Sunflowers, Union Made

Nothing says summer quite like sunflowers. These may not be depicted in their natural colors, but they do, nevertheless, suggest the rays of the summer sun, reflected in and symbolized by the sun-like shapes of the sunflower blossoms, and, frankly, by the waving stalks of grass, which also resemble tongues of flame streaming out from the sun's corona.

One can only surmise that this tie (like the Burro, Sombrero and Hay Wagon set) may have come in a variety of color combinations, the others of which we can only imagine.

This tie has a seller's label which reads:

Bishop's
Salem, Ore.

On the reverse of the label is another label, loosely stitched to it, which reads at the bottom:

UNION MADE NECKWEAR.

There is a union symbol, and more wording at the top, which is too faded to make out. I provide a close-up of the label here, for anyone who might be able to read more of it than I can.

Tropical Island

Well, this weekend we've been hit hard here with the same heat wave that has been hitting much of the rest of the country recently. It's been over 100º Fahrenheit the past couple of days, much too warm, especially when your abode lacks air conditioning, as ours does.

So, I thought another tie with a summer theme would certainly be in order. I don't suppose that a palm tree necessarily signifies summer, but one generally thinks of the tropics and warm weather when you see one.

According to the apparently hand-painted label on the reverse of the wide end of the tie, this tie is "INDIVIDUALLY HAND PAINTED." The paint was encrusted with glitter at one time, but much of it has vanished over the years, leaving mere remnants behind. The tie's single label reads the same as last week's tie:

Fashion Craft
Cravats

Summer Flowers

Actually, I don't know if these are summer flowers or not. Maybe they're spring or autumn flowers! But they somehow look like summer to me.

What kind of flowers are they? Maybe poppies? I don't know. Any flower experts out there are free to voice their views.

I've had this tie for many years. I'm fairly sure I collected it back during my college days, or shortly thereafter. In the 1970's, in other words. I probably found it at St. Vincent de Paul in Walla Walla, Washington. And I'm sure I paid less than $5.00. Maybe only $1 or $2.

The manufacturer's label reads simply (like at least one other of my posted specimens):

Fasion Craft
Cravats

On the reverse of the label it reads:

Resilient Construction.

This tie definitely shows its age, with signs of wear, and one serious stain, right above the first flower. Still, it makes a bold statement, colorful and bright.

Floral Paisley on Brown

There's not much really to say about this tie. It has no labels, unfortunately, and I don't remember exactly when or where I obtained it. I'm thinking it was a junk store find, relatively recent, i.e. within the past several years.

It's paisley on brown. The paisley's themselves have a vaguely floral filler, with leaf-like appendages that give the impression of a swimming creature such as a paramecium. I don't know how well they'll show up on the scanned screen image, but in between the paisley designs are a filler of black lines comprising a mass of connected small irregular shapes somewhat resembling bones.

This is the last of the prominently paisley designs from my vintage tie collection. I won't swear that there is nothing else paisley lurking in my closet, in fact, I have an entire tie rack of more modern paisley designs, but for the vintage ties, this is pretty much it. So let's review: here's a list (with links) of the paisley designs presented thus far:

Dad's Red and Blue Paisley--January 8, 2006
Paisley Arches--June 4, 2006
Green and Tan Paisley on Brown--June 11, 2006
Pseudo-Meta-Paisley from Hawaii--July 2, 2006

and now:

Floral Paisley on Brown

Pseudo-Meta-Paisley from Hawaii

Continuing a kind of theme (a pseudo theme, perhaps?) from last week, I present another tie with a Hawaiian connection. The seller's label on this tie reads:

Popular Clo. Co. Ltd.
Honolulu, T.H.

Of course, this is a seller label, not a manufacturer label, so the connection with Hawaii is somewhat tenuous. That is, the design of the tie has no apparent Hawaiian connection, unlike last week's tie. But this tie, at least, can be presumed to have BEEN in Hawaii, while a tie whose design is intended to LOOK Hawaiian, need never have actually been near the place physically.

So which form of Hawaiian-ness is the more authentic? I'll leave that decision for the existentialists or ontologists among you

T.H., one presumes, stands for Territory of Hawaii. Since this is presumed to be a 1940's era tie, Hawaii was not yet a state at the time of its original sale. Statehood for Hawaii would not come until 1959, 7 months after Alaska's statehood, but 47 years after the next most recent state to attain that rank, Arizona, which became a state in 1912.

Now, back to the tie itself. What are those grayish shapes scattered about? Are they paisleys? Depends on how you define the term, I suppose, but they most I'd give you is that they are paisley-shaped. Here are a couple of definitions of paisley that I like:

Paisley is a droplet-shaped vegetal motif, similar to half of the T'ai Chi symbol, the Indian bodhi tree leaf, or the mango tree. The design originated in India . . .

An oriental pattern motif which is shaped like a teardrop, rounded at one end with a curving point at the other. Generally the inside of the teardrop shape contains many abstract designs, many of Indian or oriental origin.

Based on these definitions, I'd have to say that the grayish shapes on this tie are teardrop shaped, not paisleys.

Now, however, consider the larger shapes, with their white backgrounds, inside of which the grayish teardrop shapes find themselves, surrounded by red blobules. These larger shapes, perhaps, meet the definition of paisley. They too, are teardrop shaped, and they are filled with abstract designs, though whether of an Indian or oriental origin could be debated.

So, might I be justified in describing the pattern on this tie as pseudo-meta-paisley? Maybe, at least if I keep my tongue tucked firmly in cheek.