Carlton World

[CarltonHendricks]

I initially saw this photo at the Nov. 2021 Grass Valley Old West show…I bought a bunch of stuff that weekend and had to pass…but four months went by and it was still on my mind…but I couldn’t recall the dealer to see if he still had it…I saw him set up at the San Francisco Book and Paper fair in February…He didn’t bring it but said he still had it…problem was he lived 5hrs away in Three Rivers Calif near Fresno…So last week he texted me he would be set up a the Gas City Saloon show in Stockton April 16th….So finally I went and bought it…





The Everitt was manufactured from 1909 until 1912 by the Metzger Motor Car Company in Detroit…there were quite a few cars made in Detroit back then by different companies you’ve probably never heard of…Personal and jobbing out were all very intertwined…bodies made to order for other companies…seats and interiors jobbed out…and a lot of buy outs…Chrysler buying dodge…etc..etc…it was kind of the wild west of manufacturing…as the automobile was selling like hot cakes…



I’ve had it two days and still can’t sort it all out…Not sure where the track is…It looks perhaps like it was a practice run....as I don’t see any other cars…For me several aspects make it exceptional…First the 30” x 12” size is rare for that early…I’m all about big photos…The frame looks original from the 1910 period and the glass is wavy so I’m convinced it was produced in the same era it represents….so it’s “old”…Then you have the wide angle view…almost panoramic….The image says a lot…look at that stream of dust coming out from behind the front right wheel…then look at the cloud of dust extending all the way around the track…That’s good photography…good capture…The three gentleman standing in the track are interesting…they don’t look like fans….more like company principles very interested in how fast it can go…the one on the right looks like he may be holding a stopwatch…



It’s all about the clues with photos like these…little tell-tale nuances that help you figure out the who what where…In this instance there really isn’t a lot to go on…But having the EVERITT on the hood is certainly cornerstone…There is a number 1 on the grill…that’s interesting….implying it was in races...where is yet to be learned…And then I hit some pay dirt…on the back is a sticker…DENVER is very clear…That’s certainly interesting…so I spent a lot of time trying to trace the sticker…after a lot of detective work the sticker says:

J. Gibson Smith
Art Dealer
322 17th St.
Denver



Essentially…it sounds like J. Gibson Smith was a picture framer who sold art at some point…So either the photo was taken elsewhere than the Denver region and brought in for framing…or it was taken in the Denver area…I found one photo of the…but that’s just a bunch of hunches…I have some iron in the fire waiting to hear back…

[smokelessjoe]

That would be cool if it was Eddie Rickenbacker driving that car being that he had teamed up with Barney Everitt and gang...

[LEHR]

That's a fantastic photo!

[mrreality68]

still think you should pitch a reality show about your hobby and exploits

[Kzoo]

Carlton...........Awesome photo. I would not have walked away from that piece the 1st time, no way! Glad you were still able to get it. Very cool.

[CarltonHendricks]

Thanks Shawn, Paul, Jeffrey, and Matt for your kind words on the Everitt photo...Jeffrey sir...yes a T.V. show would be nice...maybe I should start pitching something...Mike Wolf said he pitched his show for five years before he got it started...Don't think I haven't thought about it...it's just that it's everything I can do to work a full time job plus hunt this stuff down...and I'm having so much fun!!!!...








OUTBID ON AN OUTBOARD
Here’s an outbid story for ya…just went down Friday…I spotted this c1930 outboard motor boat race trophy on eBay soon after it was listed…so it was nine days of getting ready…that is…due diligence research…and in-turn deciding what to bid…I watched it close while I was at work…I was emotionally exhausted after the auction ended and actually had to go sit down and take a break….What a companion piece it would have been for that Evinrude poster I got a few weeks ago...Inboard's are my preference...the big powerboat races are the inboards...the Detroit Gold Cup....and the Palm Beach regattas and all...nevertheless I've never seen a better outboard trophy...

WHAT A COMPANION PIECE IT WOULD HAVE MADE

Half way thru the week of watching it I decided to forego the usual snipeing and bid I think it was $1850...figuring let it get run over then i can forget about it and get on with my life...and yes I got out bid....but I kept thinking about it and decided to up it to like $2150...with a snipe bid...which got run over about the last few hours before it closed...Fineally it got to $3600...within the last 20 minutes...so it was do or die...I decided to go one last hitch and bid $3650...I was top bidder with about 10 minutes left...and boom...got run over again by two bidders...ended up at $3839.10

So what this is…is an outboard boat race trophy for races that took place in Winthrop, Maine on Lake Maranacook between 1928-30 or thereabouts…much of its history is right in the engraving…but to really understand it I had to dive into research…

ADDENDA 4/26/22 (meant to include this)
Before going further I should point out this type trophy is what’s called “presentation silver”…that is…there’s two basic types of antique American trophies…you have your typical silver plate stock cups ordered out of a catalog…Then you have a higher level quality trophy that are one of a kind made to order and are sterling silver…typically like this trophy the title, inscriptions and art work are cast in the surface…not engraved like catalog ordered trophies…Even the fantastic figural Spalding trophies as great as they are were of the catalog ordered variety…But this Woolworth trophy would be considered “Presentation Silver”…and presentation silver is sort of a different animal…if you get into it you’ll see very elaborate works that were typically given by...or to…the very wealthy…given for something the very wealthy wanted to commemorate…in a price is no object fashion…Presentation silver is a whole subject unto its self…for another time…but in short the grand works usually show up in Sotheby’s, Christie’s, and Heritage…and generally were produced from about 1890 to about the late 1930’s…so this trophy would be from about the end of that era…I would guess by the 1930’s most of the old timer craftsman who had made the great works were retired...and the art died off…like I say it’s a story for another time….

As you can see it’s called the “Woolworth Trophy”...many of the younger generation may not recognize the Woolworth name…But there was a time when everyone knew Woolworth’s…or the official name F. W. Woolworth Company Five and Dime…The founder Frank Winfield Woolworth 1852-1919 pioneered the retail the store in that he put products out on the floor for customers to choose from…Before he started in business typically customers would come to the counter and request something and the clerk would bring it to the counter…I am not an expert on Woolworth’s…I just have a little knowledge from reading up….so fact check me…I could easily miss-up something…But generally from what I read Frank was very particular how his stores looked and operated…and he worked hard to fashion them his way…

F.A. WOOLWORTH I KNOW....BUT WHO'S F.M. WOOLWORTH
So back to this trophy…as you can see, prominently inscribed on the Trophy…It’s titled “The Woolworth Trophy” and was provided by “Mrs. F. M. Woolworth”…Ok so I knew it must be somehow connected to the Woolworth stores…a little research and I learned F.W. Woolworth stood for the founder Frank Winfield Woolworth…So who was “F. M. Woolworth”…A little digging and I learned it was Frank’s cousin “Fred Moore Woolworth” 1872-1923…In 1909 Fred went to England to start Woolworth stores there…about forty four of them…and was very successful…you can read up on him on this page linked here…But he died at fifty one years old, possibly from over work…His wife who gave the trophy was Velma Bailey Woolworth 1875-1934....I believe she was originally from Maine and returned there after her husband died…Fred and Velma had a son Norman Bailey Woolworth 1901-1962…From my cursory review…I think Norman may have given a different Woolworth Trophy for outboard races around 1949-50…

[ooo-ribay]

Sorry you lost out, Carlton. At least two people got you and it wasn’t the (my) usual of “one friggin’ guy on the whole planet” syndrome. I feel a little better coming in 3rd or 4th than second.

I was wondering if you ever go the restoration route? Your Evinrude poster could be even more spectacular….