Seattle Portmanteau Blog

Seattle Portmanteau Blog: Journeys to the intersection of Now and Then

The Billboard

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The Billboard, June 25, 1938.

One of my favorite historical resources is the microfilm of the classic showbiz publication, The Billboard, available on Level Six of the Central Branch of The Seattle Public Library.

The Billboard, connecting theatrical professionals since 1896.

The Billboard, connecting theatrical professionals since 1896.

Modern readers know it as Billboard, a weekly publication covering the music industry, but the publication began its long history in 1896 under the title “Billboard Advertising: A Monthly Resume of all that is new, bright and interesting on the boards.” Monthly publication quickly became weekly as all varieties of theatrical professionals adopted The Billboard as their connection with the entertainment industry and with one another.

One useful service provided by The Billboard was the Letters List, a mail clearing house for performers on the road with plays, carnivals, vaudeville, the circus, or any other theatrical activity. This was the email service of its day: performers who were not in any one town long enough to receive mail could give their address as “care of The Billboard,” and have accumulated letters sent to them in bulk.

The Billboard's Obituary Column -- The Rest Is Silence.

The Billboard’s Obituary Column — The Rest Is Silence.

Another service offered by The Billboard was an obituary column, appropriately titled “The Final Curtain.” By the late 1930s, other regular features included The Broadway Beat, Burlesque Notes, Carnivals, Circus and Corral [rodeo], Fairs-Expositions, Magic, Minstrelsy, Motion Picture News, Music, Night Clubs-Vaudeville, Orchestra Notes, Parks-Pools, Radio, Repertory-Tent Shows, and Rinks-Skaters. The Billboard also printed routes that various shows followed as they toured.

The Billboard came to my attention about 15 years ago, when I was researching dance marathons in Washington state for HistoryLink.org. The Billboard’s dance marathon column, Endurance Shows, aggregated news from months-long endurance contests held across the country, and covered the mounting frustration with dance marathon abuses that resulted in many states, including Washington, eventually banning the grueling competitions.

Dance Marathon Contests were exceedingly grueling. Courtesy Library of Congress.

Dance Marathon Contests were exceedingly grueling. Courtesy Library of Congress.

The Billboard's dance marathon coverage, June 25, 1938.

The Billboard’s dance marathon coverage, June 25, 1938.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Like any magazine, The Billboard relied upon advertising revenue, and their classified section is a wonder and delight. This is the place you looked if you wanted to purchase rolls of tickets, paste mixing contraptions to help your advance man paste up towns with “Coming Soon” posters, cotton candy or popcorn machines, a Ferris wheel, lions, tigers, elephants, or performing monkeys.

Popcorn for the masses, The Billboard, 1938.

Popcorn for the masses, The Billboard, 1938.

Balloons for sale, The Billboard, 1938.

Balloons for sale, The Billboard, 1938.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Trained ponies, anyone? The Billboard, 1938.

Trained ponies, anyone? The Billboard, 1938.

 

Snakes for sale, The Billboard, 1938.

Snakes for sale, The Billboard, 1938.

 

...or a lion? The Billboard, 1938.

…or a lion? The Billboard, 1938.

 

You could hire high-wire performers via The Billboard, or advertise your services as a psychic, side show performer, or alligator wrestler. If you needed a canvas big top, new or second hand, The Billboard was the place to find it.

Available acts, The Billboard, 1938.

Available acts, The Billboard, 1938.

 

Psychics Princess Ivonne and her daughter Baby advertised in The Billboard for many years. 1938.

Psychics Princess Ivonne and her daughter Baby advertised in The Billboard for many years. 1938.

 

Two acts in one! The Billboard, 1938.

Two acts in one! The Billboard, 1938.

Own the Big Top. The Billboard, 1938.

Own the Big Top. The Billboard, 1938.

 

Some classic back issues have been digitized and are available on the magazine’s website. Others are available via the Fulton History website. For leisurely browsing, however, nothing beats scrolling through the microfilm.

The Billboard on microfilm, The Seattle Public Library.

The Billboard on microfilm, The Seattle Public Library.

 

February 11, 2016

 

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Thomsen Chapel at St. Mark’s Episcopal Cathedral

Thomsen Chapel, St. Mark's Episcopal Cathedral, Seattle

Thomsen Chapel, St. Mark’s Episcopal Cathedral, Seattle

Church and chapel interiors often express remarkable temporal continuity. They are lovingly maintained by devoted members of an alter guild, dusted and polished but seldom significantly altered. This makes these spaces — sacred on many levels — significant places to feel the presence of the past.

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King County Land Use Survey Photographs

Northwest corner of Roosevelt Way NE and NE 64th Street, ca. 1938

Northeast corner of Roosevelt Way NE and NE 64th Street, ca. 1938. Courtesy Puget Sound Regional Archives.

Of all Seattle’s rich historical resources, my favorite might be the King County Land Use Survey photograph collection. These images document every structure standing in King County in the late 1930s, and many built subsequently.

King County Land Use Survey photographer captures a house's image, ca. 1938.

King County Land Use Survey photographer captures a house’s image, ca. 1938. Courtesy King County Archives.

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Seattle Public Library Menu Collection

The Daily Crackers menu (Olympia), courtesy The Seattle Public Library

The Daily Crackers menu (Olympia), courtesy The Seattle Public Library

Historic restaurant menus are a road leading to the past. What could one order, say, at Drake’s Restaurant in Seattle on March 11, 1910? Seattle Public Library’s historic menu collection lets us peak over the long-ago waitress’s starched shoulder: Baked ox heart and dressing? That will be 15-cents.

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Panama Hotel Tea and Coffee

Panama Hotel Tea and Coffee, Seattle

Panama Hotel Tea and Coffee, Seattle

Panama Hotel
605 ½ S. Main Street, Seattle

I often wish for a worm hole between my house and the Panama Hotel Tea & Coffee House in Seattle’s International District. It’s pretty much the perfect third place: well-lit, calm, music played low enough not to be distracting. Tables are scattered throughout the two-story space. This means there are plenty of cozy corners that feel perfect for visiting or for working on something.

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Piano Music From The Past

 

Sheet music, circa 1900

Sheet music, circa 1900

I am constantly amazed by the Internet’s capacity to function as a sort of flying carpet to the past. Anyone who has tumbled down the rabbit hole of discovery using a subscription database like Ancestry.com knows this thrill. A few years ago, The Seattle Public Library Foundation helped the library cover the cost of a subscription to the Seattle Times Historical Archives database. This means that anyone with a Seattle Public Library card can dive into Seattle’s past 24/7, from home, wearing pajamas if they want to.

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Prosch House

621 9th Avenue, Seattle

621 9th Avenue, Seattle, Courtesy King County Tax Assessor

The continued existence of the house at 621 9th Avenue is surprising, considering its First Hill location. Tall buildings loom near the capacious dwelling, which is set back from 9th Avenue on the steep corner of Cherry Street. The house dates from about 1900, and surely holds many stories. I’ve never been inside, but I imagine that the view of Elliott Bay from the third floor is breathtaking.

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