PENNANT FACTORY
Homemade pennants inspired by designs of the past
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Above: You are looking at perhaps the first ever screen printed felt pennant. Manufactured by The Reproduction Co. of New York, NY in 1908 for presidential candidate William Jennings Bryan, this beauty exhibited crisp detail never before seen on a felt novelty item. | By about 1910, however, things began to change. As early as 1908, pennant makers began adopting the screen printing method for the production of felt pennants. For those lucky manufacturers with access to this patented process, it changed their fortunes. Now, pennant lettering could be screened on; no more cutting/sewing of each letter. Moreover, the process opened the doors to colorful, detailed graphic illustrations that could never be replicated using the relief/letterpress method, as others had been forced to resort to. Finally, screen printing allowed manufacturers the ability to quickly reproduce the same image over and over again with a degree of consistency and efficiency never before seen. But, amid all the advantages screen printing offered pennant makers, there was still one pesky problem it had yet to solve: you still had to sew the pennant's spine and tassels on. Which meant you still needed sewing machines; and skilled seamstresses to operate them. So, by decade's end, pennant makers began looking for a solution. Several makers came up with an answer: screen print the spine on. I call these "faux spines" because, from a distance, they can pass as real spines made from a contrasting strip of felt. Faux spines were widely adopted for use on promotional pennants, i.e., pennants that were basically tied to some promotional giveaway. Look for them especially on mini promo pennants circulated in the 1910s, and afterwards. |
Above: Close-up of the above St. Louis Browns grommet pennant, as seen from the front side. Brass grommets gave the pennant's overall appearance more of a nautical look, as you might see flown from the mast of a yacht. Below: Same pennant, as seen from the reverse side. These tassels became locked in place the moment this grommet was punched. | Grommets offered a happy medium for pennant construction. Consumers could enjoy a full size pennant with rich, detailed polychromatic graphics; and its manufacturer could crank these out by the sheet, with minimal cutting; and absolutely no sewing. Everybody wins! (Unless you were employed as a seamstress, that is.) Additionally, grommets allowed the consumer a handy way to hang their pennant back at home. Technically, you could tack these to your bedroom wall without leaving any new holes behind in the pennant. Finally, grommets seemed just as secure, if not more secure, than sewed spines. You never had to worry about the stitching coming loose. Once punched in place, the tassels were forever bonded to the felt. |
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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