1913 Quelques Fleurs Perfume Advertisement

18-year-old Helena Muffly wrote exactly 100 years ago today:

Sunday, June 22, 1913: Went to Sunday School this afternoon.

QUELQUES FLEURS

New Perfume HOUBIGANT

Abroad, the odor of the hour

Sample Bottle will delight you–25¢

Park & Tilford, 225 Fifth Ave., New York

“CAPTIVATED PARIS IN A DAY”

Source: Ladies Home Journal (October, 1913)

Her middle-aged granddaughter’s comments 100 years later:

When I was young I used to put a little perfume on before going to church. (You never knew where you might see a cute guy who would appreciate perfume.)

Did Grandma also spritz on a little perfume before going to Sunday School?

This is what Wikipedia says about Quelques Fleurs perfume:

In 1912, the Houbigant presented Quelques Fleurs, the first true multi-floral bouquet ever created. Up to that time, floral fragrances had been mostly single flowers or were blended with herbs and other essences. The Genealogy of Perfumes cites Quelques Fleurs as a landmark innovation that established a totally new fragrance classification and influenced other compositions for years afterwards including many of today’s important fragrances.

Old Washington DC Excursion Train Ad

18-year-old Helena Muffly wrote exactly 100 years ago today:

Tuesday, June 10, 1913: Nothing much doing.

Source: Watsontown Record and Star (May 1, 1914)

$3.00 LOW RATE

Sunday Excursion

Washington

Sunday, May 3

A Rare Chance to Visit the National Capital

SPECIAL TRAIN LEAVES

Williamsport . . . 12:01 A.M.

Market Street. . . 12:05 A.M.

Muncy . . . 12:30 A.M.

Montgomery. . . 12: 38 A.M.

Dewart. . . 12:47 A.M.

Watsontown . . . 12:52 A.M.

Milton. . . 1:02 A.M.

Returning, Special Train will leave Washington. . . 5:40 P.M.

The Trip of a life-time. An education as well as a delight. An opportunity to see “The Heart of the Nation,” a city of magnificent distances, unlike any other city in the country.

An Ideal Sunday Outing

See the New National Museum, Library of Congress, Capitol Building, Concoran Art Gallery, and the varied sights of Washington, “The City Beautiful.”

Her middle-aged granddaughter’s comments 100 years later:

Grandma’s sister Ruth left the previous day for a week-long trip to Washington DC.

Today the 200 mile drive from McEwensville to Washington DC takes at least 3 1/2 hours. I have no idea how low the train ride was a hundred years ago.

It is not what Ruth did, but I was surprised to discover that back then there were one-day excursion trips to DC from central Pennsylvania. The train left Williamsport right after midnight—and picked up people in several nearby towns and then raced to DC. The route would be reversed in the evening.

Imagine the excitement of catching a train in the middle of the night—and pulling into Union Station at dawn. . . and seeing the capitol outlined in the early morning sunlight.

Dang—I almost put myself into the story—and was ready to book a seat on the next excursion train; then I remembered that it was 2013.

1913 L.L. Olds Seed Company Advertisement

18-year-old Helena Muffly wrote exactly 100 years ago today:

Saturday, May 31, 1913: What I did today was far from being romantic. I had to help plant taters this afternoon.

25 Years’

Potato Experience

For a quarter of a century I have made a specialty of growing and handling Choice Seed Potatoes, testing all the leading varieties, retaining and improving the best. This year’s list is the cream.

My 26th Annual Seed Book

should be in the hands of every progressive farmer and gardener. It contains 54 pages crowded full of valuable information. The best in Seed Potatoes, Field and Garden Seeds of all kinds. Write postal today.

L.L. OLDS, President

L.L. Olds Seed Co., Drawer C, Madison, Wis.

Her middle-aged granddaughter’s comments 100 years later:

Grandma did you dream about doing romantic things? Hmm. . . I guess that’s for another day. In the meantime, the farm work needed to be done.

—

I’m not sure whether the Muffly’s raised potatoes to sell . . or if they just raised them for family use. Either way, they would have planted lots of potatoes. A hundred years ago potatoes were one of the main staples that people ate during the long winter months.

Previous posts about potatoes include:

Planting Potatoes

Harvesting Potatoes

Old-fashioned Fried Potatoes

Old-fashioned Potato Cakes

Women as Farm Workers

18-year-old Helena Muffly wrote exactly 100 years ago today:

Monday, May 26, 1913: I haven’t got much to write about for today. At present I feel extremely sleepy.

Her middle-aged granddaughter’s comments 100 years later:

Was Grandma so tired because she’d worked very hard on the farm all day?

Here’s an advertisement for a Philadelphia newspaper which appeared in the May 28, 1913 issue of the Milton Evening Standard that I thought you might enjoy.

Women as Farm Workers

<<picture>>

One Result of the Labor Shortage in Pennsylvania

All of the farm, crop and market news of Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware—what progressive farmers are doing.

Every day of the week, as well as on Friday, the PUBLIC LEDGER prints much of special interest to farmers, as well as all the news, local, foreign and domestic, tersely and interestingly told.

FRIDAY’S AGRICULTURAL SECTION

Present Condition of Garden Crops in the territory that feeds Philadelphia

Poultry-Meat Farming vs. Egg Raising by Michael K. Boyer

Making Alfalfa Pay in the East by D.C. Kauffmann of York

Read the PUBLIC LEDGER regularly. By carrier, daily and Sunday, 17 center a week.

By mail, outside of Philadelphia, daily, 50 cents a month, daily and Sunday, 75 cents a month.

PUBLIC LEDGER

News Agents for Milton, Pa.

