PENNANT FACTORY
Homemade pennants inspired by designs of the past
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Four years ago I posted a piece on my first ever Oakland Raiders pennant remake. Looking backwards, I have to admit, I'm still proud of how that project turned out. I didn't know how to screen print when I made it, so I had to make the whole thing from individually cut pieces of felt. Suffice it to say: it was a labor of love; but, I loved the result. So too did many of you, my readers. Which has truly humbled me. In fact, more than a dozen of you have kindly written me, inquiring if I had extras for sale (A: No, it was a one-off.). I've even received commissions to make another for a reader or two (A: Sorry, no way, not unless you have a few hundred dollars you want to put-down as deposit!). The truth is, I always planned to make another Oakland Raiders pennant; and, in light of the apparent demand for such items, my intention was to screen print it so I could offer the copies to you, my readers. | Above: Close-up of my first Raiders pennant, made entirely from felt appliques, hand cut and overlayed together; then secured with fabric glue. |
Above: Oakland Raider? Or, Oakland Señor? | That's right.... A moustache. Every other adaptation of the Raider logo, whether it appeared on a pennant, a program, or ticket stub, depicted a clean shaven (or mostly clean shaven) raider. Not this version. Not this raider. Perhaps there's a reason for this oddity? More on that in a few.... |
Above: Leather burning allows crafters to easily etch a design of their choosing into a piece of leather using a stylus pen, super heated by electricity. Like a piece of felt, the leather applique could be cut with scissors and sewed on to any surface. | Much like the branding of a cow's skin, a finished piece of leather can be burned to achieve a certain graphic design. 100 years ago, pennant makers simply etched their design in leather; then sewed the resulting applique on to the felt. The leather applique was durable, waterproof, and could be easily cut-out and sewed on to the pennant. |
The 1916 World's Series featured a matchup between the Brooklyn Dodgers, winners of the National League pennant, and the Boston Red Sox, winners of the American League flag. For the Dodgers, it was the franchise's first ever appearance in the series; and the first of 24 National League pennants won to date. For the Red Sox, they had become regulars of sorts in the fall classic by that time: it was their fourth appearance in 14 years. Their lineup also consisted of a young pitcher named Babe Ruth. In the end, the Sox's superior pitching ruled the day: Boston took the series, 4-1; their fourth championship in franchise history. Although the series opened in Boston, game #1 was played at Braves Field--not Fenway Park. This move was done to accommodate the large crowds expected, as the Red Sox's regular season ballpark was a bit smaller than their cross-town rival's. It paid off as the final game in Boston was attended by more 43,000 fans. | Above: A 1916 World's Series scorecard. In the 1910s, the name "Dodgers" was used interchangeably with "Robins," a nod to the team's colorful manager, Wilbert Robinson. |
First, if you examine the above photo closely, note the fourth woman from the right identified as Ms. K. Conklin. I have no idea who she was; but if you look carefully, clutched in her right hand is the only known survivor of the five pennants pictured. Back in 2018 I made a reproduction of this very pennant for Pennant Factory. Based on the number of surviving originals, this was likely the most common pennant of the three different styles pictured in the photo. I believe it was probably offered across several seasons in the 1910s, based upon the uniform depicted. I didn't know who made this pennant in 2018; and, unfortunately, I still don't know in 2023. But one thing I do know: it's one of the oldest surviving Brooklyn Dodgers pennants known to exist. | Above: Thanks to this world's series photo, we can definitively date this Brooklyn Dodgers/Robins pennant to 1916, or older. I know of only one Brooklyn pennant that can be dated earlier: a ca. 1913 pennant featuring a portrait of Manager Bill Dahlen, who managed the team from 1910-13. |
