Aren't these two so cute?
Printed on thick double sided cardstock and sitting on a gourd shaped brass stand, a couple is dancing endlessly. A swatch of fabric is gathered to make her skirt 3-D and whether or not she knows how big her bottom half looks...
This is the sorta thing that I can imagine being in most peoples homes, at least homes with romantic young ladies.
That said, I have yet to find anything about our cardboard couple & since there aren't any markings or writing on either side, it was a frustrating search.
Based on her Marcel Wave...& his tuxedo with the spats and the white gloves I'm going with late teens/early 20's.
The other thing that stumped me was I'm not sure exactly how fast they were supposed to be dancing, from the front they look ready to Waltz all night, but when you flip it over...
She looks like she's ready to call it a night. That or she's tired of his wandering gaze? What exactly is he looking at?
So I experimented. First up, was a 78 RPM single of Judy Garland singing "Somewhere Over The Rainbow". Which, I know that song wasn't produced or even sung until decades later, but the speed of 78 RPM (rotations per minute) was the standard speed until the 1950's, so this would've been the speed they'd be dancing to.
After World War II, technology had improved and the 33 1/2 Long Play (LP) record came about. The 33 1/2 RPM spun slower so I picked "This is Tommy Dorsey and his Clambake Seven". I shit you not. Mr. Dorsey thought that was a good title to put on a record for all the world to see. Haha
The song is "Sailing at Midnight" sung by Leslie Burke.
So in short, I should have picked a better mix of songs,
but that said, which do you like better?
omg!! this is hands down the best vintage thing i've seen in while! and that coming from a gal who's looking at old shit. a lot.
ReplyDeleteit's really funny you posted this, as i've been getting into record collecting more lately and getting a few new 78s. what type of record player do you have? my portable one paradoxically plays 78s and 45s but for some reason the 33rpm setting is fucked.
but again - best.thing.EVER. it almost reminds me of magnet figurines from jewelry music boxes i used to see as a kid, only a million times cooler.
it's kinda weird the 33rpm works better for them, but maybe they were best observed on a hand cranked gramophone? ok that doesn't make sense but it creates a nice mental image for me.
Oh Sandra, you're awesome! Thank you so much! I have a Crosley 5 in 1 beast, which is great & it even looks vintage. Collecting records is a dangerous thing...once someone finds out, you'll be "given" all their cast offs...lol. I see the jewelry box dancers in this, now that you mention it, good eye!
DeleteHaha it's all for the mental image of playing records on hand cranked gramophone!
So glad you are back!