I am starting to get an organization system going for all of Madeline's little paper collectibles. I set up a hanging file system to get me started on sorting it all. I pulled a few items out of the "Memories" folder for today's posting.
I thought this little book was fun to look at with the types of drinks people ordered back in the late 30's and especially the prices! Here is a pic of the Hotel Kenmore in it's heyday:
Hotel Kenmore has been described as: "One of Boston's newest and finest hotels; 400 large luxurious rooms all with bath, circulating ice water, radio & emergency sound system for guests' safety; 10 air-conditioned public rooms". Located on Commonwealth Avenue at Kenmore Square, the hotel is home to the famous "Mural Lounge" and "Sportsman's Bar & Grill"; rendezvous of celebrities from the radio and sports world. (William T. Bigler, General Manager - Boston, Massachusetts, 1940's.)
These are some of the many matchbooks Madeline collected. Did you know that phillumeny is the hobby of collecting matchbook covers? Collectors are called phillumenists. Have to say I did not know that fact! One thing I learned in my research about collecting matchbooks in the 30's and 40's is that many of the most collectible ones are sports related. The Diamond Match Company of New York put out several series of sports related matchbooks over the years. A black and white photo of the player was on front with a short write-up and stats on back. The player's name and team was also printed on the 'saddle'. You will notice that one of the matchbooks above lists the Boston Bruins schedule on the inside, with an ad for the Union Oyster House restaurant on the cover. It states "compliments of" the Union Oyster House so we can assume Madeline picked it up at the restaurant.
