Vernacular Travel Photo

Vernacular Travel Photo (Museum of Natural History, NYC March, 1971)
Collection Jim Linderman Dull Tool Dim Bulb

The Human Living Whirligig

The Human Living Whirligig of Norwich, CT is presented by the Smith Wood Working Co. in 1957.  I checked...the float didn't win first prize.
Original Snapshot collection Dull Tool Dim Bulb

Miniature Folk art Carnival Spinning Wheel Gambling Antique Toy

An antique miniature carnival spinning wheel / gambling toy only 9 inches tall.  Primitive and handmade construction, but interestingly the wheel is covered with paper printed numbers.  The thin paper was applied to the wheel before small nails were pounded in. There is a "catch" cog, so the wheel works and clicks like a real one. I am guessing this was part of a very old "commercially" available toy set?  Think tramp art with old lithograph paper.  The old patina is real.  Maybe a novelty prize item from a very early carnival gaming booth?  
Late 19th, Early 20th century made by hand spinning wheel 9" tall, 3" wide.  
Collection Dull Tool Dim Bulb

Folk Art Mickey and Minnie Mouse Handmade Cartoon Characters

 
Folk Art Mickey and Minnie Mouse Handmade Cartoon Characters circa 1950.  Collection Dull Tool Dim Bulb the Blog.  Books and Ebooks by the author available HERE

Early Adopter John Willis and his Electric Bungalow

Two miles from where George Washington crossed the Delaware, on a tiny island where he had been living some thirty years, electric wizard Jim Willis rigged his modest bungalow with 100 dry cells of electricity.  He also tapped into the nearby trolley line for another 600 volts.  There were over 150 electrical connections which animated the place from top to bottom. In 1912, the Popular Electricity and World's Advance described the wonder thus:  "…when all the switches are closed, it is almost impossible to move a muscle or touch a thing without receiving a shock or turning on the lights or  ringing an alarm bell.  If you pick up a book, a pipe, or lift the lid of his tobacco jar, you start an alarm.  You can't even take a pin from his pin cushion, or a toothpick from its holder, nor can you even turn the water into the lavatory without the same result."  Willis also created an electric clock out of an empty tomato can which would automatically draw the shades when the lights came on! 

He welcomed visitors and averaged a few thousand a year.  If anyone attempted to swipe something, a gong alarm would sound.

Willis' Electric Bungalow Willis Island on the Delaware.  Real Photo Postcard c. 1912 Collection Dull Tool Dim Bulb.
Preview or order Books and Ebooks by Jim Linderman HERE.