Originally costly and elegant, this boa comes in its original box. It is dated through the use of historical society documentation and also through a period advertisement clipped from a 19th century fashion magazine. This is still in the original packing and was never used. It is about 120 years old.
Before Disneyland was even a glimmer in the eye, Cawston’s Ostrich Farm was the place for tourism in the Pasadena, CA region.
A train from Los Angeles took passengers out to the farm where they picnicked and toured the 90 acres that featured ostriches, ostrich eggs, ostrich amusements and most of all, ostrich plumes. This was the first ostrich farm in the United States and it first opened for touring sometime around 1890.
Ostriches…everywhere. Visitors could take a rides in ostrich pulled carts and guests both young and old could have their photographs taken while riding on the back of one. Ostrich eggs marveled at and passed around like toys and guests loved the attractions that happened during feeding times.
Then, there was shopping…. Cawston’s Ostrich Farm was known for their feathers and these were added to hats, dresses and of course made into luxurious boas. The store at Cawston’s was one that wasn’t to be missed and visitors purchased ostrich plumes for themselves as well as gifts.
 |
| A postcard from the turn of the last century features the elegant gift boutique at Cawston's Ostrich Farm near Pasadena, California. |
Eventually, Cawston’s added a Japanese Tea House, fountains and formal gardens for fashionable strolling. The farm even had a NYC boutique store and was featured at the St. Louis World’s Fair in 1904.
One of the most ostentatious buildings ever designed was for Cawston’s Ostrich Farm Exhibit at the Panama-Pacific International Exposition in San Francisco during 1915. The architecture featured a pair of towering birds that were two stories tall and Cawston’s ostriches were allowed to roam Golden Gate Park for at least a year following the Exposition, which was essentially a World’s Fair.
Finally, Cawston’s closed their doors forever during 1935.
This boa dates to the earliest years at Cawston’s when the Farm was beginning to peak into fame and fortune. The boa appears to have never been used and is in near mint condition, considering age. The feathers are normal length and have not been extended, which also helps in dating the boa. The silk tassels at the end are in need of ironing/finishing…and then they will appear just like the tassels as seen illustrated in the period Cawston advertisement.
However, best of all, there is an actual clipping from a period magazine of a Cawston’s advertisement featuring this exact boa. Unfortunately, there is no date on the clipping, but the hat in the illustration is typical of those style dating around 1895; wider brims and tall crowns were fashionable in Paris, yet without those enormous extended plumes that were later the quite the norm. The boa is still held together with the original large black safety pin, and manufactured during the same era.
The box is in excellent condition overall and fully intact. It is cardboard with paper label. There is minor foxing, rubbing and a few minor stains to the cover. The original tissues and packing papers are also found inside. Fine, museum quality acid-free tissues will be added, upon purchase, to protect the boa as well as the box from further age-related deterioration. It measures approximately 7 inches or 17.78 cm wide and is 15.5 inches or 39.37 cm long.
The Cawston advertisement indicates that there were many lengths available in these boas…and this one is the 27 inch or 68.58 cm length. Originally this sold for $6.50 and this would have been quite costly and elegant for this time.
With silk roping and braided tape tassels, the overall length is about 39 inches or 99.06 cm.
No comments:
Post a Comment