W.A. REED    B. GALBRAITH

J. BUOY    A.H. KREBS

Independence Square   Public Ledger Company

Philadelphia               Cyrus H.K. Curtis, President

The Public Ledger was a Philadelphia newspaper which apparently hoped to expand its market into rural central Pennsylvania by including agricultural news.

Apparently it was controversial that women helped on their family farms—and articles which addressed these types of issues were seen as selling points for the paper.

1913 Harley-Davidson Motorcycle Advertisement

18-year-old Helena Muffly wrote exactly 100 years ago today:

Friday, May 16, 1913: Doing nothing of any account.

Why The Motorcycle Keeps Boys on the Farm

Don’t expect your boy to be happy on the farm if the summer season brings only work. When the day’s works is over don’t tell him, the horses are too tired for road work, because it is this tying to the farm, this inability to join his chums in their pastimes or to seek his own pleasures that often makes farm life distasteful to him. Get him a

HARLEY-DAVIDSON

It will let down the bars and take him where he wishes in a fraction of the time he would use by team. It will open up a thousand and one pleasures heretofore denied him. You will find he will return at bed time, happy, contented and satisfied with his lot in life. But when you buy him a motorcycle, be sure that you obtain one that is economical, reliable and durable. Buy him a Harley-Davidson, because

It is the Most Economical

The Harley-Davidson holds the world’s official record for economy.

It is the Most Reliable

The Harley-Davidson is the only machine which has ever been awarded a diamond medal and a thousand plus five score in an endurance contest. The plus five was for its super-excellent performance. These awards were made by the National Federation of American Motorcycles.

It is the Most Durable

The first Harley-Davidson made, over eleven years ago, has covered now over one hundred thousand miles and is still giving satisfaction and today retains even its original bearings.

Seven departments of the U.S. Government use a total of nearly 4000 of these machines.

Over 3000 R.F. D. Carriers daily cover their routes on a Harley-Davidson, a fitting tribute to the reliability of this machine.

Call on our nearest dealer for demonstration or write for catalog.

Harley-Davidson Motor Company

PRODUCERS OF HIGH GRADE MOTORCYCLES FOR OVER ELEVEN YEARS

776 A Street MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN

Her middle-aged granddaughter’s comments 100 years later:

Grandma wrote little, but probably was working very hard.—doing housecleaning, cooking, farm chores, etc.

The sons of farmers also worked hard—and this June 15, 1913 advertisement in Kimball’s Dairy Farmer magazine played on the fear that they might leave the farm for the city.

You also might enjoy these previous posts that contained other ads that played on similar fears.

Old Billard Table Advertisement

1913 Victor-Victrola Advertisement

Lysol Advertising, 1913 and 2013

18-year-old Helena Muffly wrote exactly 100 years ago today:

Wednesday, May 14, 1913: Nothing much doing, but the doing of rubbing, scrubbing, etc.

Her middle-aged granddaughter’s comments 100 years later:

The previous day Grandma wrote that she hoped to finish washing the kitchen ceiling “by tomorrow.” Hopefully she finished washing the kitchen ceiling and moved on to other tasks.

Did Grandma use Lysol? It’s amazing that it’s been around for more than 100 years.

The Way to get Real Lysol is to buy it in one of these three packages—never in bulk

By merely insisting on these original sealed bottles, you are sure of getting the real antiseptic and germicide, Lysol, itself.

Your physician will tell you it is important to get real Lysol, because imitations sold as Lysol and for Lysol, but which are not Lysol, may be crudely made, uncertain and unsafe in action, even positively dangerous—you can’t tell. But you can tell this—Only Lysol itself has the unique antiseptic, disinfectant and germicidal quality that have made it the standard product for over 20 years.

Three Sizes

25¢, 50¢, $.100

Sold by druggists everywhere

Look for Signature of LEHN & FINK on the Label

The value of the genuine Lysol is proved by its use as an antiseptic and disinfectant in practically every hospital in America. Nothing so completely destroys disease-germs, prevents infections, removes odors and makes the whole house sweet and clean. Your druggist has Lysol in original bottles (with full directions) which protect you against substitution and make Lysol’s use easy and convenient.

Write for Interesting Lysol Booklet

Full of helpful hints and listing the many uses of Lysol in the home.

Address

LEHN & FINK

Manufacturing Chemists

103 William Street, New York

The small words in the logo underneath Lysol say “better than carbolic acid.”

2013 Lysol Website

I compared the information on the current Lysol website with the hundred-year-old ad. Some of the ad lingo is similar—and some different. The website headlines say:

Lysol—kills 99.9% of bacteria

Introducing Healthing

Cleaning is hoping you’re killing germs, Healthing is knowing it. Stop just CLEANING. Start HEALTHING.

SPRING INTO ACTION. SPRING INTO HEALTH.

Old Postcard from a Piano Store

18-year-old Helena Muffly wrote exactly 100 years ago today:

Saturday, March 29, 1913: Ma and I went to Milton this morning. The chief object of which was the buying of me a graduation dress. It is a plain white batiste to be trimmed with lace insertion and edging. I got some other things besides. Ma bought a piano. I’m so glad for now I can learn to play.

Caption: Patience Personified

I recently visited the Roller Mills Antique Center in Lewisburg and found this old post card that advertised a piano store in Milton. Did Grandma and her mother buy their piano from C.A. Bennage?

Her middle-aged granddaughter’s comments 100 years later:

What a fun shopping trip!—It’s amazing that Grandma and her mother bought BOTH a graduation dress and a piano on the same trip.

A piano is a major purchase. In this era before women’s rights, I’m surprised that Grandma’s mother was able to make a purchase of this size without her husband coming along. Even today, I think that both spouses would generally be actively involved in making a purchase of this size.