Above: Prior to 2012, you had to look hard to find evidence of the Kings' success. Not only were they competing with the then 16-time champion Lakers, they were also competing with the Sparks and Avengers, of the WNBA and Arena Football League, respectively, for coveted wall space. | When the Kings first moved into their current home in 1999, then known as Staples Center, their banners were ... let's just say, hard to find. This was due in part to the fact that the team shared the building with several other tenants (and those teams' banners); and, the fact that the Kings had only so much as sniffed at a Stanley Cup success prior to 2012. This all changed, of course, after the 2011-12 season when the Kings hoisted their first Stanley Cup in franchise history. Two years later, they'd repeat as champions. Suddenly, they had ample banners to display; but no room to do so! Thankfully, the Kings own their arena, today known as Crypto.com Arena; and this allowed them to come up with a nice fix. Instead of competing for limited wall space being consumed by the arena's other tenants, they just relocated their banners to the opposite side of the building, to a place all of their own. |
Above: The Forum's exterior profile was dominated by no less than 100 columns. Together, they supported a compression ring system that held up the roof and scoreboard. | From 1967 to 1999, the Forum in Inglewood, CA served as the home of the Los Angeles Lakers (NBA) and Los Angeles Kings (NHL). The mid-century landmark was designed by Charles Luckman Associates, the same firm responsible for Madison Square Garden in New York. Encircled by a colonnade of brilliant white columns supporting a scalloped roofline, the arena housed the court where Jerry West won the first of 17 world championships for the Lakers on May 6, 1972. On March 23, 1994 its ice played host to Wayne Gretzky's 802 goal, surpassing the great Gordie Howe as the NHL's all-time leading scorer. And, of course, it's where Jack Nicholson and countless other celebs came to see (and be seen). The Forum wasn't just an architectural delight; it was an engineering feat. In the 1960s, arenas and stadiums were being built with unobstructed views of the playing surface. Engineering innovations of the day made this possible. At the Forum, its designers erected a circular compression ring atop those exterior columns. Think of it as, like, a bicycle wheel, with many spokes radiating outward from its center. This ingenious design supported a circular roof measuring 407 feet in diameter. Underneath that roof, fans could see the players without any columns or posts blocking their sight lines. Of course, a sturdy roof overhead not only protected the fans from the elements; it allowed designers the chance to hang a cubic scoreboard above center court/ice for all to see. |
Top row: This ca. 1910 San Diego High School pennant by unknown maker was produced using the relief/letterpress method. Before screen printing was deemed commercially viable, this was the preferred method for printing detailed graphics on felt. The technique required a light colored substrate, usually white felt, that was rubber stamped with a contrasting design in black ink; then colored in with an air brush. Bottom row: Another alternative to screen printing concerned the use of burnt leather, which could be sewn on, just as individual felt lettering could be. This practice was commonly used to replicate school seals, which were too detailed to be cut from felt, as seen on this ca. 1940s Univ. of California pennant by Chicago Pennant Co. | From 1900 to 1910, felt pennants had become the best selling novelty item in the country. Most of them were collegiate; and nearly all were made using individually sewed letters of contrasting felt. By 1908, however, pennant makers began exploring new production processes that would yield more attractive designs--in a fraction of the time, for a fraction of the costs. For one New York pennant maker, it saw the upside in a brand new printing technique developed in Europe known as the screen printing method. Throughout the 20th century, no innovation had more profound an effect on pennant making than the advent of screen printing. For the first time, pennants could be mass produced with rich, detailed, color graphics the likes of which the market had never before seen! |
Above: Charlie "Red" Dooin tobacco card, ca. 1910. Dooin served as player-manager for the Phillies from 1910 to 1914. | What an extraordinary series of pennants, right? What really made the series stand out, for me, was Repco's use of original artwork for each team's pennant throughout the series. For three of these, they went with a realistic depiction of a player. For the Chicago Cubs, however, they went with an amusing image of a bear cub clutching a bat. And, for the Philadelphia NL club, they went with an homage to the club's manager: Charlie "Red" Dooin, who managed the team from 1910-14. During that time, the team was informally known as "Dooin's Daisies." True story.... Anyway, Repco's art department wasn't oblivious to this moniker. Accordingly, this pennant's artwork featured a bouquet of daisies and a sightly different look from the others in the series. |
