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1905 · réf. 56908 — Chicago IL: American Woolen Mills Co. 1905. Thick elephant folio 17.5 x 21.5 x 3.25 in. 58 pp. printed on thick card stock each mounted on linen hinge. With 6 black & white fashion plates illustrating suit styles of the period with 380 of 400 -- many marked in pencil “O.S.” or Out-of-Stock mounted textile samples in wool wool-silk blends -- all samples clearly marked with prices and availability numerous text illustrations decorative borders printed in colour many showing bucolic scenes of sheep pastures and winter frolics. Black & blue cloth Arts & Crafts gilt lettering & ornament on front cover expertly rebacked and back cover renewed dustsoiling and occasional soiling to some leaves some samples w/ predation and minor loss dampstaining to gutter margin of last few leaves minor loss & damage to last couple leaves still a good copy. First edition of this scarce Progressive-era salesman sample catalogue for Winter season men’s suits overcoats and evening wear. The American Woolen Mills Company also known as the “Progressive Tailors”maintained a huge tailoring operation in Chicago at Union & Washington until the Great Depression employing hundreds of tailors and seamstresses to fill orders. Unlike J.L. Taylor Royal Tailors and many of the other tailoring houses of the period the American Woolen Mills targeted the average white collar clerk or American immigrant salesman and merchant trying to look professional and offered $ 15.00 high class made to measure suits. These catalogues were very expensive to produce and were often issued with minimal company brand names allowing their sales force to target small shops mercantiles and general stores which would have these catalogues on the sales floor for several years. Sales people were directed to simply clip the corners of samples for out-of-stock and discontinued fabrics but they often chose to remove the entire sample in order to not distract potential customers. The catalogue offers invaluable illustrated historical reference for the colours styles and fabrics during the era of Teddy Roosevelt and the Anti-Trust policies even referring to these in their sales pitch by claiming that unlike Trusts which “by combining saves numerous expenses and sticks ALL the savings in its own pocket. . . there is no Trust in the tailoring trade.” They further claim that they remove all middlemen procure woolens directly from the weavers and by avoiding wastes of all kinds that AWM CO. lowers their prices and “it is a public benefit.” The textiles here focus on darker shades and very muted colours along with durable thick fabrics while marketing their double-breasted sacks 3-button frock coats 2-button single breasted suits assorted overcoats and more. No copies in Worldcat; See: Swell Nifty Suit Free! The Household Journal Vols. V No. 8 August 1912 p. 6; Machinists’ Monthly Journal Vol. XVII No. 3 March 1905 p. 282. American Woolen Mills Co., hardcover