You Sears Catalog hoarders, got one from 1920-1935?

David Conwill · Feb 3, 2009

My wife and I are looking for home decor ideas from the 1920s and first half of the '30s. Unfortunately, the only thing one finds on the internet is "Arts & Crafts" or "Bungalow" style, with a smattering of Art Deco/Streamline Moderne. Nice styles, to be sure, but we're interested in the more middle-of-the-road styles from that era, and I was thinking the Sears catalogs would have some nice representations of mainstream furniture and fixtures from the era. So if you've got a catalog, a scanner, and some time, could I persuade you to post up some catalog pages here for our inspiration?

Thanks,

Dave

Lady Day · Feb 3, 2009

I have a Montgomery Wards '35

LD

David Conwill · Feb 3, 2009

Lady Day said:
I have a Montgomery Wards '35

LD

I've never seen a Montgomery Wards catalog. I'd be very interested in seeing it, if you've got a scanner and some free time.

-Dave

texasgirl · Feb 3, 2009

1933 Spiegel Christmas Catalog

vitanola · Feb 3, 2009

I have Sears and Montgomery Wards catalogs for most seasons of the 1920's, but must get a new scanner.

Borax furniture (that vaguely Early English/Seventeenth Century Spanish/Splayed-leg colonial hybrid) would be appropriate and homelike. Furniture in this style is also pretty cheap. Colonial Revival would also work well, and appropriate furnishings are easily available.

1926,

1923, rather high style, though!

1925, upper middle class,

1909, Elsie DeWolfe

1926

1918 dining room, in the colonial style. Almost any of the cheap, easily available 1940's and 1950's Duncan Pfyfe dining sets would take on an appropriate period look in this room.

1927 "Colonial" dining room, with cheap Sears dining set. These dining sets are readily available at many antique shops. a carefully chosen mis-match between the set of (matching) chairs, table and sideboard can heighten the period effect of this room.

High style breakfast room of 1919, with period Hepplewhite painted furniture. This effect can be inexpesively recreated using any number of 1930's-1950's dining sets in this general style. If the finish is bad, or the chairs mishmatched, enamel them in ivory, dark green, black or even Chinese red, and highlight them sparingly with gold. The impact of the brighter colors can be softened by wiping the painted furniture down with a dark oil stain, and then shellacking.

19012 dining room, mismatched oak.

vitanola · Feb 3, 2009

1928 "ideal kitchen", designed by Dr. Lillian Moeller Gilbreth, the famous time study expert:

1934 kitchen form "The Little House" a demonstration home erected in New York City.:

The house:

Upper middle class living rooms, at the turn of the 1930's. Note the prevailence of the "colonial" influence:

vitanola · Feb 3, 2009

More period living rooms, form a 1929 RCA radio catalog:

Atwater Kent room settings, 1928:

vitanola · Feb 3, 2009

A couple of very modest room settings, dating to the mid-1930's, that few would care to try to duplicate:

And a very prosperous setting, complete with spoiled child:

1916 lower middle class:

1912 middle class kitchen, with luxury accessory!:

Luvub

Lady Day · Feb 3, 2009

LD

Lady Day · Feb 3, 2009

LD

Lady Day · Feb 3, 2009

LD

imoldfashioned · Feb 5, 2009

What a great thread! Reminds me of how much I want a nice Hoosier cabinet (and I'd fight that privileged kid for his pedal car--so nice!).

vitanola · Feb 5, 2009

Note the shape of the radiator shell on the pedal car. The child is driving a pedal PACKARD, presumably just lake Father's.

Miss Sis · Feb 8, 2009

I like the plaid curtains - I'm a sucker for plaid.

Why is it even then I would have wanted the *expensive* items??? Sigh!

David Conwill · Feb 9, 2009

Miss Sis said:
Why is it even then I would have wanted the *expensive* items??? Sigh!

My wife is the same way! I always tell her it just means she recognizes quality no matter what the era.

Alas, the 1920s home we were looking at had serious structural problems and we've moved on. We're still looking for old houses, though.

I do appreciate everyone sharing their catalog images. There's a great antique store in Bay City that we will be shopping at for various bits, and these catalogs are a great help in identifying period furniture.

-Dave

David Conwill · Sep 13, 2012

Thanks to Atterbury Dodd, I know own the Sears, Roebuck and Co., Philadelphia, Fall and Winter 1924-1925 catalog!

We’re moving once again, this time into the city where I work. The goal is to purchase a condominium in an 1886 commercial building. Before the move, we’re liquidating a lot of the hand-me-down furniture that we seemed to attract when people learned we were living in 2800 square feet with 1100 square feet of stuff.

One of the things we’re not getting rid of is this 1920s oak buffet:

9EA44C0F-51E2-4BE1-B90D-6FF7EF59496C-4724-000005AF05A2C15F.jpg

You will note its strong resemblance to the one in my new Sears catalog:

We have a neat glass-topped dining room table that we someday plan to have fit with a base sympathetic to this overall style. More immediately, we need chairs!

Orphaned tables are a lot easier to find than orphaned sets of chairs, so we’re probably going to have to go new. Anyone know what to call this style? Better yet, anyone know what modern maker might have something similar?

Thanks!

Amy Jeanne · Sep 28, 2012

ancestry.com has every Sears catalog scanned from 1896 to 1993. FYI. You need a membership, though.

Feraud · Sep 28, 2012

Any idea if Ancestry has Montgomery Wards?

Paul Roerich · Sep 28, 2012

Feraud said:
Any idea if Ancestry has Montgomery Wards?

It does not have Montgomery Wards.

You Sears Catalog hoarders, got one from 1920-1935?

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