Blacksmith A.J. Rivers gave away cardboard, wall-mounted "mail pouches" in the same way that banks gave away calendars in recent years. Imperial Colors Company etched its name onto a large, glass paperweight [Editor's note: we found out from subsequent digging by Chapman authorities, it is a glass grinding pestle, not a paperweight]. G.B. McIntosh Groceries etched its name onto a ceramic jug, filled it with liquid and sold it. Storytown U.S.A. emblazoned hats with their patch.
Although a convertible buckboard (the “Cannon” model built by Glens Falls company Joubert & White) is the centerpiece of the latest Chapman Museum exhibit in downtown Glens Falls, some of the smaller pieces give a sense of how marketing in the area was done.
This exhibit might not have happened yet if it weren't for the pandemic that shut everything down this summer.
The plan, said Timothy Weidner, the museum's executive director, was to have an exhibit of Glens Falls movie theater photos, advertisements and marquees to coincide with the Adirondack Film Festival in October.
COVID shut down the festival, closed the museum and even shut off some grant funding the museum may have gotten. The films were streamed to TVs and computers this year instead.
So the museum pivoted. They displayed donations from the past decade and titled it Recent Gifts, 2011 - 2020.
A magazine beer ad on display was illustrated by Glens Falls artist Douglass Crockwell.
"He used a lot of local individuals," as models, Weidner said, adding that Crockwell's subjects would be recognized on downtown streets.
A Glen's Falls Insurance Agency sign (note the apostrophe) was painted in 1874. It took a while to figure out, though curators knew it was mid-19th century by the font.
Getting the artifacts for an exhibit that includes business materials was not the intention of this exhibit, but more of them are available because their branding creates an easy connection to the area, Weidner said during a walk-through of the exhibit in the final stages of construction. It opens tomorrow, Tuesday Dec. 1.
People donate what might be a unique cultural item, but the museum needs to figure out if it has a connection to Glens Falls or Queensbury or they won't take it. They also want to make sure the item is important or interesting enough to become part of an exhibit. Plus, the museum has only so much storage space, he said. A brand with a direct Glens Falls connection makes that easier.
Having outfits sewn by local clothes maker McMullen--a mid-century women's fashion line--is nice, but knowing that the blouse and sweater were worn, as were the ones on display, is even better, he said.
The exhibition runs Dec. 1 2020 to March 31, 2021.
The museum still plans to show the movie theater photos--next fall with the film festival.
Due to Covid-19 visitors are asked to call the museum at (518) 793-2826 during office hours, weekdays, 9 to 5, to schedule their visit. Masks are required.