Veterans Day
November 11, 2014 § 2 Comments
Here’s a salute to all the Veterans today and my cool dad who covered 4 presidential conferences as a correspondent for Stars and Stripes during WWII – Casablanca, Cairo, Tehran, Yalta, and Bitter Lakes. The photo below was taken sometime in the 1980’s. See more of his photos and read about him from an earlier post here.
Share
Three Women, Gainesville, Florida | November, 1959
November 8, 2014 § 1 Comment
Three Women at Florida Field, Gainesville, 1959.
Share
Perugia Shows Wooden Soled Sandals | The Shoe Retailer, February 23rd, 1929
November 6, 2014 § 2 Comments
THE HISTORIALIST OF SHOES AND SHOEMAKERS 1929 | ANDRE PERUGIA | HISTORY IN PICTURES OF THE ARTICULATED SOLE | GUEST STAR: WILLIAM HALL
THE HISTORIALIST OF SHOES AND SHOEMAKERS, Source: Shoes by Linda O’Keeffe
Share
The World: Tuesday, January 15th, 1929 | Metropolitan Movies
November 6, 2014 § 2 Comments
While doing research on my grandfather Ben Benjamin I stumbled upon this beautiful illustration by artist Denys Wortman from a comic strip he drew called Metropolitan Movies that ran in The New York World from 1924 – 1954. If you’d like to learn about Denys Wortman and see more of his artwork check out this website created by his son, Denys Wortman VIII.
Share
Shoe Show | Shoe Men
October 17, 2014 § Leave a comment
My grandfather called them Style Shows. This summer I found this left over shoe show signage from my dad’s days as a sales rep for Schwartz & Benjamin Inc.
The Shoe Shows are where buyers come to see the latest styles for the upcoming fashion season — the two biggest for fall and spring.
Artwork by Carol Benjamin
Artwork by Carol Benjamin
I have wonderful memories of meeting my dad for dinner after the shows with fellow shoe people and the banter that went with that. My dad friendly with every mai·tre d’ at every restaurant was greeted by name when we walked through the door. One of his favorite’s, Il Gattopardo, still around today and as a treat he would take us after for ice-cream to Rumpelmayer’s on Central Park South.
My sister recently found this great photo from one of the shows. Obviously taken after a few drinks. I wonder what my dad’s trying so hard to hold on to?
The National Shoe Travelers
Fashion Footwear Association of New York
The Atlanta Shoe Market
Share
Random Photographs
October 5, 2014 § 10 Comments
Left with a treasure trove of film, photographs and newspaper clippings that have no dates or names I think about the thousands of digital photographs sitting in my own computer that need to be labeled. The task so daunting I keep putting it off. I guess the lesson learned from my own ancestors is take the time and do it.
Share
Design for a Shoe |Dec 15, 1936
September 30, 2014 § 1 Comment
I designed the shoes and at first I cut them too, and I uh ran the factory, handled everything. I bought the machinery, equipped the plant, set up the plant, laid out the plans. — I invented a lot of things.
Ben Benjamin on starting Schwartz & Benjamin.
Ben Benjamin | Shoe Designer
Women's Footwear in America 