Salesman’s Fabric Sample Kit, Stone-Field Corporation, Chicago. “Smart Styles for Men & Women in Tailored to Measure Clothes.”

Chicago: Stone-Field Corporation, 1955. Group of 115 wool (mostly) fabric swatches attached to 75 cards, with descriptive text (8" x 10.5"), promoting the company's line of products for the 1955 - 56 season, with approximately 71 pieces of related ephemera, contained within a hinged box (13" x 10" x 4") comprised of faux crushed black morocco over boards, with clasp & handle.

Box well worn including cracks, splits, & dents. Ephemera & sample cards very good but occasionally showing evidence of use.

A fabulous sample case providing everything needed to secure a path to success in the exiting world of door to door sales!

Ephemera includes two price lists, one for the customer & another "confidential" list (no doubt demonstrating the enormous profit potential for the salesman), business cards, envelopes, several pieces of salesmanship advice, lay away information & forms, order forms, two illustrated folio catalogs (one spotlighting fall & winter fashions; the other for "16 ounce French Back Serge" with 3 swatches) - even a tailor's measuring tape.

The Stone-Field Corporation was actually one branch of a conglomerate under the auspices of the Progress Tailoring Company. The company ran afoul of the Federal Trade Commission in 1944, who, citing evidence of deceptive trade practice, particularly the frequent use of "free" as a descriptor, concluded that "the aforesaid acts and practices of the respondents as herein found are all to the prejudice and injury to the public and to the respondents' competitors and constitute unfair methods of competition in commerce and unfair and deceptive acts and practices in commerce within the intent and meeting of the Federal Trade Commission Act."

Interestingly, in search of representatives, the company advertised heavily to African Americans in publications such as Jet & Ebony throughout the 1960s.