Stix Baer (1 results)

Yokohama n.d., ca.1895, Stix, Baer & Fuller. A single sheet cryptomera [balsa wood] backed paper, with hand-colored photograph printed on the front, 22.5 x 18 cm., folded twice in the form of a letter to customers, very good.OBSCURE ITEM This is a unique piece of ephemera. Stix, Baer & Fuller were an American firm sometimes called "Stix" or SBF or the Grand Leader, was an aggressive department store chain in St. Louis, Missouri. The also had store branches in Yokohama, Kobe Shanghai, Canton, Manila and Hong Kong. They imported and handled goods from China, French Indo-China, including ceramics, embroideries [old and new], art ware, antiques, hand made items, garments, baby clothes and displayed them in all stores. * The current item is a lovely Japanese made item. It is a very think sheet of cryptomeria or balsa wood, backed with paper, then the front was printed with a letter in English to clients, introducing goods for sale. * The letter has a very unique photograph of three Japanese lady musicians, superimposed on the front left corner, then it was folded twice i.e. vertically and horizontally to fit in an envelope. * The letter states: Stix, Baer & Fuller, 72 Yamashita-cho, Yokohama, Japan, with the signature of Julius A. Baer printed at the end of the letter. * THE COMPANY: store was founded in 1892 by Charles Stix, brothers Julius Baer and Sigmond Baer, and Aaron Fuller. It was a public company, with its stock traded on the New York Stock Exchange. The company was a longtime member of the American Merchandising Companies ("AMC"), a trade association of important, locally owned department stores across the United States. For many years the company was known as the leading high-end fashion store in the St. Louis Metropolitan Area, although a smaller competitor, Scruggs, Vandervoort and Barney, also vied for that position. * In 1937 Arthur B. Baer (1895-1970), the only son of Julius Baer (1861-1940), became President. At one point, Stix's largest shareholders were Arthur B. Baer, Sidney Baer and Leo J. Fuller, who were also the senior officers of the company. However, they hired a series of more experienced retailers to run the business as general managers. Those with the longest tenure were first, Morris Jelenko and later, Frank P. Wolff. The last general manager and president was J. Arthur Baer, son of Arthur B. Baer Extracted from Wikipedia. * CONDITION. The letter is in very good condition, there is some folding to the wood where it was folded, with minor loss, otherwise this is a very good example of early photography and also an advertisement from Yokohama by a foreign firm. * BIBLIOGRAPHY:.