Wednesday, June 4, 2014

Brighten your summer with vacation specials from Lit Brothers

This is the cover of an eight-page, fold-out brochure that is advertising the "Vacation Specials" of Lit Brothers, a Philadelphia department store that was in business from 1891 through 1977.

The brochure is undated; I'm guessing that it's from the 1920s.

Lit Brothers was, according to Wikipedia, a moderately priced store that "positioned itself well as a more affordable alternate to competitors, Strawbridge and Clothier, Wanamaker's, and Gimbels."

The brochure's pitch to potential customers starts like this:
"Your Vacation will yield additional pleasure if you go properly prepared. The articles in this folder are merely suggestive of the huge stock of vacation necessities that are now ready for you approval, and the abnormally low prices make it advisable to buy now. Act promptly. These articles go on sale immediately. To avoid disappointment, we suggest that our customers should select whatever they may need at the earliest possible moment."


Here are some of the sale items and their prices:
  • Brownie Camera No. 2A, $3.50 (this camera was produced from 1907 through 1936)
  • Auto lunch kit, "for automobile parties, and vacation trips by train, boat or trolley," $11.98
  • Genuine cowhide traveling bag, $4.98
  • Genuine cowhide suitcase, $6.98
  • Attractive wash skirt, "gabardine or surf satin of splendid quality," $4.98
  • Child's wool sweater, $1.98
  • Man's pull-over sweater, $9.49
  • Man's life guard bathing suit, with Navy "Cherry Valley" pants and Web belt, $1.79

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