As I was writing the section in the previous post about my grandfather likely purchasing his old mandolin through Sears, I remembered that I have a couple reproductions of Sear-Roebuck catalogs in my library - a 1909 version, and a 1927 version.
I pulled out the 1909 copy and opened it up to the musical instrument pages.
There, I found a huge amount mandolins, violins, guitars, banjos, pianos, and tons of musical accessories.
Here are photos of some of these pages:
Man, if only we could get this stuff at these price points, nowadays. But we must remember that the prices shown in the catalog are those of 1909, reflecting a time in America when working folks' wages weren't extraordinarily high.
Anyway, this catalog is definitely an interesting look at the past. One can spend many hours perusing through this massive tome. Its pages contain every item that was necessary for everyday life at the turn of the 20th century. It's an intriguing snapshot of what things were like back then.
If you can get ahold of one of these Sears repro catalogs, it's well worth the money spent for the many enjoyable evenings that can be experienced exploring its pages.
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