney looks like it can’t meet with the lower portion (a fun-house-Alice-In-Wonderland-Dr. Seuss effect) or as if the chimney starts on the second floor. (Really not!) What’s the home style? Definitely there’s a Craftsman element from those deep eaves and exposed rafters and I’m not sure if this is considered Arts and Crafts but how about the charming wooden railings and those “rays of sun” extending up under the porch roof on the sides? Really, thumbs up on on the whole porch design. (The mind wanders….picturing the homeowners, admirers of Craftsman-style homes happily making requests of the builder……)