PENNANT FACTORY
Homemade pennants inspired by designs of the past
The jobI've made my share of items commemorating the 1955 Brooklyn Dodgers: first a pennant; then a banner. Now what? One of the most interesting items ever made in recognition of the team's lone championship in Brooklyn wasn't even a novelty item; rather, it was a promotional item, made to help sell beer.
So ... why didn't Schaefer follow every other beer company and make a promo pennant honoring their local ball club? C'mon, sports + beer + pennant = success, right? If they had followed suit, they wouldn't have been the first to combine these three ingredients. Here's a small sampling of my favorite sports pennants sponsored by local breweries, over the years : Above: These ca. 1960-70s promotional pennants were made to help increase beer sales. Some were offered straight to the beer drinking consumer; others, like this Falstaff pennant string, were likely provided to retail establishments. Promotional pennants have been around for more than a hundred years. Some promotional pennants were available directly to the end consumer. Typically, one mailed-in the requisite proof of purchase(s); and a pennant was mailed back in return. Promotions like this have been used to sell a wide array of products over the years; everything from bread, newspapers, cigarettes, and chewing gum; and more recently, chili, chocolate milk, and baseball cards. Assortment of pennant promotions from the past century. Top left: 1913 promo ad by Detroit Free Press. Top right: 1916 promo ad by Ferguson Bakery. Bottom left: 1960s Bazooka gum wrapper with promotional offer. Bottom right: 1973 promo ad by Quick. Back to the Dodgers. I'm not entirely certain why Schaefer waited until the 1970s to make a promo pennant; but, in 1955, I think the close connection between the brewery, the team, and the people of Brooklyn must have warranted an extra special promotional item following that season. Something more special than a pennant. And, because the '55 Dodgers had so many recognizable fan favorites, a promotional team photo sign must have seemed really appealing to their marketing department. I don't believe Schaefer's Dodger sign was ever available directly to the beer drinking public. More likely, these were provided to their wholesale customers--namely liquor store owners and bartenders. If true, the intent was for these folks to hang a sign like this in their retail establishments to entice customers to buy Schaefer beer.
The processLike the original, my reproduction of this classic piece would be made entirely from cardboard. As I saw things, this project really consisted of two separate challenges: replicating the frame; and replicating the multi-layered photo. I began with the frame. The first attempt didn't turn out so well. I used a really thick, two-layer cardboard for extra strength. Unfortunately, it proved too strong: when I tried to bend the edges upward, they kept returning to the prone position. The result was the edges refused to meet each other at the corners. It was not a good start. Above: My design started off promising; but, the cardboard I selected became unruly when I tried to fold the edges inward. It was evident this was not going to look anything like a picture frame. So it was back to the drawing board. For take #2, I stuck with the two-layer cardboard; and I redesigned the edges of the frame. Instead of folding them inward from one continuous sheet of cardboard, I cut one rectangular backboard, and four trapezoidal edge pieces. When laid at an angle against an inside support wall, it created the proper look of an old wooden frame. Above: This redesign resulted in crisp, clean, edges angled perfectly upward in a uniform fashion. To make the corners look seamless, I filled any gaps with putty and smoothed everything out with a putty knife. With the outer frame assembled, it was time to paint. The original sign featured a sky blue backdrop behind the team. So, sky blue it was. The outer frame received a dark brown coat of paint. To simulate a faux wood grain, I gently washed it with a lighter shade of brown paint, just like the original. After gluing a cardboard proscenium to the inner wall, the frame was complete; and ready for the multi-layered photo it was built to house. Above: A mixture of brown paints applied with a sponge brush helped make this frame look like real faux wood. On to the multi-layered photo. First, I had to find a high resolution photo of the original team photo. Thankfully, many of these signs have been sold at auctions; and most auction houses take good quality pictures of each item. After a little editing, I printed it three times on thick photo paper. Then I cut each of the three rows out. The problem is, I soon learned, you need to fill the space between each row somehow. Otherwise, unless the viewer is looking straight-on at the image, the viewer will see the closest layer reflected in the next layer behind it. It wouldn't look 3-D; it would simply look like there's an extra row of players between each layer. To correct for this, you need to cut-out a foam silhouette of the first layer, and place it between layers #1 and #2. Here's what that looked like: Again, the black foam depicted above not only helps bind the three layers together; but, it fills the space between each row, obscuring the image of the front row players that would otherwise be visible in the second row players. When viewed at an angle, it just looks like the front row players are casting a shadow on the players behind them. This is the key to creating a 3-D photo effect. After positioning my multi-layered photo inside my frame, my sign was ready for display. The resultThis project was like nothing I've ever taken on before. It really challenged me. But, in the end, I was really happy with the result. Note: All unquoted material on these pages is © 2021 K.R. Biebesheimer & Son. All rights reserved. Short excerpts may be used after written permission obtained and proper credit is given. ♦♦
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AuthorIn 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 Projects:
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