PENNANT FACTORY
Homemade pennants inspired by designs of the past
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Above: Former major leaguer Bobby Morgan poses with his '52 championship banner in 1978. Below: On some banners, but not all, a maker's mark from Carly Bros. was stamped on the reverse in red ink. | Unlike your typical novelty banner, these banners were not made of felt. They were made from woven canvas. Along the top ran a canvas header, punctured by two brass grommets so the item could be easily displayed. The graphics were screen printed on to the canvas, just as they would be on a novelty pennant or banner of the day. Some even featured a color gradient, transitioning from red to blue graphics that could only be replicated via the screen printing method. There were other nice touches worth mentioning. For at least the first four banners--1947, 1949, 1952, and 1953--each banner featured a golden fringe trim sewn on to the footer. This was a really unique characteristic that made them look a bit more regal. For years, the maker of these fine banners was unknown to me. Then, I came across a '55 banner that sold at auction not too long ago. The listing included a rare photo of the reverse; and, stamped along the back of the header appeared a maker's mark: "CARLY BROS. / FLAGS and DECORATIONS / 815 NASSAU AVENUE / BROOKLYN 22, N.Y." |
The Los Angeles River is crossed by no less than three historic, art deco concrete bridges built in the 1930s--all visible in this scene. Source: georgetownley.com. | Okay, so it's not London's Tower Bridge. It's no Golden Gate Bridge. It wasn't beautiful; nor was it an engineering marvel by any stretch. Nevertheless, for eight decades it was one of the most photographed bridges in the world; and because of its proximity to Hollywood, it probably deserves a spot on the Walk of Fame--because it appeared in so many films and commercials over the years. It was officially called the Sixth Street Viaduct; but most Angelenos referred to it as the Sixth Street Bridge. Built in 1932, the Sixth Street Viaduct connected downtown Los Angeles with east LA. Specifically, it connected E. 6th Street with Whittier Boulevard. To do this, the structure crossed the Los Angeles River, a railroad yard, and US Hwy. 101 before landing in the industrial neighborhood of Boyle Heights. It looked old. It looked gritty. Although no tourist would have dared hang out under it; it became the perfect location for filming. |
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. |
Above: This ca. 1989 excerpt from a Salem Screen Printers catalog showcases the company's new line of caricature pennants commemorating the NBA, MLB, and NHL's biggest stars. | Between 1988 through 1991, Salem made and sold the hottest pennants on the market. All were easily identifiable because they took on a fairly consistent look: on the far left, along the spine, the player's team name appeared, written vertically; next came the player's caricature, which often depicted a comedic rendering of the player's features, e.g., oversized head, dangly legs, radiant smile, etc.; next came the player's name written in 3-D block lettering, followed by their team's logo, and finally, the player's number. Thanks to the stable of talented artist Salem employed, these pennants exemplified some of the best artwork ever to appear on felt. |
It's been a few decades since anyone made a good caricature pennant. And since the 1980s are cool again, I figured: why not re-introduce the caricature pennant to a new generation of fans? And, what better contemporary player to commemorate than three time Cy Young winner and 2020 World Series champion Clayton Kershaw, right? Look, if you're going to hang a pennant on your wall depicting a single player, you better have a personal connection to that player. That's even more true if you're going to make the pennant yourself, from scratch. For me, it was no a brainer. Kershaw's been one of the best players of my generation; and throughout his career, he's been a role model both on and off the field. So, to commemorate the south paw's many achievements in Dodger blue, I decided he needed to be immortalized on a caricature pennant. And because Salem Screen Printers is long gone, I would happily make this one myself. | Above: Clayton Kershaw tips his cap to the Dodger Stadium crowd on April 22, 2022 after becoming the club's all time strikeout leader. |
I based my design of course on Salem's 1989 caricature pennant for Orel Hershiser, yet another Dodger pitcher with a Cy Young pedigree. And as much as I want to tell you I drew Kershaw in caricature myself ... I could not. Thankfully, the internet is full of great artists and their artwork; and there I found an appropriate illustration of Mr. Kershaw that would translate well during the screen printing process. | Above: Salem's 1989 caricature pennant for the reigning National League Cy Young winner, Orel Hershiser, served as inspiration for my project. |
Above: Johnny Cash poses outside California's Folsom Prison in 1968, the day he recorded, "At Folsom Prison." Built in the 19th century, the prison's famous east gate is adorned with decorative masonry, complete with a four-letter monogram: C.S.P.F. (California State Prison Folsom). | In fact, monograms, in general, were very much en vogue at the turn of the century. Indeed, back then many companies, institutions, and individuals of the day displayed their names via monograms. Due to the space constraints on your typical felt pennant, abbreviating a lengthy school name with the aid of a monogram made perfect sense. Monograms haven't completely gone out of fashion. The thing is, today, you mostly see two letter monograms. Three letters, at the most. But 100 years ago, three and even four letter monograms were quite common. Obviously, with every letter you add, the more overlap you get. Consequently, some of these monograms require a bit of interpretation (or uninterrupted focus) before their true initials reveal themselves! And, to make things even more interesting, the letter fonts used to make these monograms were typically among some of the more ornate options available. |
Above: Close-ups of the left (top) and right (bottom) pennants featured in the 1913 photo, referenced earlier. | Is it possible there's no surviving pennants from this production run, today? That's a sad thought. But, could be. Maybe there's one or two left, tucked away in a dusty attic somewhere, just waiting to be discovered? Whatever the answer, I figured, why not recreate this design for myself? From my read of the photo, the original colors utilized were navy (not sky) blue and gold; and the dimensions were a bit oversized, likely about 14" x 36," a popular dimension in the 1910s. Additionally, the monogram featured an ornate letter font, similar to the one seen in the Yale University pennant above; and, no question about it: it featured three interlocking letters: U.N.D. (University of Notre Dame). Finally, it was comprised of two pieces and featured a contrasting border running the length of the tail. With these details in mind, my recreation would attempt to be as faithful to the original as possible. |