Above: Close-ups of Chipenco's mascot depictions. Note that the bulldog and tiger were each illustrated wearing so-called "freshman caps" bearing the initials of their schools, a common practice of the day to ease with recognition. | In my research for the above projects, I came across a wonderful mascot banner originally made by Chipenco intended for sale at Yale University. Its artwork featured an angry bulldog chasing a panic-stricken pilgrim; followed by a fleeing tiger. Of course, the bulldog represented Yale's mascot; the pilgrim signified Harvard University's first benefactor and current mascot, John Harvard; and the tiger stood-in for Princeton University's mascot. When viewed as one scene, the artwork was intended to portray Yale's superiority over its two biggest rival schools--in a light-hearted and rather amusing way. The design was an instant classic. How could it not be, right? Chipenco first produced this banner in the late 1950s. By 1979, when the company was about to close for good, they were still making it, more than twenty years later! That's a helluva run for felt novelty item; but, when your artwork is golden, no need to change a thing. As with other Chipenco mascot banners of the day, this banner was a premium item printed with flocked graphics on real wool felt. Accordingly, it was likely sold at higher end retail establishments in New Haven, most notably: the campus bookstore. |
Top: Bill McClanahan's signature as it appeared on his many illustrations found in Texas newspapers for decades. Below: Roger Mason's adaptation of McClanahan's college mascot caricatures, like Notre Dame's leprechaun, helped sell his company's wall clocks in the early 1970s. | In truth, I had never heard of Bill McClanahan. And to my knowledge, his artwork never appeared on a felt novelty item. But one day I came across a 1970-dated wall clock featuring Notre Dame's leprechaun. And there I saw McClanahan's work on full display. I knew right away: I had found my leprechaun. Upon further research, I learned a guy named Roger Mason designed a whole series of collegiate wall clocks manufactured in 1970-71 by Decor Accessories, Inc. of Dallas, TX. The clocks were okay. But it was the art on their clock faces that caught my eye. Here's a sample of what these clock faces looked like: |
In 2018 I started a separate website called Pennant Fever dedicated to 20th century felt novelty manufacturers. It focuses on these companies' history, products, etc. Eventually, my interest in these businesses inspired me to start making my own pennants. THIS site you're currently viewing, Pennant Factory, is where I'll showcase some of the felt projects I've taken on. Most are reproductions of real pennants once for sale to the public. I've done my best to re-create the originals as authentically as possible based upon surviving photos, known dimensions, etc. Others are my original work, intended to look like the styles of yesteryear. Some turned out better than others. See for yourself. Enjoy! -KRB
All
1916 NL Champs Pennant
1952 + 1953 NL Champs Banners
1955/2020 WS Champs Banners
1955 WS Champs Pennant
1959 NL Champs Pennant
1963/2020 WS Champs Pennant
1965/2020 WS Champs Pennant
2020 WS Champs Burgee
"3-D Pennant" (ca. 1950s)
"B.B.C. Series" Pennant (ca. 1910)
Bklyn. Robins Pennant (ca. 1917)
"Burnt Leather Seal" (ca. 1940s) - Collegiate Mfg. Co.
"Caricature Pennant" - Clayton Kershaw
"Caricature Pennant" - GS Warriors
"Date Pennant" (ca. 1960s)
Dodger Stadium Scoreboard (1988)
Early 1910s Football Pennants - Reproduction Co.
"Grommet Pennant" - 1920 NL Champs Pennant
GW Forum Scoreboard (1998) - LA Kings
Jackie Robinson Pennant (1947)
Keezer "Emblem Pennant" (ca. 1950s)
"Kicked Football Series" Pennant (ca. 1940s) - Epstein Novelty Co.
LA Dodgers V. SF Giants "1st. GAME" Pennant (1958)
"Mascot Banner" - Chicago Pennant Co.
"Mascot Banner" - Collegiate Mfg. Co.
"Mascot Banner" (II) - Chicago Pennant Co.
"Monogram Pennant" (ca. 1910s)
ND "NO PARKING" Sign
ND Stadium Scoreboard (1988)
ND Stadium Signage
Notre Dame Banner (1931)
Notre Dame Pennant (1925)
Notre Dame Pennant (ca. 1965)
Oakland Raiders (AFL) Pennant (1960) - ADFLAG
Oakland Raiders (AFL) Pennant (ca. 1960) - Trench
Phila. Athletics Pennant (ca. 1910)
"Photo Pennant" (ca. 1960s)
Schaefer Promo Sign (1955)
Staples Ctr. Banners - Lakers
Staples Ctr. Banners - LA Kings
"Trophy Banner" (ca. 1920)
Vin Scully Tribute Banner (2022)
"WELCOME....' Banner" - Carly Bros.
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