Let's talk about the banners themselves. Speaking of continuity, there's something to be said about consistency in the look of your championship banners. For most teams, the look of their championship banner changes with the team's logos, colors, and uniforms. Not so much for the Lakers. Since 1972, when they won their first title in Los Angeles, the team's banners have maintained the same simple, classic look: purple logo on gold background framed by a shield; with "NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION" in the header; and "WORLD CHAMPIONS" followed by the years earned in the footer. So all 12 championship banners earned in Los Angeles have the same look. For the five won in Minnesota as the Minneapolis Lakers, a single banner hangs. It's different from the look of the Los Angeles ones, and rightfully so. First, it's blue/gold to reflect the team colors from that era; and it showcases the logo the team used then. But beyond this, it's actually quite similar to the others: same text, letter font, even the same shield. | Above: The Lakers' 17 championship titles are celebrated on a total of 13 banners: 12 purple/gold banners for those won in Los Angeles as the Los Angeles Lakers; and one blue/gold banner commemorating the first five titles won by the franchise when playing in Minnesota as the Minneapolis Lakers. |
If you've ever visited the city of South Bend, IN you no doubt came across one of their many traffic signs. Like any town, they have your standard traffic signage posted throughout the city: speed limit signs, caution signs, do not enter signs, and yes, no parking signs. But, along the city streets neighboring the University of Notre Dame, you'll find a rather unique variation on the typical no parking sign: one that expressly prohibits parking at a given spot during home football games. The reason for the signs is fairly obvious. On game days, the town's population swells by a good 80,000 people. Most of these visitors come by car. Understandably, parking around the stadium becomes limited. And, expensive. For those not wishing to drop $40 on parking in one of the lots controlled by the university, the residential neighborhoods across the street from campus make for an enticing option. Why not? The price is right ... right? Wrong. For the past several decades, street parking in these neighborhoods on game days has been off limits. Of course, to apprise would-be parkers of this prohibition, proper signage became necessary. | Above: Here's two original signs that recently appeared for sale on eBay. The top reportedly measured 21.5" x 15.5" in size; the bottom measured 24" x 18." |
Above: Here's a pair of contemporary no parking signs posted beyond the campus. Today's signs reflect a longer restriction (16 hours), they're a bit smaller, and they identify the university by either its initials or its signature Notre Dame Monogram. | Honestly, I'm not real clear when these signs first hit the streets of South Bend. The homes immediately surrounding the stadium were constructed in the 1950s and 60s. I therefore suspect the first generation signage was posted more than 50 years ago, but they could be older. Moreover, note this first generation of signage prohibited game day parking from only 9 a.m to 6 p.m. Today, the prohibition runs through 1 a.m. the following morning. Finally, these first signs were much bigger. One sold recently on eBay measuring 21.5" x 15.5". Another measured 24" x 18". Today's signs are a bit smaller at 18" x 12", which makes them consistent with other variations of the no parking sign you will find elsewhere. But the best part about these signs was that some feature the Notre Dame interlocking "N.D." monogram on them. It's not often your local public works department cranks out a traffic sign with a trademarked logo on it; but, that's just what the city did. Unfortunately, this also made the signs a tempting target for vandals looking to swipe them as souvenirs. As these signs have disappeared, the city has replaced them with a slightly less appealing "N.D." They're still cool. But, not as cool as the ones featuring the monogram. |
Above/top: Quarterback Ian Book Slaps the P.L.A.C.T. sign en route to the playing field. Above/bottom: Hand painted on wood, Laurie Wenger's contemporary version of the P.L.A.C.T. sign, which measure 3' x 4', has remained a constant at Notre Dame Stadium since 1986. | If you've ever watched a Notre Dame home football game on NBC, you've undoubtedly seen it before. According to tradition, players will slap the sign for good luck as they head to the field. When they do, there's always a camera rolling, broadcasting the image for NBC's viewers at home. You might suspect the "PLAY LIKE A CHAMPION TODAY," or P.L.A.C.T. sign for short, has been around since the days of Knute Rockne; but, not quite. Not this sign, anyway. This sign actually dates to 1986. The story goes: Head Coach Lou Holtz came across an old photo depicting a similar sign in a book on Notre Dame history; and he decided he had to have one. So his coaching staff turned to university sign shop employee Laurie Wenger for her help, and the sign painter turned graphic artist delivered this masterpiece a few days later. It's been in its current location ever since. So what happened to the original P.L.A.C.T. sign from long ago? Nobody knows. That sign was removed from the stadium decades ago; and nobody's seen any pictures of it--other than Lou Holtz, who recently acquired the rights to the P.L.A.C.T. slogan itself. |
Above/top: Game #2 at the Polo Grounds. The Giants' clubhouse windows can be seen beneath the Chesterfield sign in deep center field. Behind those windows was their secret weapon. Above/bottom: Thomson poses with his lucky bat following their game #3 win. Of course, we now know: there was more than luck at play. | We now that's not the whole story. They were, of course, cheating. According to author Josh Praeger's exhaustive research, a military grade telescope had been perched in the home team's clubhouse above center field enabling the Giants to steal the visiting catcher's signs. An electrical relay system allowed the clubhouse spy to signal the bullpen with the next pitch; there, the bullpen coach would relay this next pitch to the batter, seconds before the pitch arrived. In this way, Giant hitters knew what pitch was coming. That's how the Giants won the pennant. (For more details on the scheme itself, see this WaPo article.) |
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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